North and South of Happy

Chapter 2

Song for this chapter: Tongue Tied- Grouplove 

History is a pointless subject, a misconception that allows people to believe that if they really try hard enough they will never entirely be forgotten, and that's a lie. There will be a day when there isn't anybody left to remember who Albert Einstein, Aristotle, and Plato are, won't be the books and records to teach new, struggling generations of the icons that lived on this Earth. One day everybody on this planet is going to die, and eventually the sun will burn out and every moment leading up to that second in time will be for nothing. And yes, I do understand that we can't repeat history, and that we should learn from our ancestors' mistakes, but that doesn't change the fact that I won't make it past the walls surrounding me at this moment in time. So really, what's the point of me being here and listening to Mrs. Apple ramble on about the French losing yet another war?

To make history even worse, it was one of the only subjects I didn't have with any of my friends, one of the my only classes I didn't have with Phil. When it came to school Phil and I were practically the same person, recieving all the same grades, except maybe I'd get a 48 on a math test when he got a 50, only to be made up with my 50 on a paper when he would get a 48. It pretty much always evened out.

Looking down at the doodles I had subconsciously been drawing on my paper I appreciated the intertwining lines that had begun as tree branches and molded into a web of a confusing pattern. There were only fifteen minutes left in class, yet I felt like I would die if I had to stay seated in the cold chair for a mere minute more. While my anxiousness was most likely due to the extreme boredom I felt in the class, it could also be due to the fact that it was Friday, and Friday means game night with Louise, Chris, PJ, and Phil.

Between the five of us we all took turns hosting game and pizza nights each Friday night after school. Game nights included Mario Kart, ridiculous board games, pizza, cosmic brownies, ice cream, and all of the week's latest gossip. Nobody in our group of friends really cared what all was happening with our peers but Louise and Chris were complete sluts for the latests rumors and inside information.

Drawing myself away from my own thoughts of the upcoming night, I dragged my eyes across the clock and saw that surprisingly enough, there were only two minutes left in the hour. Everybody around began packing up their bags, the sounds of zippers and rustling drowning out Mrs. Apple's overly-perky voice. Just as I threw my lumbering bag over my shoulder and stood up the bell rang, signifying the beginning of a rumbling stampede to lunch.

Making my way into the lunchroom I took note that I was the first of my friends to arrive and I sat in our normal spot, close to the corner of the room. I was only a few bites into my peanut butter and banana sandwich when I spotted Phil walking towards the table with a wide smile on his face. Pulling out the chair next to mine the blue-eyed boy scoffed at my sandwich, "Ewww, why would you ruin a perfectly good sandwich with bananas?"

"Bananas are good, I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Cheese is Only Good On Pizza."

Phil shot daggers at me for a few seconds, to which I stared back, before he dropped his gaze and responded, "Shut up."

As Phil began to eat his own meal, he started by eating the cookies his mom had packed him, our other friends arrived and dropped their bags with grunts, leaving the table to go get their lunches from the cafeteria. Predictable as ever, it wasn't long before Phil tried to spark up conversation, insistent that silence was never acceptable. "So how was your history class?"

"Boring as ever," I sighed dramatically, "I don't even understand the point of that class."

"History can be fascinating!" Phil said excitedly, proceeding to whisper under his breath, "Not really, but you know."