The Dragonier

Chapter 2

          Jessi happily talked the whole way to class, dragging Jake through the crowds. A little overwhelmed, and his mind lost in thoughts of Magmira, Jake let himself be dragged through the hallway, not at all paying attention to how they got to the class.
          "... and as long as you turn something in you'll be fine." Jessi turned to smile at Jake, who looked back in confusion. Jessi laughed. "You didn't hear any of that, did you?"
          "No, not really...." Jake blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
          Jessi laughed even more. "It's fine. It's a lot to take in, and I know I talk a lot. I was just saying that this teacher is generally really easy, a nice first hour."
          "That sounds nice. I've always had math first hour."
          "Ooh, brutal. Oh no...." Jessi trailed off, her last exclamation leaving a bad taste in the air. Jake looked forward to see Robin walking towards them.
          Jessi turned and walked in the classroom, leaving Jake in the hallway. He quickly turned and walked in too, but not before Robin could catch up to him.
          "Hi Jake!" Robin tried to make her voice sound as sweet and musical as she could. It was highly disturbing, but Jake just turned and forced a smile. He had barely met her and already didn't like her.
          She threw her arm up and around Jake's neck, causing her to stretch to her tiptoes. "How are you doing so far? Are those weirdos giving you any trouble? You can come sit next to me in class, since we have the same one." She fluttered her eyes at him.
          "They're not giving me any trouble," Jake grunted with an emphasis on 'they're'. "But I'm actually going to sit with Jessi. If you don't mind." Jake pulled her arm off and traveled to the empty desk next to Jessi and sitting down with her. She smiled at him.
          Jake started to pull out a small binder and a pencil when the teacher walked over.
          "Good morning, Jake. Glad you could make it." Mrs. Gerhardt stood over Jake, her gray hair in a tight bun, her dress made of an old fashioned flower print. Really, everything about her was old fashioned.
          "Good morning." Jake replied. Suddenly, Mrs. Gerhardt dropped a packet on his desk.
          "That is the essay we are currently working on. You will need to go to the library on your own time and check out the book. It's listed in the prompt." Giving one last smile, she returned to the front of the room.
          Jake sat gawking at the large stack of papers on his desk. He hunched over and started counting the pages out loud to Jessi.
          "One, two, three...." As Jake counted, Jessi' smile grew bigger until she was audibly giggling.
          "... Fifteen. Fifteen papers, Jessi!" Jake picked up the packet and stuck it in her face. "You call that easy?" Jessi started laughing as Jake let out an exasperated sigh. "I hate my life!" Jake mumbled.
          "Alright class, let's get going. We have a lot of notes to get through for the test in two days." As if sensing the panic growing within Jake, Mrs. Gerhardt added on "Jake, if you don't feel ready, you can take it later."
          "Yes!" Jake quietly cheered as he pulled out his notebook, labelling it with the teacher's name.
          Jake and Jessi joked around a little during notes, but for the most part were too focused to talk. The class period passed without their notice until a bell went off and the teacher stopped the powerpoint.
          "Five minutes left in class. We'll continue notes tomorrow." Mrs. Gerhardt turned off the projector and turned to her computer. All the students hastily packed up and started talking. Jake and Jessi followed suit.
          "So." Jessi started. "What do you think of us so far?"
          Jake gave a baffled glance before realization struck. "Oh. You mean you, Drake, and... and Magmira?" He had trouble saying her name, not because it was complicated but because it was her name. He felt like a peasant saying a king's name.
          Jessi smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Are we too weird for you? Or do you think you'd fit right in?"
          "Definitely not to weird. However, I usually don't fit in anywhere, and to be honest I don't try to fit it. So...." Jake trailed off, looking down at the desk. He wanted more than anything to get to know them, especially Magmira. However, in a couple months he'd be in another state. Jake was struggling with deciding whether to become attached or not when Jessi patted him on the shoulder. He looked up at her, and was blown away by the kindness and understanding in her smile. She looked him in the eye, as if she could see everything that was troubling him. Jake sighed. "I hope I can fit in with you guys." He gave a hopeful smile, and Jessi hugged him tight.
          "Of course you can fit in." Jessi told him. Jake beamed at the words. Never before had he been so readily accepted by anyone. It was strange, but tantalizing. Day one and he had friends. Maybe, even if he ended up moving away, these friends could last. Jake hugged Jessi back, feeling overwhelmed by happiness.
          The bell rang, and Jessi pulled back to grab her bag. "So, where's your next class? I'll walk you there." She stood up, only to be shoved out of the way by someone. Jake jumped up and caught her before she could fall over. They both looked up to see Robin wave as she left the room.
          "If I cussed I would totally call her something." Jessi mumbled. Jake laughed.
          "Same. Anyways, I have health with Mrs. Butler." Jake showed her the schedule as he pulled his bag up on his shoulder.
          Jessi led him out of the room, and she introduced him to the various hallways, pointing out bathrooms and shortcuts along the way. She stopped him in front of a door.
          "Here you go. Have fun." Jessi smiled and turned away to head off to her own class.
          "Thank you!" Jake called out, receiving an over the shoulder wave. He turned around and marched into his next class.