Meeting In The Middle

Urban Legends

"Drama is about expressing yourself through words and actions, portraying your feelings." A short, chubby woman stood at the front of the room packed with tired teenagers. She had thick framed glasses and ruby red lipstick, a smile plastered on her face full of fake enthusiasm. Ms.Lark. I take an empty seat and prop my elbows on the desk, resting my head on it. Her voice drones on and on, fading from my thoughts. I could feel Dylan's stare on me. I refused to look at him, I was afraid I would break. I don't even love him anymore, why am I scared of him? I frown and concentrate on the red words scribbled on the whiteboard to keep my mind off of him.

The door opened and revealed a girl with honey coloured hair and nervous eyes. She quickly apologized to the teacher, running out of breath. The class was watching the exchange with boredom and started having private conversations with each other. The girl glanced over the class and decided to take a seat next to me. She beams when she reaches the desk.

"Can I sit here?" She asks, pointing at the desk. I nod and smile grin.
"Of course." I respond with a smile in my voice. She hooks her purple backpack on the back of the chair and pulls out a bright coloured binder full of unused lined paper.

"I'm Violet." She introduces herself with a friendly smile.
"Rosella." I reply, pushing my hair over my ear. "Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure was all mine." She laughs lightly. "Thanks for letting me sit with you. I thought I would have no friends here."

The class was just as divided as the school yard. "Believe me, I was you before school started."
She nods. "Its hard moving and leaving your friends behind."

Ms.Lark hushes the class and all the conversations stop. Our attention was drawn to the front again. She clears her throat and starts making her way down the aisles, placing a white piece of paper on each desk she passes. She sends a scent of rose petals as she drifts by me. It was a comforting scent that brought me back to when I would play in the garden with Dylan when I was younger. The smell turns too strong as it floats in the air by me. I wanted to stop breathing. Maybe that would make me feel better. It was polluting my head and I was feeling sick. Violet had made herself busy reviewing the page. She turns to me, a perfect lavender French manicured fingernail pointing at the title.

Urban Legends.

I pick up the sheet laying on my desk and hand Violet's back to her. She was reading it intently, like she enjoyed this type of stuff. I felt drawn to the content as I skim the text. It was a script.

Narrator : For years, a legend has drifted about, on the existence of creatures in the night. Bigger than wolves and stronger than bears. Faster than lions and swifter than foxes. They were named the 'Werewolf.' A creature that shifted to wolf form on a full moon. The first discovery happened late at night, when a farmer's daughter was bit by one.

I place the script down. Werewolves out of all things? I heard a slam from the back of the room and I turn with wide eyes as I see Caleb, smashing his fist into the table. He storms out of the room, shaking and fuming, his face turning a dark shade of pink. I bite my lip and decide not to chase after him yet. With Caleb in a state like that, I don't think anyone would be safe and 10 metres near him. After all, there is a huge dent in the middle of the desk, where Caleb's fist had met it. His script was crumpled up and thrown on the ground beside his dented  table. I never imagined this side of Caleb would even be there. Anger can do crazy things to people.

Ms.Lark doesn't even try to call him back. She's probably dealt with worse. I could hear Dylan snickering with his friends about Caleb's anger issues. I shoot him a dirty glare and he shuts up. As the seconds ticked by, I grew more and more concerned. I wonder what part of the script made him so angry. Violet shoots me a worried look.

"What happened?" She whispers. I frown.
"Honestly, I don't even know." I respond in a low voice, hoping he was okay. With anger issues like that, every human waking down the hall would be beaten up. "He just read the script and turned into a killing machine."

Violet stared at the dent with disbelieving eyes.

"He did that?!" She gasped, overwhelmed by his power. I bite my lip and nod while she shrugs.
"Don't get on his bad side Rosella. You know what he's capable of." Violet warned me. Caleb didn't seem like that type of guy that would hit a girl. I didn't expect him to be half that strong. Like how I didn't expect to see that side of Dylan.

I look over my shoulder and spot him talking with his friends. He had an almost innocent smile on his face and bright eyes. This was the Dylan I knew before. Before the madness by the woods. I'm still trying to figure out what has gone into him. It's like he was possessed for a minute, then became Dylan again. This anger was messing with my already hurting head. Violet urged me to go calm him down before he could hurt anyone. I couldn't imagine Caleb hurting anyone but after what I saw, I was never going to judge people by their first impressions anymore. Who knows, Klein could be a spy undercover. I excuse myself and wander down the hall, listening for Caleb's heavy breathing. I didn't need to walk far. He was hunched up in the hallway, his back against the blue lockers. He didn't seem that angry anymore. At least he wasn't vibrating. He hears my footsteps and groans.

"I don't want you to see me in this angry state." He says, not looking up. I frowned and squatted so I was eye to eye level with him.
"Caleb, you know I'll always be here to listen." I reply softly. He's gotten himself in control. He slowly gets up.

"I know." He said, brushing off his pants. He started walking me towards my locker. "Thanks for that." 

I don't reply. Maybe it was because I didn't have anything to say, or maybe I think he wanted silence to think. The bell rang, the students spilling into the hallways, swimming to their lockers and meeting up with friends in different classes. I walk with Caleb in silence. Klein was waiting at my locker, along with a sulking Alex.

I haven't gotten Alex to even make eye contact with me yet. This was going to be a tough friendship. Klein greets us with a smile, though I could tell there was something else in his eyes. His eyes flickered to Caleb's.

"What's up man?" Klein asks, taking in his facial expression. I think he already knew by the way he looked at us when we first started making our way down the hall. I quickly stuff my books in my half-opened backpack and slam the locker shut. I turn back to them. They looked like they were having a conversation with only their eyes. I look at them weird.

"He read some script about the urban legends and some werewolf history narrative and I don't know. He just raged out of the room." I say, looking at Caleb with confusion.
"Who was he sitting near?" Klein asks.
"He's two rows behind me. Dylan is behind me. Caleb is after him." I explain, gulping when his name escaped my lips. Klein and Alex shared a look. I had enough of this facial communications. I was officially creeped out.

"Did you just say Dylan?" Alex speaks up for the first time. His bold red streak has gone brighter than I remembered, like a flame being ignited. I nod, confusion clouding my face.

"Dylan J. Cads?" Caleb completed his name in a husky voice. He never tells anyone his middle name except for me. I stare at Caleb.

"How did you know?"