Field Hockey and the Cleveland preserver

10

KJ's pov

"Why aren't you home like you said you would be?"

"I just happened to forget that Dylan is out partying tonight and my dad is working the night shift and Alice is randomly out of town as usual."

"Convenient." I said as I stood from the swing. Predictably Mac pulled me in for a kiss. I being the more cautious one, was aware that we were in public and was annoyed.

"Jeez Mac it's like you want to get caught.." I murmured.

"What? I can't just kiss my girlfriend?" She shot back.

"Who ever said girlfriend?" I knew we couldn't exactly let other people know to begin with but I still had never talked about that sort of stuff,

"Well, umm. If you would, want that....." Mac trailed.

"Yes." I said smiling.

***

We went back to my house, my parents were home so we snuck up the tree to my room once more. I sat down on my bed next to Mac.

I wondered why she never seemed to go home, much less stay. Sure I knew she had a rough home life but she seemed like she wouldn't stay there is she had half a choice. It concerned me but I never said anything about it, it wasn't my business, but I still had a few unanswered questions.

**********

I was getting a glass of milk pondering our game against Camen prep. I just didn't want to get a big bruise on my arm again. Or for Eric to bother me.

*

When I got to school to my surprise he didn't bother me, but as for Richard 'Rick' Schwartz, I can't say the same for him.

"Hey KJ." He greeted.

"Hey Rick." I replied, trying to mask my distaste. 

"So it turned out Giliet can't help me. She's busy practicing every day."

"Aww, what a shame."

"But I think you can still help me."

"Sorry Rick, I have a lot of homework, and my big history project is coming up, I don't have the time."

Before he could reply the bell rang and the halls were full of people shoving through the crowds. Pencils being thrown, screaming people, someone getting punched. Normal every day things. Someone threw a shoe and I nearly dodged it, it hit some boy in my gym class, I nearly tripped over a kid who dropped his binder on the floor. A sight to be seen.

I made my way down the hall to my first class of the day. It was English with Alex. 

All we were doing was gathering text evidence and writing a persuasive speech as to why our audience should join a union. Alex was always a smart, strongly worded person at times. So I lucked out with being at her table. We were also there with a tall girl on the soccer team, Ellie, and the head of the chess club, Veronica.

"So who out of the four of us wants to open up the speech?" Ellie asked.

"I think Alex would be the best option" I suggested.

"I'm down for that." Alex said.

"Great then. I'll finish it off with a summary, Veronica, you can do the pathos argument, and KJ can do the ethos." Ellie said.

"Great." Veronica replied. And with that we all got to work. After a while Alex was running into some roadblocks.

"Ugh, I can't do this."

"What do you mean? You are the best at writing strongly worded speeches, you give them to the team all the time." I piped up.

"Those were all dictations and on the spot, having to consciously think and write is different."

"Then....give a dictation." Veronica suggested,

"I can't, we're in class."

"So? Who is stopping you?" Ellie asked. 

And with that Alex went off. She first stood up and became a bit louder, then stepped up to the front of the room and exploded with fiery language, yelling metaphors and facts like the world depended on it. She was exploding with passion and energy.

While Hiroshima was happening again in front of our very eyes the band director walked in and appeared surprise at the next Malcom X standing at the front of the room. Alex continued even though she looked a bit embarrassed and scared that her band director just walked in on her giving a diatribe. (She played the trombone)

As she finished she sat down, looking exhilarated. Public speaking seemed to come easily to her, like she enjoyed it. I never had that. I always hated going in front of the class and presenting, I wish I enjoyed and was confident in my public speaking like her. But for a long time I just started at my shoes and mumbled. But when I started middle school I got better at that sort of stuff, but never to the degrees of actually having fun,

"Wow dude." Veronica said shocked.

"You just went off." Ellie remarked.

"Yea, I'm better at doing on the spot speeches of emotion and junk like that than, writing something boring down on paper." Alex said.

"Damn." Is all I could muster. 

******

At study hall I went to the pocket watch post to go help with arranging a few pages and maybe write an article if they needed someone. I ended up arranging a few columns and pages for half an hour. I chatted with Veronica while I was working, she was editing an article entitled, 'what's the story o the book club?' It was about the newly formed book club at our school. It highlighted their planned books to read, what the meetings were going to be like, and where to meet and such. They were looking for new members and the first book they were going to read was 'Sherlock Holmes' which I had been wanting to read for the longest time. However, I couldn't join the club since I had hockey most days.

When I finished my paper arranging and Veronica finalized the article we got to mess around for a while. Us and a few other kids who had finished everything the the next week's issue pulled out a scrabble board and started spelling. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it.

A/n

I specifically published this part on this day because it's been one month since I started writing this, on  New Years Eve when I was incredibly bored.