(Non) Fictional Characters || Leo Valdez

Chapter 2

“Clara!” I yell when I see her leave the Spanish room. “Oh hey Ally. What’s up?” “Remember when you asked what the new kid was like earlier?” I ask. She nods. “Well he’s not just another new student,” I say. Clara has a concerned look on her face. “What do you mean?” I see Leo walk out of English. “Just, meet me by my locker before we go to Tech, okay?” “Umm okay.” I may have just confused Clara so much that she might not remember where her locker is. I see Leo walk up to a locker that’s five away from mine. What I'm about to do is something that would normally never dare to do. “Hey Leo!” He looks startled as I walk up to him. “Um, hi?” he says. “Hi. I was just wondering what your next class is?” I ask. This so isn't like me. “Oh,” he looks relieved, “ I have Technology with Mrs. Linick. Do you have any idea where her classroom is?” “I do!” “Really?” he asks, “Can you tell me how to get there?” “I can do better,” I say, “I’ll show you. I’m going there too.” “Oh great!” I see Clara walking up behind Leo. “But first I’d like you to meet someone.” Clara is standing next to Leo now. “Why did you ask for me to meet you here again?” she asks. “Leo,” I say, “this is my best friend, Clara Williams. Clara, this is Leo Valdez. He’s new.” Clara’s eyes grow wide with shock, but she quickly hides it as she turns to Leo. “Hi,” she says, “Welcome to O.P.M.S. You’re gonna love it here.” “Um thanks,” he says, “should we get going?” “Yes!” I say, “We don’t want to be late.”

When we get to Tech, I set my things down on my desk and Clara sits down at hers in front of mine. “Where do I sit?” Leo asks. “I don’t know yet,” I respond, “But you should probably talk to Mrs. Linick first.” “Okay.” “Mrs. Linick,” I say as I walk up to her with Leo right behind me, “This is Leo. He’s the new student.” “Oh. Hello Leo. You came at the perfect time. We’re starting a new unit today. You need a place to sit, don’t you?” she says. “I do.” Leo responds. I walk back to my desk and sit down. Clara turns around to face me. “Holy Hera,” she says, “Leo Valdez looks exactly like Leo Valdez.” “Probably because he is Leo Valdez,” I say matter-of-factly. “Ally come on. As much as I wish it was true, he’s not real. He’s just a fictional character. And even if he was real, he’d be like, 20 or something now. That’s not him.” “No!” I whisper-scream, “That is him. He transferred here from Houston! He’s not a fictional character! He’s a non-fictional character!” Clara rolls her eyes. “There’s no proof.” I look back to see Leo in the last row. “Then I’ll just have to find some.” Clara sighs. “You’re not gonna find any.” “Just wait.” I say.

“Good morning everyone,” Mrs. Linick says, “We have a new student today, but we are starting a new unit as well and we have a lot of work to do. So you can converse and introduce yourselves on your own time.” I look back to see Leo relax his shoulders. Mrs. Linick continues to talk. “The project you will be doing for this unit is designing and bending a piece of acrylic into a useful object to hold electronics, earbuds, accessories and other stuff like that.” She gestures to a machine on the table with a sign that says “HOT” on it. “This is the machine we will be using to heat the acrylic and make it bendable. Now, for the acrylic to bend, the temperature on the machine must be set to 190°F. But you have to be care while using it or- Yes Leo.” “190°F is the temperature at which the acrylic can be used continuously,” he states, “220°F is when the acrylic will soften and therefore make it bend.” “Well I think I would know what temperature- actually,” Mrs. Linick looks up from her notes, “You're right. I'm sorry about that. That's an extra credit point for you Leo!” I look back at Leo and smile. He doesn't seem to notice me but his cheeks are red. I turn back around, lean forward, and open my mouth to whisper something to Clara. She's still copying  down the notes, but doesn't miss a beat. “That doesn't count as your proof,” she says. I sit back down angrily. There's gotta be something that can prove to Clara that he really is the Leo Valdez. But what?