The Assumption (The Hypothesis of Giants Series, Book One)

Chapter Two: School Drama

Aurora sat on the curb in front of the corner stop sign where Wishbone Avenue ran perpendicular to Main Street. She felt like she wanted to tear her school uniform off her sweltering body. The white cotton blouse was sticking to her chest, and the indigo skirt that stopped right below her kneecap was sticking to her legs like adhesive tape. And of course the outfit was not complete without the orange socks that she had rolled down over the front loop of her black dress shoes. She tossed her thick wavy hair back into a ponytail, despite her mother's protests that she looked too much like a tomboy with her hair up.

She sat looking down Wishbone Avenue, the curvy, zigzagging street that she'd lived on her whole life with hardly anything ever changing. She eyed the different styled houses that nearly matched the personalities of their inhabitants. There was the house of Hattie Pearlton, the most popular girl in their sophomore class, with the perfectly manicured lawn, Romanesque fountain, and beautiful, outlandish hydrangea bushes encircling the large nauseating structure of a mustard yellow country house. Then there was the large purple Victorian house of her science teacher Mrs. Xiomy, who lived in the cul-de-sac at the end of Wishbone Avenue. And of course there was the house of Jonathan and Boreas Stockington, who lived in what she called the Stockington mansion. It was a large brick colonial-style house with three chimneys and an acre and a half of land, which had both a tennis court and pool in the backyard. She always wondered which room belonged to Jonathan. She walked past this house every day going to school, hoping to catch a glimpse of him walking on the opposite side of the street so she could maybe gather up enough nerve to wave at him. And maybe he would wave at her or catch her eye and smile that perfect smile that made her heart flutter.

All of a sudden she was whisked in the head with a flying scrunchie.

Aurora opened her eyes with a start to behold her friend Mary Fray nearly tackling her on the corner.

"Mary, that could have hit me in the eye."

Mary threw her backpack down onto the ground and stretched up toward the sky, letting out a huge yawn. "Just checking to make sure you were alive. You looked like you were daydreaming in broad daylight. The Inspector might make that illegal. You don't want to get sent away to Candlewick Prison, do ya? "

Mary's thick blonde eyebrows furrowed over her pointy nose and contrasted with her dyed black hair. Her overgrown bangs nearly covered her big owl eyes. A rose tattoo etched into her skin on the top left shoulder blade. She refused to wear the entire school uniform, always managing to find a way to add a touch of her personality into the structured outfit mandated by the school board. Today it was mismatched socks, the required orange sock on her left leg and a knee-length red-and-white polka dot sock on her right.

Aurora laughed as her friend tried to blow a bubble with some bubblegum she'd probably stolen from Ernie Levitz, a freshman who'd had a crush on Mary since the first grade.

"First of all, you only get arrested if you get caught outside at the Sacred Hour, like Boreas Stockington. That's why he ended up in prison."

"Yeah, well, he has always been begging for attention." Mary chewed and chewed. They started walking down Main Street toward Candlewick High School. While Mary was trying to keep up with her friend's long strides, she said, "I wonder how Boreas did it."

Aurora shrugged, wiping a bead of sweat that was dripping down her forehead. "Did what?"

"How he got out of Candlewick Prison alive, silly. I wish he would tell someone already."

Aurora shrugged and then froze as she looked up. On the opposite side of the street was none other than Hattie Pearlton walking arm in arm with Jonathan Stockington. Jonathan stood tall with his long honey-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, his uniform pressed and perfectly tailored over his physique. He had bright turquoise eyes, high cheekbones, and a silver stud earring in his left ear. His hand was latched onto Hattie's, and she was standing beside him like she had won the lottery. Her perfect hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a white tank top; her uniform skirt hiked up over the knee so it accentuated her slender legs. She was encircled by a group of the popular students, who were gossiping and every now and then turning in Aurora's direction, pointing and laughing. Aurora looked away then turned her back on them because just thinking about what they were saying was enough to make her nauseous. She was glad Mary was walking with her. She always felt safer with Mary around.