The Safe Place (Bridge To Terabithia) || ✓

Ch. 5 - Coincidence

When Friday morning came and everyone was walking to class, they came upon a man whom they weren't familiar with, although the fancy suit and everything that the man wore concluded that he was probably one of those people with such professions that Mrs Myers stated yesterday. And just like Leslie predicted, Wanda Kay Moore was all over him. Of course, the man responded in a way that said 'I apologize, but you seem too much of an attention-seeker, and you don't have a pretty face.'

OK, so he didn't exactly say those words but it was somewhere there. The last part was just added by Leslie after the man disappeared and they continued on to class, snickering at Wanda who looked somewhat confident that she was so going to be in the movie. So much for being the ex- smartest kid in class.

     "Looks like you're gonna have to help me with Art this month." Leslie laughed as they went in class.

"Fine," Jess's lips turned into a thin line. "But you're gonna have to do most of it." He showed a grin.

"Sure!"

     Class was per as usual. Wanda Kay Moore's hand would shoot straight up whenever Mrs Myers would be asking but most of the time Leslie would be called instead even though she herself didn't even volunteer to answer. Jess noticed this after a few months. Leslie seemed to be Mrs Myers's favorite. Her only favorite, after so many years of having nothing but mischievous, impolite and dumb students.

Jess covered his mouth with his hand as Leslie stood up and started to explain the definition of the word— 'Oneiromancy'. It wasn't a word that was often used in books that they had read in class, and he was pretty sure that if he asked Brenda and Ellie about the word too, they'd tell him to speak in English, properly.

"It simply means a collection of dreams that leads to a prediction." Leslie said with a blank face.

Then Wanda Kay Moore raised her hand and without being called, stood up. "Leslie Burke is wrong! Oneiromancy, because it has a '–mancy' in it, I suspect that it is related to Necromancy, thus leading us to a conclusion that it probably has something to do in the medieval days." She paused for a few seconds and everyone stared at her, waiting for her to continue her useless blabbering. Wanda gave a heavy breath and looked confidently to Mrs Myers. "And because of that, the correct definition of Oneiromancy, is thus– A practice done by witches in the medieval ages, similar to Necromancy."

     There was an odd and unbearable silence in the class as Wanda kept her arrogant face up while Leslie simply looked at her book, not bothering to have listened to Wanda's explanation. Thirty pairs of eyes looked at Mrs Myers, awaiting for her answer.

     "Hey loser, I know that you know that I hate the Burke girl and you, but heck– Wanda's gone nuts." Scott Hoager leaned over and muttered to him.

     It was strange, things between Jess's bully and Leslie's bully that is. You'd think that they'd get along with each other because they torture their victims, but they actually don't. In fact, both of them actually detest each other because of what happened in 3rd grade that since then, had caused Wanda to hate Scott. Jess simply looked back at his drawing and tried not to react in any way.

     Mrs Myers opened her mouth and looked as if she didn't know what to say. "Well Wanda, that is a... very interesting explanation," Wanda smirked primly and threw an arrogant look at Leslie who only smiled at her. "But you are mistaken. Leslie's is correct."

And from then on, Wanda would occasionally throw Leslie a few dirty looks whenever she would answer one of the teacher's' questions correctly, even if Leslie didn't volunteer to answer any. Throughout the 1st grade till the start of 6th grade, Wanda was the smartest in class. She was so confident and arrogant that she started picking on the kids who were weaker in studies than her. But too bad for her, because Leslie came in the middle of the year of 6th grade and effortlessly stole the title of being the smartest kid in class.