Welcome To Westover

Abnormal

I tried extra hard to stay out of trouble that day. I payed attention in class - at least, my teachers believed I did - and at lunch quietly did my homework without causing any fuss. When the bell rang at the end of the day I was quick to leave, avoiding any possibility of seeing either the principal, counselor, or worstly, Mr. Colk. Just as I reached the gate I heard someone calling my name. I stopped, and, dreading the worst, turned around.

"Hey." The kid who had come in late detention was jogging towards me, and as he got closer, he smiled evenly. He was in my form, and I barely knew him.

"Hello." I muttered quietly, turning to go.

"No, wait. I wanted to thank you for what you did this morning... It was kind of you." He smiled. I think his name was Alex. Yeah, Alex... But I still didn't know why he was talking to me.

"Oh, no problem. Bye." I tried to leave again, but he grabbed my shoulder. Taken aback, I looked at his hand and he was quick to remove it.

"Sorry. Well just, you know, it meant a lot. Not alot of people would have had the courage to do it. And I hope you didn't get in trouble?"

"Just detention." I mumbled, not making eye contact.

"Look, I've gotta go, I wasn't lying about needing to go to the hospital. See you around." And he was gone. I stood still for a while as the hundreds of students made their way out of the gates, and after a few minutes I turned back around and made my way out.

It was only a twenty minute walk to Jamie's primary school, and as they were let out half an hour later than us I arrived a couple minutes early. I was there in time to see him hobble out on his crutches, smiling like a goon. Instantly, my face lit up at his oversized school uniform and shoes that barely fit, and he leaped over to me quickly.

"Maddie!" He yelped, collapsing into my arms for a hug. I squeezed him tight and laughed into his blonde hair.

"Hey, mister. How was school?" He scrunched up his face in disgust and regained his balance on his crutches.

"School sucks!" He whined, dropping his bag on the floor.

"Am I carrying that?" I asked, gesturing to the discarded bag. He groaned and picked it back up. Knowing he could barely walk a mile per hour with his broken leg, I took his crutches in one hand and picked him up, swinging him round so he grabbed onto my back. He squealed with joy and I walked on, making much better time than if he was on foot.
-
"I've never had a piggy back before," Jamie giggled into my hair, bouncing up and down with delight. I grinned ear to ear and turned my face to look at him, marvelling in his awe struck persona.
"No? Not even from daddy?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. David was a great dad, he loved Jamie a lot, but there was a distance between him and I. I think he was a little bit jealous that I had swooped in and stolen the attention of his little boy.
"Where are we going?" He questioned, poking me on the ear. I shrugged evenly which caused him to gasp in glee at the adventure we were about to embark on.
Lets face it, he and I both knew we wouldn't be going to the park.
-
We had been walking for about five minutes before we reached the first main road. I bit my lip in worry, and debated making Jamie hop down so he could cross safely. It was a nasty road, too - one of those ones where there's so many cars parked along the curbs that it's hard to see oncoming vehicles. Gritting my teeth and going with it, I took a step out on the road.
And, despite all of the weird crap that had happened today, the most abnormal event that had ever occurred in my entire life actually took place. A red car whizzed past, throwing itself through the empty road at a ridiculous speed. But that wasn't the weirdest part.
The car went through us.
I screeched in fear and leapt out of the road, falling over on the sidewalk in a peculiar manner. Jamie yelped in surprise as we collapsed in a heap of limbs and crutches, and as I caught my breath, I noticed the same red car speed past. If we had still been on the road, we would have been hit.
I had seen that car coming, despite it being physically impossible. And that wasn't what scared me most - there was no other car in front of it. The other car didn't exist.
"Woah!" A marvelled Jamie gaped, sitting on the concrete and staring in shock at the road. "I didn't see that coming!" He laughed, regaining his usual perky attitude. Using the support of his crutches he propped himself up, and looked down at me.
"That car was like, faster than batman." He murmured, his eyes glossing over as they often did once he started talking about superheroes.
"You know, it did look like Bruce Wayne in that drivers seat." I agreed, pushing myself up off of the floor. His face instantly lit up with star struck magic as soon as he heard this.
"Oh-my-god-no-way-we-just-nearly-got-run-over-by-batman!" He breathed, staring intently at the quickly disappearing car down the road.
"That's one heck of a gravestone." I said, and with extra precaution and care, we carefully crossed the road.
-
"Are we nearly there?" Jamie whined. He had long since re-abandoned his crutches and reclaimed his lift on my back.
"Nearly. Why? Are you tired?" I huffed, pointing out the irony in his impatience. I heard him giggle as we turned another corner, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Gesturing towards what was ahead, I hear him gasp in awe. I smiled, and continued walking forward.