The Truth of Past and Present

Chapter 2: AT and a date

"But Father-"

"No buts, Nerida. I will be gone all day, I have meetings, plus I must write a report of my trip and tell the Council about it."

"Father, you've been gone for a month! I want to spend-" 

"I said no!" At his finality, I knew pleading would be useless. He sighed. "Look, Neri, I have to go, but I will get home as soon as possible. You go to Adult Teachings, I go to work, and I will help make dinner when I get back." he promised. 

Grudgingly I agreed to the plan and hugged him goodbye. There is a reason he was made the Governor of Medissera.

I sighed, grabbed my tablet satchel, stuffed a credit card in the small inner pocket, along with lip gloss and my ID tag, then stepped into my own glider. I had gotten it for my last birthday, one of the latest models, when I was old enough to drive one. Of course, my bodyguards got into their own glider, following me closely, never saying a word. At AT, they would still follow me, but not as closely, and only stand against the walls, two inside my classroom, two outside.

When I got into AT that day, I immediately hugged my friend Marissa. She is the opposite of me, but almost my twin at the same time. We have been friends since we started our 4th Youngster Teachings year, and we are very close, so close that new teachers actually ask if we are twins, even if we look nothing alike. 

Marissa has straight blond hair, dyed in a rainbow of colors on the tips and cut short in a bob style. She is pale, wears high heels, and loves to wear short skirts and pink, lots of pink. She is cute and fashionable, and always smiles and laughs.

On the other hand, I am a little more moody, mostly when my Father is gone. My hair is wavy and long, and a deep brownish-red color with no dyes. My favorite color is blue, and I am a little more...sturdy than Marissa. I do well in ED, while she does well in makeup application. I have a father, she has a mother.

We help each other, she using her connections and making me look nice for a party or a banquet with Father, and I help her pass her ED examinations. We work out together, we go to parties together. It works in a strange way only a friendship can work. Occasionally we try to set up our single parents on a blind date together, hoping to legally be sisters, but so far we have had no luck.

Anyway, class began, as usual, with pledges of EG loyalty, then progressed to the first class of the day, Science. 

The day progressed uneventfully, until lunchtime. That was when Marissa and I usually sat and talked about the latest fashions, tests, and politics while eating and sometimes giggling about a few boys in our classes we liked.

"Garek is the perfect one for you!" Marissa was gushing. "He is smart, his father is a Representative, and he is so hot!"

"I know," I said dreamily, blushing slightly. "You can tell that he works out, his dirty blond hair looks so cute when its ruffled, and his warm grey eyes seem to stare into my soul."

"By the way, I heard from Fezzik, who heard from Latimer, who heard from Danielle, who heard from Lisa..." Marissa gave me maybe eight more names before she got to the point, "...that Garek Liverin likes you!" she squealed.

"What?" I asked, nonbelieving. "That couldn't be true. Is it true? How could it be true? Do you think it is true?" I rambled, excited.

Marissa smiled eagerly. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" she pointed over my shoulder.

I turned around, then immediately looked into the face I had been hoping and dreading to see.

"Garek!" I squeaked. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt." he apologized. I accepted his apology, then faced me. "Nerida, would you like to go on an outing with me?"

For a few moments, I did absolutely nothing, just stood there, stunned with disbelief and screaming(on the inside, of course.). I nodded mutely.

He sighed like he had been holding his breath all the while. "That is wonderful! For a moment, I was afraid you would say no."

"What time, and what should she expect?" Marissa interjected. See, I told you, she's like my sister.

"Well, some friends of mine and I are going to sneak down and visit the lower levels of the Green sector. There is a restaurant we want to try. Would you like to come, Marissa?" He asked her. 

Marissa looked like she was dying inside. "Not this time, Garek. My mother and I are going to the spa."

"Have fun!" I told her. Then I turned back to Garek. "I would love to come, but how am I supposed to go to a lower sector without my bodyguards dragging me away?" I gestured to the men against the far wall, watching me.

"I've got a solution..." he grinned evilly. 

Garek is the "bad boy" of our AT year. He constantly does things which get him into trouble, but he is smart enough that nobody wants to take him on, either in brains or brawn. There are rumors that he broke into the army hoverbase above his sector and got away with a secure hard drive. That one has never been proven, like so many other similar stories. A bad boy AND cute? Yes, please.

As Garek walked away, promising to meet me outside of the AT building when classes ended, Marissa turned to me and we both squealed in excitement.

"This is so huge! He asked you out!" 

"Not on a date, just an outing." I reminded her.

"That's always the first step!" she said. 

I couldn't wait for AT to end.

After class, I grabbed my satchel and rushed outside, hoping that Garek had a good plan. 

He did.

Garek reached out and yanked me around a corner, so fast that my bodyguards didn't notice I had suddenly disappeared from the crowd of teenagers and kept going. In a small alcove, he gave me a larger, pink satchel to stuff my own satchel into, a white-and-blue tunic with a long hood to hide my face. Together, we walked out into the open.

It was a slightly breezy day in this sector, so the hood was not out of place. I felt invisible, hidden in plain sight as I walked past my bodyguards who were now looking around for me. I almost giggled in excitement but held it back since it would have been a dead giveaway.

"Now," Garek said, holding my hand, making me blush, "This way."