Marisa Susans may seem to be an average girl, but she's actually not your average girl. So when she meets Brad Du Bois, the bad boy who treats her just like any other girl, she is OUTRAGED. But then Brad accidentally finds Marisa's shirt that she dr...
It's difficult getting around on crutches, but with the help of Brad, I've been getting around. Brad has been oddly helpful. Not that he's usually unhelpful, but he doesn't even stick around half the time; he'll come to school, but he'll either skip class to wander the halls (which, granted, he's probably still doing) or just leave the building altogether. But so far today he's constantly been there for me, waiting outside the room to help me carry stuff between classes, seemingly appearing out of nowhere to help me when I was struggling with something. Honestly, it feels nice. Not just because it's Brad, but...I guess that has something to do with it. It's just good to know someone's there for me.
"Okay, clase! Today we'll be actually going birdwatching!" says Señor Dharbie. Ugh, great. Of course now we'd have to do birdwatching. I frown. "You'll be working on pairs. I'll be assigning partners. You, Drew, will work with Marisa." I sigh in relief. At least I'll have someone there to help me stand. I look around and saw Marisa, who I immediately recognize from our meeting at the store the other day. I do remember her saying something about being in the same birdwatching class as me. I hold back a snicker as I remember what type of person Marisa supposedly is, at least from what Brad's told me. The words "scary" and "weird" have come up many times.
Marisa shuffles over to my desk. With a sickeningly sweet smile, she says, "I can help you carry your stuff out." I'm not about to refuse the offer, so I nod.
"Thanks." I stand up and follow the rest of the class outside to our usual birdwatching spot.
"You're a senior, right?" Marisa says out of the blue. I nod.
"Yeah. I'm guessing you're a junior like Brad, right?" I reply.
"Yeah!!!" I can clearly see how excited she's getting at the mere mention of Brad. I don't know why, but something about that ticks me off. Shaking my head, I continue talking to try to take my mind off of these unnecessary feelings.
"Have you started thinking about college and stuff? So far that's all it's been for me this year. College research and applications. It's exhausting," I say, sighing.
"Nope~, I don't need to worry about that stuff yet! I bet I could get into Harvard!! And I don't even need to start applying until after I graduate!" Marisa says. I cringe.
"That's...not how it works," I mumble, just loudly enough for her to hear.
"Yes it-" she starts to say, but she's interrupted when we arrive at the birdwatching site and Mr. Dharbie started speaking.
"¡Hoy vamos a buscar para pájaros raros! Grab one of these worksheets," he holds up a stack of papers and sets it on a picnic table, "and fill it out listing the birds you see. Same as usual." I sit down on a bench and take out my binoculars while Marisa goes to grab a worksheet.
I bring the binoculars up to my eyes and looked around. I look up and look around in the trees. Nothing. I don't even see so much as a leaf move. I look to the top of the building and see nothing. Marisa comes running over, worksheet and binoculars in hand.
"Drew! Drew! Look over there!" She points to a spot on the ground, near a tree. I raise my binoculars and look over to where she's pointing. I nearly keel over in shock when I see a large round bird standing, nibbling something off the ground with its round beak.
"Is...is that...a dodo?!" I say with wide eyes.
"Yeah! Isn't that so cool?!" Marisa nearly squeals. Nodding silently with an open mouth, I quickly take a picture on my phone. I should show Brad later, I think with a smile.
I add dodo to the worksheet and continue looking around.
I finally see a few ravens, but I can't stop looking back to the dodo.
"Um, Mr. Dharbie?" I call out, raising my hand. Mr. Dharbie comes over.
"Yes, Drew?"
"Over there..." I point to the dodo. "Isn't that...a dodo?"
"Why, ¡sí! It is! That's a great find, Drew!" I shake my head.
"Marisa's the one who spotted it," I say, but I don't think he's listening.
"This is a major discovery! I need to let scientists know about this!!" He claps and raises his voice: "Everyone! Class is dismissed for today!! I have to go take care of something" He then rushes back inside without a second glance. I'm so stunned that all I can do is blink.
"Well...I think I'll go now," I tell Marisa. "It was nice talking and working with you." As I leave, Marisa looks like she wants to say something, but I ignore it. What should I do with my extra time? I stop so that I can think without wasting my energy moving around the halls. I could go to the library to kill time, but I wouldn't be able to bring any of my stuff. I could just go to the classroom for my next class, but only about 20 minutes had passed before Mr. Dharbie ran off, do I'd have at least 30 minutes of just waiting. I freeze slightly as I get an idea. Balancing myself by leaning against the wall, I fish my phone out of my pocket.
To: Brad Hey are you in class or skipping?
I'm about to put my phone back in my pocket when my phone vibrates immediately.
in xlass do u need something? ican leave
Just wondering :)
So that settles it. If I remember correctly, Brad should be in physics with Mr. Joster right now. I head over there. It's not like Brad's my only friend. But...for some reason lately I only want to see him. I shake my head. It doesn't matter. There's nothing weird about putting your best friend above everyone else.
here is what drew looks like (loosely):
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