Frost

Chapter 2- Excuses, Poems, and Breakups.

"Goooood morning class! How was everyone's long weekend due to that snow-day we had on Monday?" Mrs. Carter asks us.

I heard she used to be an English teacher down at Wesley, one of the elementary schools in this town. Anyways, I don't know how she became an English teacher in the first place, because last week when I turned in a research paper she said I spelled "eclipse" wrong. I did actually spell it right, but when I told her she said "she was sick of my smartass attitude." Jeez I'm sick of teachers...

David Madisons, some football jock raises his hand. I wonder what he did yesterday. Probably hang out with his slutty girlfriend Chelsea.

"Well if you may ask Mrs. C, I went sledding down Maple Hill with my buddies Ashton, and C.J. Jee it was fun...," David states.

Huh. I was actually wrong. He's always hanging out with Chelsea. Well that or some guys on the football team. But hey, he actually was hanging out with someone besides some slut or sport jock.

"Oooh, sledding. Was it fun?" Mrs. Carter replys.

David leans back in his chair and smacks on some gum.

"Yes it waaas. Plus, I discovered an albino squirrel living in a huge oak tree. And I have the witnesses to prove it!" David answers loudly.

"Okay. First of all, it was an albino chipmunk for the record. And second, I was the one who discovered it not you," Ashton, David's friend adds.

"Hey while we're correcting ol' Davy here, the albino chipmunk was living in a Juneberry tree," CJ corrects.

Jeez. How much longer is this class going to last? Haha. I just loosely rhymed. David rolls his eyes and spits his gum in the trash bin adjacent from my desk. He looks and me and waves. Then he goes back to his seat. What was that?

"Sounds interesting David... Okay can everyone turn in their poems that were yes, due to today, into the homework bin on the front counter? And if you don't have them complete you need to come up to my desk and have a conversation with me. Thank you!" Mrs. Carter announces.

Crap, I totally forgot about that damn poem! Will I have another homework detention? Just great... I get up and walk up to Mrs. Carter's desk. There's a line. Let's see... David Madisons is here, his talkative friend Ashton Shreve, and the assholes from the bus this morning Hoffman and Holiday.

"Sorry Mrs. C, I don't have my poem. But it's because my printer broke on me and I was going to print it off in homeroom but I think I left my flashdrive at home...," Madisons explains.

Mrs. Carter nods and messes with something in her purse. A tampon? I wonder if she'll take his lousy excuse.

"Ugh. Okay David. I'll let it go this time since you haven't had a missing or late assignment this quarter. But I expect it on my desk tomorrow, okay?" Mrs. Carter sighs.

What!? I said that last year, and she said that I was lying! What the hell!? David nods and goes back to his desk all happily. Damn...

"I don't have mine poem thingy because I left it on the bus. True story! You even can ask David. He was sitting next to me on the bus. He's my prime witness!" Shreve justifies.

Now is that a valid excuse for you Mrs. Carter? She looks over at David. I bet she'll let this one past too.

"David, is it true Ashton here left his poem on the bus?" She asks.

David, who was talking to his girlfriend, stops and looks in Mrs. Carter's direction.

"Wha? Oh yeah, totally Mrs. C! Ash was showing off his fantastic poem and he sat it on the seat when some sixth graders were getting in some interesting but heated argument. I guess you left on the bus, huh Ash? What it this? The seventh thing you left on he bus this month?" Madisons shouts across the room.

Madisons talks as much as Shreve, jeez. I betcha Mrs. Carter's going to take their shit. Shreve gives Madisons a thumbs-up. Mrs. Carter says okay and she wants his poem on her desk tomorrow. Then Shreve skips away and gives Madisons a high five. Was what Shreve told Mrs. Carter a lie?

• • •

I look around in this smelly cafeteria. The best part of the day besides when you're asleep is upon me. Lunch. That means just three more class periods to go until I can go home. Lunch is actually the only I look toward to during the day. Honesty, during the whole school week. I mean that and the weekend. But lunch isn't even that great. I really don't have any friends to sit with, I usually just plop down at a table where the regular guys like Ashton Shreve sit. But he never shuts up.

Then my backup table is where the losers who don't have friends sit. But I only sit there if I absolutely HAVE to. Then my backup-backup table is the nerdy loser table, but I have yet to sit there. Looks like Shreve's table has some space. I sit down and open up my lunchbox. The third member of David Madisons' friend circle, C.J Wilkins sits down.

"Heeeey there Sir Charles Jackson Wilkins the first. Did you hear the news? Dave and Chelsea broke up. I wonder what happened... Maybe Davido was sick of people saying he was dating a slut...," Shreve says to C.J.

Interesting... I wonder what did happen though. Madisons walks over and sits down next to Shreve.

"Hey guys...," Madisons gloomily says.

"Hi David. Not sitting with the football guys today? Hey I heard from Ash here that you and Chelsea broke up. You okay? What happened?" C.J. carefully asks.

"Huh?," Madisons looks straight at Shreve. ",how did you know? I guess news really spread that fast. If you may ask C.J., I broke up with her," Madisons declares chugging down some milk.

"Weeeellll, why dude? Come on you can tell us David," Shreve whines.

David doesn't respond. I wonder what happened.

"Come on David. You can whisper it in our ears if you want...," C.J. says.

David sits back in his chair. He wipes his face with his hand.

"She... Wanted to do it," David admits.

Woah. I knew Chelsea was slutty by her clothes and actions, but it!?

Shreve falls out off his chair. C.J. spits out his milk. No one else at our table really responds, probably because they're wrapped up in their own conversation and lives.

"Holy SHIT!" Shreve yells.

"W-what did you say? Wait, did she tell you she wanted to do it at school?! That's illegal!" C.J. reacts.

"Wait wait. Hold the phone. David my dear friend, did you say no?" Shreve asks.

"Uh-huh," David says.

"If I may ask, why?" Shreve asks scratching his chin.

"We're in freaking eighth grade Ashton. Why would I risk getting her pregnant?! And aren't so supposed to like...wait to do it? Besides... She shouldn't be whoring herself off like that!" David yells.

He gets up and slams his chair in.

"I'm going to the bathroom," David says and walks away.

Holy crap that was entertaining.

"Shit. Did I say something that pissed him off?" Shreve looks at C.J.

C.J. shrugs. "Don't know... I'm gonna check on him though," he says while walking away.

"O-okay! Actually I'm coming too! Wait up!" Shreve says catching up with C.J.

I stare up at the clock, lunch is almost over; then I have boring recess. I bite into my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The roof of my mouth is all sticky. Across the room, I notice Hoffman and Holiday surrounding that Adam guy. They grab him, laughing, and pull him out of the outside.