Before I Met You

Part 2

"How has your day been Beatrice?" Caleb asks as I sit down a the lunch table in the back left hand corner of the cafeteria.

"Good. The only thing I've really done today is the pop quiz in Calculus," I shrug and take a drink of my water.

For lunch I got a ham sandwich, cottage cheese, and a apple. I never eat much, so this is a pretty big meal for me. Caleb basically got the same thing. In our house we eat plain foods really, so that is what we usually eat everywhere else. It's just what we like. I finish my sandwich fairly quick, and I look at Caleb who is flipping the page of his Calculus text book.

"What classes do you have after lunch?" I ask him an the looks up with is cheek full of food. He finishing chewing and swallows the food before he answers.

"I have gym and chemistry," he groans at the last one, only because he hates it. He'd rather stay inside, or in this case a classroom and read a book.

For me it depends on what we have to do in gym. If it's any type of game you can count me out. Like dodgeball or kick ball. I hate both of those. If it's just running around the track I'm good with that, only because the sooner I finish, the sooner I get to do whatever I want. Which is obviously reading.

"I have art, and gym as well," I tell him and he nods while he grabs a notebook and pencil from his grey backpack, that is handing on the chair.

He starts to work on a equation or whatever it is, and I finish up eating my apple. It's already halfway through lunch, considering lunch is only 25 minutes long, and Will comes over to our table. He offers me a small smile which I return and turns to Caleb. He asks him a question that I couldn't hear and Caleb sighs while looking up. I see him shake his no and Will scrunched his nose up before getting up and heading back to his table.

"What did he need?" I ask Caleb who just shakes his head.

"Four and Zeke need a tutor for their English class, and Will can't because he is already helping other people. So he asked me," Caleb says and then lowers his voice. "This is selfish and I hate myself for it, but there is no way I'd ever help them."

"I wouldn't either Caleb," I tell him and he just pats my hand before turning back to his book.

I throw away my garbage and put my tray on the rack. Leaving the lunchroom I go to my locker to grab my pencils and sketchbook I need for art. I go to the art room and sit in front of an easel with a blank canvas on it. I set my pencils and sketchbook under my chair and grab my book. I'm already early to class to I might as well enjoy the quietness.

After I've already read fifty or so pages the bell rings signaling lunch is over and the kids have five minutes to get to class. I sigh and put my book under my chair, and grab my pencils and sketchbook.

I look outside and see a tree that has already lost all of its leaves and smile. I start to draw a branch as if it's connected to a tree that is off the page. I add a wooden swing to the tree that is held up with thin ropes, and a few birds are coming to sit on the empty branches. I just feel as if that it is missing something, so I draw a girl who's knees are close to her chest, and the rope is against her back. She has wrapped her arms around her legs and is looking up at the sky.

By the time I'm finished its already fifteen minutes in to class, and the teacher, Ms. Wu, didn't realize I wasn't paying attention, because of the canvas in front of me. I close my sketchbook and look at the white board hoping to see instructions for the assignment, and to my luck there is. We are to represent one of five things. Selflessness, intelligence, bravery, kindness, or honesty. I think about the options before I grab a paint brush and a bottle of cream paint that is behind me.

I start to paint, and realize it's an outline of a circle in the center. I then think of a way to incorporate all the five options and smile. I grab more paint from the shelf behind me and start to smile.

By the time the bell rings I've just finished and I smile at my work. In all four corners and in the center are people. Each doing one of the five options. In the middle is someone helping another up. In the upper left hand corner is a girl offering to help another girl carry her bags. In the upper right hand corner is a girl sitting on the ground looking up with someone standing with there back towards her, and a tall man looking at the two as if he were to hurt them. In the bottom left hand corner is a boy reading a book, and papers all around him. The last corner has a girl explains to another the truth of want happened. The girl standing across from her has a hand place over her mouth crying.

Each of these people are just black figures with different colors to help show the option. With the center it is a yellow on their hands, showing friendship. The upper left is a grey for the bags that the girl is helping carry, showing selflessness. The upper right has the boy standing in between the fallen girl and the boy is red to show bravery. The bottom left has a dark blue book which symbolizes intelligence. The last corner the girl exposing to the crying girl is light blue, almost white, to show honesty.

I leave my canvas on my easel and sign my name in the bottom corner. I grab my books and pencils before I go to my locker to put away my supplies, and head to the locker room. I open my locker and quickly change out of my clothes into a pair of black running shorts and a purple t-shirt. Our gym clothes just had to consist of purple, black, or blue. I tighten my ponytail and head to the gym only to find Four, Zeke, and Lynn all talking and I groan. I didn't realize Four was in the class. I sit on the bleachers and wait patiently with my hands in my lap for the teacher. Coach Amar is a super nice guy. He helps me if I'm struggling with anything, but doesn't push me to where I want to punch him. Amar lets me sit out half the time and helps me with an excuse if the class asks, because he knows I'm classified as a 'nerd' in this school. He said when he was in high school he was to, which I hardly believe.

"Alright class, since yesterday you all enjoyed playing dodgeball, but decided to leave the gym a mess you are doing 2 laps around the track, then we'll start," Amar announces and I smile and stand up.

We all go outside and he says once we reach the track we can start. I get to the track and start to pace myself, knowing it's an eight hundred. I start off at a normal run and I get about 300 meters like that before I can feel my legs start to tighten. I slow down my pace a little bit, but not to much. I've already got one lap down, which means one to go. The last lap was easier actually. I just ignored the slight pain in my legs and run a little faster. I finish first which I thought was surprising as Four is in this class but I just smile to myself and walk over to Coach Amar.

"Just to let you know you ran that in 2:14.67, that could get you to state," Amar smiles and I roll my eyes.

"You've been begging me to do track the past couple weeks, and this week won't change my answer," I tell him and he sighs.

"There's still time to decide on that," he says to me and I roll my eyes. "Now I think today we can do running events."

I smile towards him and walk back towards the finish line and I see Four look at me in confusion as I smile towards Amar, and I think he is shocked I'm done. I just turn away from him and sit down while everyone else finishes.