Theater Quirks

Part 2: Lost

Before Beth knew it, the stream of people was thinning out. But even with following the major flow of the students, she hadn't found any stairs whatsoever. "Hey Annie! What are you doing back here?" A rich voice questioned. Beth looked up to see who the person was talking to. It was a dark haired, dark skinned student-who must have at least been a junior or senior- wearing a Letterman jacket. The older student was leaning against lockers next to a classroom, and smiling straight at Beth.

"I'm sorry," Beth shook her head as she came to a stop in front of him. "You must be talking about my sister, Annie. I'm Liz."

"Oh!" The student gave her a second take. "Sorry about that Lizbeth, Annie told me you looked very similar, but dang." Beth shrugged and the other student continued. "Anyway, your sister asked me to keep an eye out for you in case you needed any help finding your class."

"What is she talking about? I can find my class perfectly fine on my own." Beth didn't know why she was lying.

A smile started to form on his lips, "Oh yeah? Well then, what's your classroom number?"

"One twenty-...uh..." Looking down at her schedule, Beth finished, "Seven."

With a sympathetic smile and a gesture towards the door number of a nearby class: 239, the older student told her, "Your classroom is nowhere near here." Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, the young man asked her to "Wait here for a second," then went into his classroom. Looking at the clock, Beth realized that she only had two minutes to find her class.

The student exited the class once more and turning to Beth said, "Alright, follow me and we will get you to your class." Beth wasn't sure about this stranger, but decided he was her best chance to get where she needed to be. If he sketched her out too much, she didn't have to keep following him and if he tried to chase her, she could throw her textbooks at him. "I'm Rex by the way." He said interrupting her thoughts. Rex, like a T-rex? Are you going to eat me? Beth smiled at the thought.

"So do you always take new students to their classes?" Beth asked trying to change the subject so she wouldn't burst out laughing.

"Depends if they need the help." He answered with a wink.

"So did Annie need help to get to class?"

"Naw, she spent the majority of the last hour wandering around the halls and getting a feel for where things were." He stopped just short of a classroom door. "Well, here it is."

Beth took a deep breath steeling herself against the anxiety of a new school, new classmates, and no friends with her.

Hands suddenly grabbed Beth's shoulders, startling her. "Beth, what took you so long? Aren't you coming to class?" The voice that came from right behind was unexpected, but calmed her fears immediately. Spinning around, Beth threw her arms around her sister's shoulders.

"We are in the same class?" Beth asked.

"For this period, yes." Annie had a mischievous smile on her face. "Let's go," Turning to Rex, "Thank you for bringing her here safely. See you later!"

With Annie by her side, Beth knew that she could survive the day.

~~~

From the grammar and literary posters on the walls, Beth got the impression that her homeroom teacher taught English normally. But it wasn't until the bell rang and homeroom started that Beth's teacher magically appeared behind her desk with a smile.