For Everything

No Eyes Are On You

Felicity and I slipped into the classroom right as the teacher was about to excuse us for lunch. We sat down at two empty desks at the back just in time to hear, "Remember girls and boys, you have a chemical bonding test on Friday and your science fair projects are due the twenty-second, twenty-second everyone! Don't forget. I will mark them as a zero if they are not here in the morning. Thank you everyone, you are excused." The bell rang and the whole classroom emptied itself in under three seconds. Felicity and I stood up and began to leave the classroom only to be stopped by "Miss Lyone!" We both turn around to see the teacher standing behind us tapping her foot. She was a tall, skinny woman with pale skin and long sleek black hair. She wore a white lab coat as if she was a scientist and had a pair of wide thick owl eye glasses resting on her nose. She wore snow boots although I don't know why, it wasn't snowing, and had a very displeased and impatient look on her face. 

"Miss Lyone, where were you while I was giving my lecture on Molecular Bonding today?"

"I wasn't feeling good so I went to the nurse's office," Felicity replies casually.

"And who is this?" the teacher gestures toward me.

"Hunter Thorneberry," I say, thrusting out a hand for her to shake, "I'm new. I moved here last week."

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Thorne?" 

"Berry, ThorneBerry," I finish for her.

"Ah well, my name is Miss Suzza. I am the chemistry teacher for seventh and eighth grade here at Blackburg Elementary. I hope you like science."

"I do," I say.

"Good, I'm glad to hear some of us appreciate the fine arts of chemistry," Miss Suzza says, glancing at Felicity. "Well it was nice to have met you Hunter, you too have a pleasant lunch." Felicity and I turn around and walk out the door before, "Oh and Miss Lyone?"

Felicity turns back around, "Yes?"

"I hope you're feeling better now," and then the chemistry teacher clunks back to her desk in her overweight snow boots. Felicity pulls me out of the classroom and back to our lockers.

"What was that?" I ask.

"We have a hate hate relationship."

"That's clear," I mumble.

"Okay look Hunter," Felicity says, "I hate this school and I hope someday you will too. It's a terrible place and I can't wait to leave. Just don't give me a hard time about it."

"Okay," I say.

We get to our lockers and Felicity tells me that we have Art and English after lunch. We grab our books and Felicity guides me to the cafeteria. On the way there, I catch glimpses of eyes, hundreds upon hundreds of eyes staring at me. My face begins to get hot, really hot, and soon enough, we arrive at the cafeteria. Felicity and I push open the doors and head to the buffet line. The chatter in the air stops almost simultaneously, and the room goes quiet. I try not to make eye contact with anyone but it's too hard. I look around, everyone is wearing some sort of plain grey top. I look down at my faded baby blue t shirt, great job Hunter. I hate attention. Everyone staring at me just made my day worse, not better. I pick up a tray at the buffet and follow Felicity, grabbing a turkey and cheese sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple, and a carton of milk. Even the people from behind the counter seem to be staring. The whole mess hall was mesmerized. No kidding no one ever visits this town. They must think I'm insane coming here. Felicity guides me to an open table with two boys sitting across from each other talking. The chatter in the room starts to pick back up but I can still feel several tables staring at me. Felicity puts her tray down and claps her hands, "Boys! Listen up. I want you both to meet a very special person. This is Hunter ThorneBerry. He moved here last week. This is his first day of school. Be nice." The boys glance up at me and stare for the longest time it felt like, which made me even more uncomfortable. "Hunter, this is Alex Greenway," Felicity says, pointing to a small blonde kid with green eyes. 

Alex reaches his hand out and smiles, "Nice to meet you."

I shake his hand, "You too."

"And Hunter," Felicity continues, "this is Gale Aftersmoke."

A tall muscular boy with jet black hair and brown eyes nods his head at me, "Hi." I wave back. Felicity sits next to Alex so I sit next to Gale and start eating my sandwich.

"So you're new here?" Alex asks.

"Yeah. I moved here a week ago."

"Where from?"

"San Francisco."

"Oh dude, why did you move here?"

"My parents thought it would be a nice change. They're big into trying new things."

"And you?"

"Nah. I like things that stay the same. Change is weird."

"It is. So Hunter, how old are you?"

"I'm fifteen, going to be sixteen in August."

"You're fifteen? I'm only thirteen. Why are you still in eighth grade?"

"I got held back in kindergarten. My parents thought I didn't get enough of the experience."

"Your parents sound wacko," Gale pipes up out of nowhere. He looks up from his applesauce and stares at me with a blank expression that almost frightens me.

"Yeah- yeah, they are pretty weird," I respond.

"So how did you feel when you moved here Hunter?"

"Felicity, why is he even here right now? I mean of all times, why now?" Gale interrupts. The conversation goes limp, and no one speaks for a couple seconds, we just all stare at Gale.

"Gale, he's new. I wasn't just going to let him wander around to fend for himself. This school is crazy, who knows what they'll do to him? If they see him with us, they'll know they can't touch him. Plus I'm his mentor," Felicity smiled at that last part. 

"I just don't understand how of all times, you had to get him now. This could have waited."

"Gale, today is his first day, we're supposed to be making ourselves look good, not let the new kid get torn apart by this place." I swallow hard.

"Whatever, you guys enjoy your lunch," Gale gets up and collects his tray.

"Gale, stay with us, please," Felicity begs.

"I'm not hungry anymore," with that, Gale leaves the cafeteria.

"What's his problem?" I ask.

"Gale also doesn't like new things," Alex replies.

"Usually he isn't like this. It's just that you kind of interrupted something important that was supposed to happen today," Felicity says.

"What? What did I interrupt?"

"Oh it's nothing. I'll tell you later." But Felicity didn't tell me later. We finished our lunch and went to Art after. She didn't tell me in English either. Felicity didn't tell me on the walk home, or before she left. I honestly didn't care that much but whatever it was, it was important. I made it home, and sighed a sigh of relief. For the first time in it felt like forever, no eyes were on me.