Soul Search

The Silent Betrayal of Julia Woods

    My red cardinal painting in Mr. Barton's class was really coming along.

    It was this little puff of a bird, sitting on a thing little tree branch, it's feathers were kinda everywhere, I was aiming for a windy day effect. I had nailed it pretty well with some help from Mr. Barton. It's been a while since I had been quite this proud of something I painted.

    "Ah Micah, I'm so sorry about yesterday. Normally Isaac is pretty well behaved, be he occasionally slips up." Mr. Barton patted my shoulder. "Here's the ten dollars he stole from you back."

    He handed it to me, and I considered telling him it had been twenty dollars, then decided I would rather have two Hamiltons in my wallet than make the situation anymore uncomfortable. My love for musicals was going to drive me penniless.

    "Thanks Mr. Barton." I smiled warmly at him. "Wait Isaac is your son?"

    Mr. Barton shrugged. "I get that all the time. My wife is where he gets his looks."

    Huh.

    "Any more luck on your soulmate quest?" He asked.

    Oh, so apparently it's a quest now. I felt slightly intimidated by the title. What does that make me? A knight? I don't think I fit knight criteria.

    "Not really. We've must have gone through like half the girls in the school by now." I sighed.

    Mr. Barton shrugged, crouching down next to me. "Well Micah, the thing about soulmates is you'll find them eventually. No one has ever gone their whole life without finding their lovers. I've heard stories of couples who weren't soulmates, but settled down anyway and lived out perfectly happy lives."

    Yeah like my parents. That went fantastic. "Yeah, I'll find her eventually. It probably won't even be this year."

    "That's the spirit, you're doing great with this piece by that way, you've really improved."

    "Thanks."

    That's why I appreciated Mr. Barton. Not only could he turn the most artistically inept kid into a Van Gogh (if they really wanted it of course) but he could lift your spirits anytime. I don't know how he did it. Maybe it was an effect of parenthood, but if that was true my dad definitely didn't get that memo. Or at least my dad was working on it.

    Art was the last class I had, and there wasn't play practice today, so I would be going home right after this. Of course, right after I put away my books. I had some snacks in my locker as well and wondered if they were worth the trip over. I really didn't want to lug these books home, so locker it was.

    I don't know what it was about Gregory Smith and the times that I happened to be standing near my locker but as soon as I closed it up, I heard distorted yelling coming from the bathroom around the corner. I was gonna try and ignore it and maybe find a teacher (how would I help anyway) until the door must have swung open and I recognized Julia's voice.

    Was I about to run into a situation where I could get seriously beat up for Julia? Yes I was, goodness.

    I threw open the door the boys bathroom an saw it was none other then Greg beating Alex from play practice? What did Alex ever do to Greg?

    Then I froze.

    Julia wasn't getting beat up, she was standing right next to Greg with her fists clenched.

    What?

    "You take that back, your little freak!" Greg spat at Alex, who was scrambling to my feet.