Challenge Accepted

16 "Normal"

( Zion's Prospective)

Photography quote: "To the complaint, 'There are no people in these photographs,' I respond, There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer."

― Ansel Adams

Time passed fast. It turned out to be Stella's Birthday. Did I say happy birthday to her? No... She probably hates me by now. That's for the best. We've been through so many moments together that this doesn't even seem real. But something has been worrying me. Seeing Stella in hoodies and Long baggy sweatpants everyday, all day. Makes me think I left an emotional impact. Usually she's wearing something that shows enough cleavage that every guy in the room is stealing a glance every five seconds. Drooling over her. I have two more weeks then I'm going to Arizona to teach photojournalism. I'm staying until this year is over. Which is when Stella would be a senior in college. She started college a year earlier than me so she would be graduating when she is 24. I graduated when I was 25 because I started a little later than her. Anyways the point I'm trying to make in my head is that. We still have time to think about the choices we have been making. About giving it time and maybe being just friends... Not even enemies... Although I doubt she would let that slide. She's probably growing to hate me even more every second for what I'm doing. As I thought about the class I caught two pairs of eyes glaring at me, not looking away, watching every move I made. Scar and Jay seem like they want to murder me. I wonder how that's working out for Jay. Knowing that he may have a chance with Stella. But something feels off. Their glaring Isn't as normal as their usual glares. They have more of a desire to burn me alive. I clear my throat but that does nothing but make them more interested in whatever is on my face. As I make eye contact with both of them I see Stella hiding behind them. She's tapping on her desk and I can tell she's bouncing her leg because her whole body looks like she's shaking. She's a fidgety kind of gale but not as much as this, at least normally she wasn't. until now. She hasn't stopped moving since she sat down. Either if it's just her non stop typing or both of her legs bouncing up and down. Which is actually starting to make me feel more anxious than normal. I want to pull all three of them out of the room and talk to them but my gut is telling me that's going to look bad. So I ignore them for the rest of the class even though I can hear thumping and feel eyes piercing through me like I'm just some type of ghost, people are looking right through.

I've tried to act normal as much as I can sense Stella and I had the incident. Yeah, I'm going to be calling that, "the incident" because that just seems like the right word for it. Not going to lie, it's harder than I thought it would be since I have two people glaring at me. Cole is somewhat staring me down, but unlike the rest he's actually also trying to take notes. Either it's for himself, or if it's also for the others to look at when they realize they don't have the notes. I don't know what to think but I'm guessing I'm going to be well hated. It's fine, everything is fine. I just have two more weeks until the end of the school year. Then most of this will be over. I'll be starting a new life, in a way. Hopefully I do better in Arizona then here. Even if I bump into Stella. I have to prepare for the new normal.