Flower Boy

Chapter Twenty Three

            My phone blared an alarm and I groaned, sitting up and grabbing for it. That's right, today is Wednesday. That means I have to go to school today. I groaned, getting out of the bed slowly. I went downstairs and poured a bowl of cereal. The milk splashed in with it and I began eating. There was no noise except for the spoon clinking around in the bowl. Finishing, I placed the bowl and spoon in the sink and went upstairs to get ready.

"Bye, James!" I called, a foot out the door. No answer. I sighed, then headed towards the bus stop. He was probably hung over. There was quite a lot of beer. The cold bit at my skin, and I breathed heavily, watching my breath puff up in front of me. I pushed my hands deeper into my pockets, watching the bus stop get closer and closer. No one else was there, and by the time the bus had gotten to the stop, there was still no one. I climbed on, flashed the bus driver my pass, and sat in the very back, watching a few people who were sitting there.

One such person seemed to be sleeping. They had a backpack next to them and the person looked quite exhausted. There was another person holding a baby, gently rocking it as it slept with a baby carrier on the ground. A third person sat with their hands in their lap, staring calmly out the window.

Finally, we reached the school, and I got off, walking towards the few people in the parking lot. I watched Lucas walk towards me from his small blue car.

"Hey." He said, and I grunted in reply.

"How are you?" He asked awkwardly. I shrugged.

"I've been better." I answered, looking away from him. I felt him stare at me, but I refused to look back at him. I wouldn't let him see through me.

"Alright..." He mumbled finally, looking away. We walked the rest of the way in silence until we reached the doors. As he held the door, I muttered,

"Thanks." He held out a hand.

"You know, you can talk to us if you need anything." He said, gesturing towards Serena and Kyle inside. I nodded.

"Thanks" I repeated, and he lowered his hand. I walked through the door and saw Serena look at me with the face of a worried mother. She quickly smiled.

"Rosalena! How are you?" She asked cheerfully, as if it were a normal question.

"Fine." I answered simply, forcing myself to smile. I went to my locker and unpacked, grabbing things for my next class. She linked arms with me, heading down the hallway and stopping in front of the English room, as if it were a normal day.

"So long, Rosa!" She said, smiling and waving, and headed towards Chemistry. I headed to the back of the class, sighing. I appreciated Serena acting so cheerful, but if she kept it up I wasn't sure how much I could take. I just wanted to be alone and think. The bell rang, and school began.

After my morning classes, I headed to my locker to drop off my things and get my lunchbox. I had packed the leftover spaghetti today, since neither James nor I ate very much last night. I walked towards the cafeteria, when I noticed the bulletin board. It was covered in papers like always, but there was one poster that caught my eye. It read

"Memorial for Donavan Gentes. Time: 7:00 pm Date: 2/18/2003 Place: Gymnasium."

"Donavan, you really are gone..." I whispered, sighing. I pulled out my phone and plugged in the time and date for a new event on my calendar. I wouldn't miss this. I put my phone away and continued on to lunch.

After lunch I had to get to social studies and math. I thought about the announcement during lunch that the principal had made. She told everyone about the memorial event, and I could feel so many eyes burning my neck as I looked at the table. As soon as the announcement was over the whole cafeteria had a different atmosphere, everyone was tense and whispering, not loud and laughing like they normally would. Lucas, Serena, and Kyle were looking at me but said nothing. When the bell rang, I raced out of the cafeteria, practically running to my lockers.

I left my locker with my things, keeping my head down until I reached the social studies room. Mrs. Clark looked up at me, and took a breath.

"Rosalena, if you don't mind, could you come with me please?" she asked, standing and walking towards the hallway. I nodded, setting my stuff down at my seat. I followed her out into the hallway. She turned to me and sighed.

"Listen, Rosalena, I know you're suffering from loss, as is the rest of the school, but... I'm not going to give anyone any easier work. I'm confident you can continue to do well. I'm addressing you because I am aware of your connection to Donavan. I'm also going to have to have you make up the work you missed the past two days, and turn in the homework that was due on Monday." She said, and I felt like gaping at her. I kept my surprise in check and nodded slowly.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't have the homework that was due on Monday done yet. I'll turn it in tomorrow." I said weakly. She nodded and went back into the classroom. I followed her slowly, unable to believe what had just happened. I barely remembered what the homework was, much less could I complete it. I entered the classroom, sitting down at my spot. Class went on as usual, and afterwards Mrs. Clark gave me the makeup work, leaving me with a pat on the back and a lame "I believe you can do this," before she released me.

One more. That was my only thought as I made my way to Math. Mr. Carpenter looked up at me as I entered the class and nodded, as if in acknowledgment. Or maybe he would apprehend me as Mrs. Clark did. The bell rang and class started without fail. He didn't call me up after class thank goodness, but I could sense something in his gaze that wasn't just a simple stare. I packed up my bag and headed out, planning to go home and get ready for the memorial and tell James if he was sober.

Stepping out of the school, I began my trek to the bus stop. It was a little warmer than it had been in the morning, and I sighed. It's been a crazy day. My backpack weighed down on my shoulders as if to remind me it wasn't quite over yet. I grunted and readjusted my backpack on my back as the bus rolled to a stop.