Not of This World

Two: Wren

"Wren, you need to wake up." A loud sound bursts in front of my face and I instinctively jerk away from it. I sit up straight and try to get my bearings.

That's right. History class, seventh period, nap time.
"Mr. Donnovan, I expect you to be paying attention in my class, not catching up on sleep."

"Sorry," I mumble, noticing the paused video on the screen at the front of the classroom. A rocket is frozen mid-takeoff. The smoke billows around it in bad-quality color. The first moon landing. That's what we're learning about.

"If it happens again, I'm giving you detention," she warns. Then she returns to the front of the room to start the video again. The white tube continues moving upward as some voice talks about the men inside it.

Unlike the worst boy stereotype ever, I never liked rockets or space travel. My relatives got me model rocket sets and Buzz Lightyear things, but I didn't really enjoy them. That's one of the reasons I fell asleep today. Rockets are boring. Sure outer space is big and cool, but it's too far away. I guess I'm not connected enough to it. The things I like more are math, biology, and track. That's the other reason I fell asleep today: I stayed up too late studying for my AP Biology exam next Tuesday. So many words.

It only takes a few more minutes until the bell cuts the video off. I grab my things and rush to my locker. Once I get there, one of my friends, Aaron, walks up to me.

"Coach said practice is canceled today. Too much mud."

"Thanks," I reply, taking my biology book and stuffing it in my backpack.

"You going on a date with Nicole this weekend?"

I roll my eyes. He knows Nicole likes me more than him, so he's always her second choice. "Jeez, no. You can have her."

"Just asking. See you later." He starts to walk away.

"See you."

"Hello, Wren." Speak of the devil. It's Nicole.

"Hey, Nicole." My locker must be the newest place to hang out or something. I close and lock it.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?"

"Yeah, I have to study for Bio." I turn to face her. She's about five inches shorter than me with straight brown hair. She has a few cute freckles, but I wouldn't ever date her seriously. She's funny, but she's just a friend.

"Oh, I forgot. I had my History exam on Monday."

"Yeah. Was it hard?" I'm trying to be polite, but I just want to get back home.

She shrugs. "I was prepared, but the DBQ's really killed me. I hope I passed. Do you know if Aaron is doing anything this weekend?"

"Probably not. He's too dumb for AP's." I laugh. We both know I'm joking, but Aaron just doesn't take AP courses. Neither would I, but my parents want me to get into a relatively good college.

She laughs too. "Okay, thanks. I'll go find him. Bye." She gives me a little wave with a smile.

"Bye," I say back.

We walk separate ways down the hall. I reach my car in the parking lot. I throw my backpack onto the passenger seat and start to drive back home, dreading when I have to start studying.