Out of Thin Air

Steps taken

Leila walked into her history class, and immediately started searching for Max. He wasn't there. He's probably just late, she thought to counter her growing anxiety, she hadn't seen him all day. She sat down, still worried.

"What do you think you're doing?" A sharp voice broke through the pool of Leila's thoughts. She looked up to see Savannah towering over her. "That's my seat."

"No, it's mine." Leila replied, confused. She cast around looking for a helpful face, but everybody was pointedly not looking at her. Savannah leaned menacingly closer.

"Get out, now." she spat. Leila felt a shock run through her as she sat dumb. Nobody in that school had ever used a tone like that with her. Suddenly, she felt a moment of deja-vu. Those were the exact words she had used to the nerds who had sat at their lunch table the first day of school. Is this what it felt like on the other side?  Finally,  seeing no way to prevent it, she moved. It was just a stupid seat anyway, I don't care. But her anger was taking root and growing as she simmered over the encounter.

"Leila?' Mr. Carwin interrupted her thoughts.

"What? Oh, um, here!" she stuttered quickly.

"Taylor?" Mr. Carwin continued.

"Here!"

"Justin?" There was no answer except Justin's loud snores and the sniggering of the class. Mr. Carwin let out a huge sigh and continued.

"Max? No, he's home sick today. Savannah?"

"Present, sir." Savannah replied in her sickeningly sweet voice.

"OK, everybody's here. Let's get started today we are going to do something a bit more interactive." The whole class groaned - this was usually the class where they caught up on much needed sleep - and now they were expected to do something? Not a crowd pleaser. 'We are going to be doing a project on the Native Americans. I want you all to pair up and choose a nation." Leila, who had been preoccupied over the fact that Max was home sick, glanced to her left, where Makayla usually waited to meet her questioning eyes. The painful reminder of all she had lost confronted her in the shape of Savannah, blocking her view. She searched around for another partner, but found none. Everybody else was already taken, tremulously she raised her hand.

"Yes, Leah?" The teacher called. Leila grated her teeth.

"I don't have a partner." she said to the background of more sniggers.

"What? I could've sworn our class had an even number... Oh, I know you can be partners with Max when he returns. I hope you don't mind working this class on your own."

"No sir, I don't mind at all." Leila said, smiling. It was almost as if someone wanted her plan to work.

***

She was proved wrong when Max was absent again, and again, and again. Leila grew frustrated, and finally approached Mr. Carwin after class.

"Excuse me, sir?" she said timidly.

"Yes?" he replied, barely glancing up from his laptop screen.

" As you know, I'm doing a project with Max, and he hasn't been here recently. There's only so much I can do on my own. I was wondering if there was a way I could contact him, so maybe he could help with the research or something?"

"Of course!" Mr. Carwin, was so delighted that someone was showing initiative in his class that he gave her all of Max's contact information; his phone number, e-mail, even his home address. He lives right nearby, Leila thought, He really was walking home with me all those times. Since history was her last period, she resolved to stop by his house on her walk home.