Now that introductions are out of the way, our setting. Thomas Jefferson High School was right across the street from a small nature park, with a couple trails to hike, and a big lake that fogged over every morning. And, like most mornings they started off to the nature trail. They all had woodshop first and second period, the teacher being Mrs Hammock who didn't care as long as they worked together in the woods to find at least three good walking sticks or pieces of log. So off they went on what Ebony liked to call it "A QUEST FOR FATE, FOR DESTINY, FOR DEAD TREE LIMBS!" "It's 6:37 guys we have an extra hour or so more!" Neil exclaimed looking up from his gray and black waterproof watch. "Radical!" Ebony squealed nearly tripped over a tree root. "AhHH EBoNY Please be careful don't trip if you trip you could scrape your knee, or or your hands could twist all weird when you land on them!" Scott was going through his small panic of the minute as he clinged to Ebony's arm lecturing her about the dangers of tripping. "Shhhh shhhh it's okay sweet cheeks look I'm fine nothing's wrong with me."
Over hearing Ebony and Scott's PDA was enough to make me puke. "Gross stop the mush session guys." I said as I grabbed the small piece of paper we used as a map for the park, we've been here so many times yet everything seems new and special with every visit. So we made a map of the good stick picking areas, where animals would most likely be nesting, and areas that have large puddles. We can't track mud into woodshop it would be a liability. "Awwww sorry LITTLE brother~" Little brother, little brother is something Ebony refers to me by when she wants to crawl under my skin, and right now with all her gross canoodling with Scotty boy and the teasing she's crawled all the way up to my shoulder. "Ebony, you may be older but I'm in charge and I say no canoodling in public." Ha that should shut her up. "Fine I guess, but just one thingggggg!" Ebony says skipping over to me, she pinches my cheeks giggling gleefully. I sigh and swat her hands away from my face. "I GOT A STICK." We all look over at Parker who was standing on a rock holding a thick dark brown stick above his head. "Good job Parker now we only need two more and we can goof off!" Candy gushed as she grabbed the stick from parker and reenacted the scene from Lord of the Rings, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Candy proclaimed towards Rod. "AhH YOU'Ve SLaiN ME!" Rod responded happily playing along. We all laughed at their childish antics of acting out J R R Tolkien movie scenes. "Okay guys two more sticks let's go let's go come on come on!" Scott proclaimed. "FInE, Fineeeeeeeee." Rod agreed and looked around as we were walking "Nope nope nope nope, Not HeRe, aHA FOUND ANOTHER!" Screamed Candy. We all hummed in response looking for a good log or stick. About an hour later Scott found one and started having a small stick duel with Candy, both Rod and Ebony were cheering their partners on from the sidelines. The rest of our walk was filled with loud laughs and squealing. We hiked for about an hour before heading back to school, the weather soon turned on us and dropped ten degrees or so we decided to spend the rest of our time racing back to school, sneaking in through the back door of our shop class, and presenting our wood to Mrs Hammock who was very pleased. "What a splendid haul today kids! Good job!" She beamed at us approvingly. We all chatted amongst ourselves getting advice from Mrs Hammock on how to talk to girls, or baseball tips, or why a dragon fly's body is ten times bigger than it's head. She was my favorite teacher by far, she's like a grandma but allows you to take risks that your real grandma would scold you away from. Mrs Hammock was a bada*s to say the least. Doing exceptionally well for a woman of sixty nine. "Alright now, go on to your next classes kids, I'll see you tomorrow." "Okay Mrs H!" We all sung in unison. Walking through the hall was normal it wasn't to busy yet as we were let out a couple minutes early.
