THE PHOTO TRAVELER (THE PHOTO TRAVELER SERIES - BOOK 1)

CHAPTER 9

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CHAPTER NINE

Two days later, I enroll in Museum Magnet High. It isn’t far from the house and I only have a couple of months remaining to graduate, so I figure I should make Bud and Estelle proud of me and get my diploma. I guess with everything going on, school will be a good distraction.

            Naturally, I choose Photography 4 as my elective. The teacher, Mr. Perry, was pretty impressed by my portfolio and was instantly eager to allow me into his classroom. The class is small, with only nine students. It’s not like my old school, where they crammed classrooms meant for 20 students with more than 30. This one is more selective and is geared towards the students’ interests and talents.

            My arrival works out perfectly because the class is about to begin their final projects for the year, and they’re supposed to work in pairs. They were one person short, so I filled the void.

            I’m assigned to work with Mario Perez, a Cuban American senior. He’s tall, with a short faded cut, a wide mouth, and round hazel eyes that almost glow against his olive skin. He has one of those butt-chins I usually make fun of, but it actually suits him well.

            Immediately I feel comfortable around him. He can relate to me being the “new kid,” since that was him last year when he moved up to D.C. from Miami. As I settle in at my desk, right next to his, he leans over and whispers, “Mr. Perry rocks. You’ll like him a lot. The school’s not too bad either. If you need someone to show you around, let me know.”

            I grin. “Thanks. I appreciate that, man.”

            Mr. Perry’s enthusiasm is obvious as he announces the outline for our final project. Each team has to select one museum and create an oversized collage of our favorite exhibitions. The sum of the photos will have to create a larger picture of something that symbolizes the entire museum or something we’ve learned. He then explains that we’ll be graded on technique, individual photos, and overall presentation. The moment he mentions museums, my eyes light up. It’s my chance to make it to the museums. Just the chance I’ve been waiting for.

            When he starts asking the teams to tell him which museums they want to choose, I have no clue. “You decide,” I mutter to Mario. “You’ve been here longer.”

            “My favorite’s the Air and Space Museum,” he whispers back, “but Maria and David already called dibs on it. What about the Smithsonian Natural History Museum? I think it’s probably the coolest of all of them. You should check that one out anyway if you haven’t seen any of ‘em yet.”

            “Yeah, honestly I haven’t seen any of them at all. So either sounds good to me.”

            Mario raises his hand, “Mr. P, we call the Museum of Natural History.”

            When the end-of-school bell rings, I’m surprised to see that the students don’t rush for the exit like they did in my last school. And, oddly enough, I don’t want to rush out either. I take my time. I want to wander the halls and pace myself. Take it all in and examine the school in peace.

            By the time I get all my things together and finally make it out of Mr. Perry’s classroom, most of the students have already headed out to the courtyard. The eerie silence in the halls gives me the creeps. The hairs rise on my neck and my stomach feels empty.