The Muses

The Muses: Chapter Three

THE MUSES

By: Rachel Kramer

Chapter Three

Seth and I follow mom into the garage and pile into her van, a Ford Freestar that dad had given her for Christmas last year. I let my little brother have shotgun since things between my mom and I are still a little rocky.

Yesterday morning, I had gone straight to her to apologize for what I'd said the night before. She had accepted my apology, but it does not seem to have mended the damage. Being in the same room with her now was awkward, and when we did try to make small talk, it felt forced. It may just be that I am imagining things, but if I am not, how long must I endure these strained conversations?

Mom uses her clicker to open the garage door and we back out of the driveway, and head off to school. Today, I am grateful for being dropped off at first. Normally, I envy Seth for having a later start than me, but for the moment I am okay with this, as I will not have to ride alone with my mother. Even if it would be for only a few minutes, I know they would be the longest minutes of my life.

When we reach Ames High School, I hop out of mom's van, saying a quick good-bye to her and Seth. I don't look back as they drive away; instead, I immediately head towards the auditorium, where I know my friends will be waiting for me, because it's been our usually morning hangout for the last two years of high school.

As I near the bulky reddish-brown building, I can see my friends gathered about the cement stairs. Candice sits in her boyfriend's lap, with her book bag at her feet. Russ, Candice's beau, plays absentmindedly with her hair - it is really quite sweet how much he adores her. Though, it should be no surprise, since Candice is absolutely gorgeous, with her auburn hair and green eyes. Not only does she have the looks, but she has a great personality to boot.

Russel, on the other hand, is just cute. He has copper hair, brown eyes, and a baby face. He's not very built either. Kind of a dork really. In elementary school, he won the national spelling bee, and if memory serves me right, he's won first place in every science fair he's ever entered. So, he's no Channing Tatum, but he is a genius. For Candice, who is especially smart, this is a good thing. For a relationship to work with her, she needs a guy who's equal in intelligence, or greater.

I think Candice and Russ make a great couple. They enjoy the same bizarre things: experiments, peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches, the SyFy channel, and homework. If they don't get married, I will die of shock.

Melody, another good friend of mine, and a senior, stands off to the side of them, with her boyfriend, Landon Cliff. Now that boy could give Channing a run for his money. He's Ames High School star quarterback and the team's hero since winning the championship last year. It makes sense for him and Melody to date. After all, she is the head cheerleader. Mr. and Mrs. Popularity. They are both very beautiful people, and simply put, everyone at this school either envies them, or hates them with a passion. Of course, that just comes with the status.

Most kids at this school tend to mingle in their designated cliques. You have your jocks, cheerleaders, the dance team, bandos, science geeks, Goths, emos, preps, thespians, you name it. Yet, for whatever reason, the six of us have been brought together, despite our differences, and the chance of committing social suicide. That's right, there are six of us in our close-knit group, but Jude isn't here yet. He usually shows up ten minutes before the first class. He calls it "being fashionably on-time".

Melody and Landon probably get the most crap about hanging out with the rest of us, but that's because their peers expect them to maintain a certain appearance. Candice though, can do no wrong, because everyone loves her. Seriously, I don't think she has one enemy in this entire town. It is possibly because of the admiration she receives, that Russ is getting more respect. Back before they started dating, he was constantly being harassed. No joke. People in high school can be really nasty sometimes.