Biography of Someone Else

Chapter 2: Overly Cliché

There are two notebooks and a textbook precariously crammed on my undersized school desk. One of them is the math notebook that I should be filling, and the other is my miniature school writing journal that I'm actually writing in.

The school journal is small, barely half the size of standard composition notebooks, and I keep it to write down any ideas that hit me when I'm at school, and also just for the sake of distracting myself.

My journal is resting on top of my math notebook, and I am absorbed in a story in which the main character is a cheerleader, but isn't actually popular. Or something like that. It's hard to explain when you're still figuring out the idea.

So absorbed in fact, that I don't notice the door opening and admitting two people to the room until my math teacher Mr. Chavez breaks off his monotonous speech about finding angle F to welcome them.

One of the people is the school principal, Mr. Arne, a kind but rather clueless man with graying hair and a scruffy almost beard.

The other one is a boy who must be in our grade. And I hate to be clichè, but I met the cute boy in math class.

"This is Jae Aubriel." The principal introduces the boy next to him. I remember now! Gracie said that we were getting a new kid today, I guess I didn't realize that he would be in my class. "Jae is new to our district, so please help him feel welcome here." Anyone who knows our principal heard the threat implicit in those words, but I don't think that Jae caught it.

"I won't be taking up more of your time now Mr. Chavez. Make the dragons proud!" He chants the last part--it's a school spirit thing that seems way too goofy for his serious personality.

A few scattered people enthusiastically "Hoouah" back, but most ignore the routine chant. We've been the Golden Dragons for years now, and will be for a decent bit longer. I'll give one good "Hoouah" when I graduate.

Now at the front of the room there is one awkward Jae, and one slightly oblivious math teacher. Jae clears his throat a few times before the teacher breaks off his muttering about, "can't just drop an extra student in on a man like that, not right!" to seat him.

After scanning the room he asks, "Does anyone sit in that desk behind you Stella?" I quickly shake my head no in one decisive motion. "Go sit behind Stella."

With that Jae is left to find his seat, which having obviously missed my nod, he still doesn't know where to go.

I steel myself for the attention and wave my hand rapidly, but not in a way that the teacher will see. I keep my hand low and continue waving until he spots me, at which point I turn the motion into adjusting my glasses.

Jae takes the seat behind me and math goes back to normal. For about two seconds. Of course he sits behind me in math class. What next, am I gonna get asked to be his guide? Oh, wait, I think that job is probably taken by now. How lucky for them.

I can feel his gaze boring into the back of my head as he noisily opens his textbook and retrieves a pencil. He rips a page out of his notebook for some reason and starts writing something on it. After a few second I see his hand next to my side, holding a neatly folded piece of notebook paper.

A cursory glance at Mr. Chavez ensures that no attention at all is being paid to what I am doing, and I take the note from his hand, heart jumping and eyes darting around from paranoia of being caught.

Thanks for helping me. What page are we supposed to be on?

I roll my eyes before jotting down my response. 58

I refold the note and pick it up with my left hand. I let my arm swing down and back so that the note is within Jae's reach.

He doesn't send a note back, but he does flip to the correct page in his math book.