Across the Net

Dinner on Friday?

Everything happens for a reason. Live it, love it, learn from it! Make your smile change the world, but don't let the world change your smile.

~~~~

"Hey."

I looked up from my phone. I had been reading in class. A head of blonde poked itself in front of my nose.

"What're you doing?" Ah, it was just Lana. Phew, at least it wasn't the teacher. Then panic seized me again. She saw me reading. She'd think I was a nerd. Crap.

"I um..." I racked my brains until nothing was left inside. "I was writing a paper... for... um Biology...?"

I didn't take Biology.

"Oh," Lana shrugged. "And you write it on your phone?"

"Yes," I nodded firmly. "I do."

Lana seemed to buy it, for she smiled and leaned back.

"Anyways, I just want to remind you the first match is on the 24th. That's next Friday."

I sucked in a breath. Next Friday. And I had to train with Lana, who was having huge mood swings because of her boyfriend. Adding to the list, I sucked at volleyball, and this seemed to be the only thing my friends were not pleased about.

As if she had read my mind, Lana added, "Practice is today after school."

Profanities were the least I could utter in my brain. Urgh. My life is going to turn out so well.

I stuck my hand into my bag, wanting to pull out a pen to doodle on the margins and relieve some stress, when my hand grazed something that should not belong to my bag. Being a long-term OCD sufferer, I knew my bag and its contents well. I pulled out a box. It was carelessly wrapped with newspaper, and a small note was tied to it. The knot was already half off by the time I pulled it from the mercy of the string.

I made the mistake of opening the box first. There was a piece of moldy something inside. The thing was covered with greenish-grey mold, and a strong, gut-puking smell poured out of it in waves, engulfing the whole class with one swirl. I was desperately holding my nose tight between two fingers when I made out the few words scrawled on the folded paper which had fallen open on my desk-"You two have a remarkable resemblance, smells and all;) -Secret Service" 

I glared at the smiley, as if I could turn it into a frowny. Sofia. I swear you will never see the light of day. Ever again.

The whole class erupted in laughter at the same moment, as if they had planned to do so. Only the English teacher, a stuck up old man, cared to throw a glare at me.

"Miss Sanders."

"Yes sir?" I asked, fumbling with the box as I tried to close the lid.

"Students in my hometown never do that in class. They would have concentrated in class..." he started. Mr. Baker had been ranting about his hometown since forever, comparing each and every one of us with 'the students in his last school'.

"We don't come from your hometown, stupid," Lana hissed under her breath. "It would be a disgrace to. Keep that bald head back in your hometown, clever."

"What was that?" Baker whipped around, scanning the class with his hawk like eyes over no-rim glasses as he pushed his barely existing wisps of hair sideways with his thick fingers. I could tell he was trying to look good-natured, but he was failing miserably.

Lana immediately began smoothing out the edges of her textbook as if nothing had happened. People were snickering quietly and I caught a few of the boys throwing admiring glances at Lana. They seemed to be doing it whenever they had the chance. I rolled my eyes until they were whizzing around uncontrollably and turned to catch someone's eye. And that someone so happens to be William. For some reason, butterflies started prancing their way into my stomach. Stop it. I told them. But they didn't. I broke the gaze first and turned back to Baker.