It took Corey even more strength to push himself out of bed than it had the day before. With the startling news he received and his sleepless night, it was no wonder. He had no strength to eat breakfast, and he doubted that he would even be able to walk to school. So, he took the bus.
Corey regretted his decision almost instantly.
Everyone was sitting with their friends. This excluded Corey immediately. He had to sit in the window seat with two girls that were gossiping about the latest school news. He was quite sure he heard his name somewhere in their conversation.
It only got worse from there. Someone decided it would be a good idea to start a food fight, and a rotten banana fell into his lap, exploding on contact. He had to wipe off the goop with a napkin that had been thrown into the ruckus that he found.
Despite being in the first seat, he was the last to get off the bus, as everyone was pushing their way up to the front, wanting to get on school grounds early so they could egg a bathroom or two. It was a regular high school activity.
The first two periods were boring, as usual. Science and history. Corey hated both classes; they bored him to death and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the teachers. Third period was a bit better: math. Corey was in an advanced class, and it was the only academic class that he appreciated. Then came lunch, where he hid in a PE stall and read a book from the library. And then, fifth and sixth period. An oasis compared to the rest of the day. Double Art.
Corey entered the classroom, taking a deep breath. This was the only place that he felt totally relaxed and safe. It was someplace that he could be himself without being judged.
Corey took his art supplies out of his bag and sat in a corner of the room. Art was sort of free period; you didn't have to do any homework and there were rarely any assignments. You got graded on your own artwork: the creativity and whether you tried your best.
A few minutes into the class, Corey looked up and realized that there were quotes taped on the walls, completely covering it. "Paint is never permanent", "Chances disappear before you can take them", and "Don't trust what you see, even salt looks like sugar" were a few that caught Corey's eye. He shrugged off the odd feeling creeping into his mind and went back to his drawing.
"Good afternoon, everyone." Corey once again lifted his head from his artwork. A young, unfamiliar woman entered the classroom. Corey frowned. Where is the Art teacher?
"I'm Ms. Hammond. Your regular teacher, Mr. Lloyd, had a family accident. He won't be with us for an unspecified amount of time. For the meantime, I am going to be your supervisor."
The kids in the classroom only nodded.
"Okay. I know that you are used to just having two free periods, but while I'm here, we're going to be doing something a little different. I am going to assign you partners and one animal from this list—" Ms. Hammond waved a piece of paper in the air. "—to study. You are then going to be doing a series of projects with that object throughout the course of this semester. Any questions?"
No one raised their hand. And Ms. Hammond smiled. "Good. Now, partners."
Corey waited anxiously in the corner of the room for his name to be called. Each time a name was spoken, his heart almost beat out of his chest, knowing that any one of the teens could be his partner.
"Alexis Carter and Corey Lee, come to receive your animal, please," Ms. Hammond called. Corey stood on his wobbling legs and looked straight ahead, not wanting to see his partner. He hated meeting and socializing with anyone, so this project was going to be hard.
As he stood in front of Ms. Hammond, he heard whispers float around the room.
"Oh, God, you're stuck with the weird kid."
"Good luck, Alexis."
"That sucks."
Corey squeezed his eyes closed, trying to block them out. As he did, a shoulder brushed against his own.
