Gray Zones

Two

Before I know it, knowledge is before me. A teacher lecturing on, and a class full of students that are still half-asleep and fully awake at the same time. This happens every day and the same day yield the same results. Kids who really don't give a crap what happens in this class. I care obviously, but I just know this chapter thanks to my studies at my house on my own time. I wake up to the sound of someone playing Money Trees by Kendrick Lamar on their iPod. "Corey, turn off that rap garbage or I will." Corey, sitting next to me, turns red hot. Now this dude was a real pain in the ass. A hot-headed obnoxious kid who never cared what anyone thought of him and honestly was sort of a loner in his own way because of it. Too self-righteous for even his own persona to handle. "Brandon has been asleep this whole time, and you didn't tell him anything." I give Corey the death stare. (Well, as best as I can having just woken up twenty seconds ago.) "Shut up." I fire back. "You ain't got a clue what you talking 'bout." Corey stares back at me, gritting his teeth, not backing down. His dirty blonde hair falls down to his forehead and he flips it back into place. What the hell is he doing? I think to myself. I mean cmon, this dude thinks he's freakin Justin Bieber or something. "You were sleeping in class, Brandon. Don't deny it." I'm done with this kid. Already. He's a 6th grader in a junior's body. This guy needs to get over the fact that he always has to be right and we are always wrong. I hate those kinds of people because they can never chill or get into a healthy argument. I always thought we could agree to disagree, but this dude wants it his way. Newsflash: This isn't freakin Burger King, you can't have it your way all the time. "Okay. Fine. I was sleeping in class. Sue me, Corey, but let's not forget who has the best GPA in this whole damn school. I guess you can sort of say that I can do this in my sleep." I hear assorted "OOH's" and chuckles from my classmates. Get back in your stroller, kid. I think to myself. But Mrs. Early is fed up with this. I can't blame him. We have been going at it all week. "Brandon, Corey. If you need to settle this, you have two options. You can settle it in the principal's office, or you can talk it out after class." Neither one sounds particularly appealing to me. It must not seem that way to Corey either, who slumps back in his chair and crosses his arms. That little dipshit got flushed.

Suddenly, I remember my entire reason for being here. Jessica. Shit. Has she seen the message? I have no idea how long I've actually been asleep. Maybe 10, 20 minutes? She had to have seen it by now, hazel eyes to white paper. I am almost petrified to take a look over across the room. Maybe I shouldn't. I really need to know though and there's no other way to find out. I take a plunge into the freezing waters of this ocean and look to the side. I look past Jerryd, Tasha, and see Jessica's desk. To my utter shock, she's not there! Wow, the thought of you guys going on a date must have really scared her. Damn. I look around the class for anyone who could help me with this predicament. I see all but empty faces staring at the white screen of death that they are absorbed by, never realizing that it is just a screen until you make something out of it. Flipping through the folds of stacks and stacks of trees that will never grow again. Dead for nothing. And I might be dead too if I can't find out where she is. So I tap on Danny's shoulder, the dude sitting in front of me. "Hey, Danny?" I whisper. He turns around and almost hits me."What up Savage?" He says, half-yawning. I put a finger to my lip, trying to get him to shush. I don't want Mrs. Early to get pissed at me again. "Danny, do you know where Jessica is?" Danny takes a minute to think. I can almost see the wheels of his mind turning as he tries to recall. "Yea, matter of fact I do know." Great news for me. I straighten up in my chair. "Great. Where is she though?" Danny looks like he's about 3 seconds from crashing again. "To tell you the truth Brandon, Jessica is absent."

Shit.