This Girl and Life

Chapter 9: Unloaded Grief

There was a chilly wind in the air blowing around the High School these days. A couple months have gone by since the first two weeks of school. Tyler and Rory had been making a point lately to spend Friday's together over at her house. She was surprised by how easy the routine had become. Before she knew it, Tyler had grown accustomed to her out spoken mom, and Rory's weird quirks.

It was a nice chance for the two teens to hangout without the pressure of school around them. Test after test seemed to hit them this year unlike the last. When Rory wasn't stressed to the max, Tyler was grumpy from having to study. It was exhausting on the two friends.

Another thing that added to their busy lists was the Fall Festival the school held every year. Rory could still recall Bryan's excitement over the parade of things the clubs were required to do for the event. His Foreign Language club eventually nominated Bryan as the spokesperson for the movie show they did because he was so good at speaking in public. Well, that and Bryan never seem to shut up about the Foreign Language club in general.

This Monday Rory walked straight to her classroom seat on instinct. Tyler was already there, of course, and he didn't move from his spot as they exchanged their normal greeting. Rory's mind drifted to one thought after the next before Mr. Roberts began his lesson. She watched Tyler testing his lead pencil in the normal fashion as her thoughts drifted to her own club.

The History Club was wanting to plan something big for the Fall Festival this year. So big in fact, that they were collaborating with another club to do it. It wasn't normal for clubs to participate together for their Festival booths, at least as far as Rory understood. So, she was surprised when the principal allowed the idea to go through for two clubs to work together on some big project. Unlike the club's president, the rest of the club was in the dark about the president's brilliant idea.

The mystery had Rory on edge in particular. She hated surprises. Somehow, she knew that this first big project of the club was going to rope her into some kind of mischief.

The teen girl watched as Mr. Roberts jumped straight into his lesson with as much gusto as he always did on Mondays; that gusto would quickly die off by Friday she knew. Teachers even get sick of school throughout the week it seemed. Rory laughed inside herself at the thought as she doodled a cat on the edge of her notes.

Her eyes cut up to Tyler's black head. He had been wearing a grey beany on his head this morning, but it now lay next to his open history book; the ring around his hair indicated where it's home would be the moment he found an opportunity. She could tell by his slacked shoulders he was already doodling away. Rory found it nice having a friend in the strange goth boy. He was nice, if not irritating. He really seemed to enjoy hanging out with her despite her flaws.

Honestly, Rory found the company of a friend was much better than making herself lonely without her older brother. Was this what Bryan talked about when he was so insistent that Rory get a friend?

Mr. Roberts set aside his expo marker, and turned to the class. "I almost forgot to announce: before you hooligans run out of this room the moment the bell rings, I want to remind each of you of your club meetings happening today after school. The Fall Festival is coming up soon, and each club will be responsible for setting a station up to work. Be ready—"

The bell rang, and the class quickly filtered out. Mr. Roberts looked to the sky defeated, and turned to clean his white board. Tyler and Rory began helping each gather their things to leave. "Do you know what the Writing club is doing for the Fall festival yet?"

"Nope." Tyler allowed Rory to be the first out the door. "To be honest, I'm worried that they are wanting to do some weird restaurant thing."