Hearts Don't Beat In A Straight line

Chapter One

The body is not made up of straight lines.

Yet the math teacher wants to measure the ones on the board. We live in a body that is not straight, our shoulders are not square and our nose is not a triangle, it's a body created out of circles and squiggles wavy and curly lines. Like god got drunk and decided to create a "masterpiece" that really is flawed and imperfect until you look at it from different angles all at the same time and you can kind of, kind of see what god was going for and even at that you need to remind yourself god was drunk.

_ _ _

If the last day of school is torture for the average high schooler it would be made worse if last period was math and you were the graduating class of 1982. Every other class sent you out with words of wisdom or social hour to sign yearbooks and say goodbye to your peers although you wouldn't remember them or choose not to remember them. Mr.Smutz had other plans to wrap up the last period of high school for the rest of Mateo's life. Review, Of everything from junior high until the last calculus class. His master plan would be ruined as there were only ten minutes left of the period and they were only on grade eight. Now he would proceed to tell us how to measure up the length of the said line which Mateo called bullshit. Bullshit, to quote the teacher "The world is made of straight lines" . That was something Mateo would not believe, if he was made of straight lines he would not be able to move or walk or talk correctly, he was a collection of circles and waves that would conjoin to make him human, and well, Mateo.

It was rare to see a pair of legs not shaking nervously in the last five minutes of class anxiously waiting for the final bell of highschool. Mateo gathered his books at his desk smiling staring at the clock for it to strike 2:30 and then be released forever from math, from highschool, from classes that meant nothing to him besides gym.

"I wish you luck for your future career and life may you find happiness and luck, you may be dismissed" at with those final words from Mr.Smutz the class erupted like a volcano spilling out of the classroom door like molten magma into the hallways of East Oakland high school out into the senior wing. A sea of students rushed down the hallways yelling and laughing and screaming in relief that high school was over and they were either going to college or find a job next September but they still had the last summer before adulthood to enjoy, and that was more than enough to be excited about.

Locker 5912 was his destination, he held the crumpled up piece of paper in his hands now sweaty, but he wouldn't care, he would know it was from Mateo, he's done this before. He slipped the loose leaf through the little slots in the top of the locker. He hoped the tenant of the locker would notice or even check for the secret note that wasn't a secret at all, at least to him, for others it would be.

"Mateo!" A high pitched voice yelled, but it was obviously a boys voice. Out of all the footsteps he heard his particularly,running behind him getting closer and closer until he got a smack on the back from his friend.

"Oh my  what did you do now Matty" his friend laughed.

"Nothing, nothing" Mateo played along into his friends games, knowing exactly where this would end up ad how he would respond, he knew him from 7th grade, he had it down. His friend opened his locker, the one the note had been slipped into, and the same note came falling down onto the ground. He picked it up.

"Dear tim" He said in a lower voice imitating Mateo. "Oh oh thats me!" He said back to his normal voice, mocking being excited. " this was a great year, one of the best, especially since..." Mateo grabbed the paper out of Timothy's hands and held it over this head.

"Come on what the hell man?" Timothy said disappointed. "Is there something you're hiding from me?"

"Nah, just read it later." Mateo responded laughing. A kid ran into Timothy and an eruption of cheers rose just up the hall. Then the fire alarm along with the sprinklers more cheers erupted in the hallway along with Timothy, putting his hands up almost to catch the cold water pouring down on the two. They meet the other kids running down the hallway to the main exit laughing all the way like a stampede. Timothy folded the letter into the pocket of his shorts.

"Lover boy" He whispered.

They exploded through the front doors of the school into the burning California heat contrary to the cold water raining on them moments before. Mateo and Timothy ran down the steps practically carried by the others to the bicycle rack where they parked and tied up their bikes just like they did every day. The two got on their bikes and rode as fast as they could up the street climbing the hill then rolling down the hill passing the houses practically on top of each other. 

"Holy shit Mateo, were out of high school" Timothy slowed down on his bicycle as they turned a corner a block away from their neighborhood

"I can't believe it, it felt like forever." Mateo breathed out. "Woohoo" he took his hands of the handlebars and raised his hands in the sky in celebration still peddling

"Hell yeah" Timothy did the same thing almost falling of the bike but saved himself. They both laughed and rounded the corner to their apartment complex. Mateo put down his bike down in the shared yard outside his apartment.

"Bye Tim" He yelled up the road

"I'll read your letter lover boy!" Timothy yelled back laughing.

"Of course you will" Mateo said to himself he opened the door and climbed up the stairs to his apartment. He was out of high school, at last, he hoped the summer would go well before he went to the community college next september, he hoped.