Diving

Chapter 1

Five more minutes, and the day was almost over, but all he could think about was how not to focus on the time. The afternoon announcements will probably hold up the bell anyway, he thought, as Sarah Wagner's low and unenthusiastic voice went on and on about summer-this, "the school year is to a close"-that.

"Summer school will take place here, starting the third week of June." Sarah muttered out.

"What does she mean by here?" His friend asked, "Does she mean like here here, like, right there, like, her here, you know, the office, you know 'cause the people that do the announcements do it in the office-you're following me, right, Jared?"

Jared rolled his eyes. "Sure, Will."

Will shook his head. "All I'm saying is she's gotta be more specific."

"I'm sure the people that have summer school know what she means . . . and also people with common sense."

"Whatever, man."

"Also," Sarah continued her announcing, "ninth through eleventh grade will have two more finals on the last week of school, which, as we all know, will begin on this upcoming Monday." Jared wondered if she ever added her own little words to what they tell her to say. Considering how apathetic she sounded, he then assumed she neither tried to make up more words than she was assigned to say nor did she want to put in that sort of effort. She just simply did her year-long job, that he felt she only got because her parents thought it could help her with her speaking capabilities. Were they wrong or were they wrong?

"Why is she still talking?" Jared fell impatient. His whole class had begun to line up by the doorway, and none of them were willing to take standing there for an extra five minutes just because Wagner couldn't read the script quick enough.

"Exactly, like, when is she gonna shut up? It's already three o'clock!" Will said, huffing once with his arms crossed, shaking his head slightly, his shoulder-length dreadlocks subtly swaying. "It's almost the last week, they can't just keep doing this. Who wants to be here for any longer than we're supposed to?"

"I know I don't," Jared stated, sitting on top of a desk in the front row.

"Mr. Harrison-" He knew it was a bad idea before he even had to hear his teacher's nagging.

"I know, I know, Ms. Ellis, 'no sitting on top of the desks.' Sorry." He got down from the desk and went back to standing by the door.

"I don't get why you guys are even standing up, the bell hasn't rung and-" Yet again she was cut off, this time by the bell.

"Thank god!" Will yelled. He and Jared made their way down the hallway, toward the mini-stairway by the library, and out the double doors leading to the bus lane. "I thought the bell would never ring."

"Yeah, me too," Jared couldn't help but scanned his surroundings, mainly in the parking lot near the bus lane. Where is she, where is she, where is she?, He questioned. "Aw man."

"What is it?"

"It's just . . . ugh."

"What?" Will was sincerely bewildered.

"I haven't seen Mrs. Rogers all day, and-"

"Wait, are you mad that you haven't seen Mrs. Rogers?"

I can't help that she's more interesting to talk to than you, Jared sincerely preferred the company of his school counselor than his so-called "best" friend. Not that Will had ever betrayed him or anything, he hadn't done anything to not be considered a best friend to Jared. It was just that Jared simply was bored with him being the main person he had to go to. Although he had other friends-Paige, Trey, even Quincy despite how much they can't stand each other seventy-percent of the time-Instead of Will being his B.F.F. he simply was just the P.E.C.Y.B.F.F.-Person who Evidently Considers You their Best Friend First. He never really saw Will as being that guy in the beginning, he always assumed he and Trey would be the closest, considering their older brothers were best friends, but Trey and Jared never seemed to connect enough for them to be closer.