HEAT WAVES. manifest

chapter thirteen: that funny feeling

┊┊┊┊ ➶ MJ 🛩⌇ ｡˚ ✧ ﹐

MISS STONE WAS ANGRY. It was weird to see. The blonde haired teacher was usually calm but for the entire day she looked as if she was a ticking-time-bomb ready to go off. MJ appreciated the change of pace, because of Miss Stone's mood, the class had a silent day, catching up on term work, homework or reading. MJ had her earphones in and read a book, it was probably her favourite day at school yet.

When the bell rang, MJ found herself at the bike track, she grabbed her key and took off the lock around her skateboard.

Christy had offered to give MJ a lift to school on her way home from work but MJ refused, she enjoyed riding her skateboard to school. The feeling of wind sliding along her, her earphones in, nothing other than getting to her destination mattering, she felt free when skating.

MJ was about to put her earphones in when she heard a person calling her name. She turned around, curious to who the strange voice could be. "MJ!" MJ's eyes widened as she spotted Cal Stone running up to her. The preteen boy was smiling wildly as he waved at her, "Hi!"

MJ smiled, "Hey, how was your first day?" She asked. MJ remembered seeing Cal sitting at a table of High Schoolers, it wasn't exactly like her first day back at school but then again, she did skip to solve a murder with Cal's dad and aunt.

Cal shrugged, "It was okay..."

MJ crossed her arms, "It was bad wasn't it."

He nodded.

"My first day wasn't the best, I had people staring and whispering about me all day, your aunt helped but—"

"She only understands so much."

"Yeah..."

MJ bit her lip. She didn't know what to say, the last time she had seen Cal was on the tarmac, he looked sickly, half-asleep and terrified in his father's arms, MJ had been jealous that Cal had someone there to comfort him. "Hey, what's been going on with your family lately? I haven't heard from Ben or Michaela recently."

Cal raised an eyebrow, "You talk to my aunt and dad?"

"Oh—" MJ realised that Cal wasn't as in the know as her. A part of her felt jealous, she wished she never got caught up in all the madness of callings but the other part of her felt bad for him. "I..."

"Cal!" A teenage girl called as she ran up to the two, "There you are! I thought I lost you." The girl turned to face MJ, "No way..."

"Do I know you?" MJ couldn't help but feel something familiar about the girl, she had long curly brown hair with dark eyes and tan skin.

"I'm not sure if you remember me, Olive, from the airport?"

"Oh! Woah..." MJ stared at the 16-year-old girl, suddenly she remembered where she had seen her brown curls and tan skin, she was the energetic eleven-year-old girl who introduced herself and Cal at the airport. "You are old."

"Geez thanks," Olive said playfully with a laugh. "Cal, we gotta go home now, Aunt Cassie is giving us a lift."

Cal nodded before turning to MJ, "Do you wanna come?"

MJ shook her head, "Um... No thanks, but maybe another time?" She offered.

"Sure, I'll give you my number," Olive grabbed out her phone and flashed MJ her number, she wrote it down in her phone.

"Well... bye!"

MJ waved at them, watching as they hopped in her teacher's car before putting her earphones in and returning home.