Everything you knew

Chapter 5 Cole

The week goes by slower than usual. It's always like this at the start of every term it's agonising getting back into a routine. In English we had to analysis two chapters of the great Gatsby. In gym we had to run laps again for the hundredth time. Do the gym teachers have no imagination? Surely, they didn't go to college to just stand there and watch us run around a field for forty minutes. I would just skip gym all together if it didn't mean I would fail this year. In gym the guys act like it the Olympics. Some have a full blown melt down if they lose a game of soccer and start punching stuff and kicking things over. I couldn't give a shit what happens I just try and get through the hour without working up too much of a sweat, so I don't have to use the showers. Besides the only sport I care about is basketball and we never do that in gym.

I've been on the school basketball team since sixth grade. I was hoping to get into college with a basketball scholarship, but my mom would prefer to pay for the full thing for me to go to law school. Sports isn't a good enough career for her, it isn't stable. I know it is a risk, but it shouldn't matter if it's something I enjoy. My mom just wants me to have a sensible safe job. I know she is just looking out for me and wants the best for me, but I sometimes feel like she doesn't even listen to me, it's like she can't even see me sometimes.

Last period is History and I have actually been finding myself looking forward to it each lesson, which is something I never thought I would say. I keep looking at the clock watching the time go by waiting for the bell to ring for last period. When it got to History, I was the first one in my seat and it definitely wasn't because of Mr James' lectures about the economy in 1914. The class starts to fill up and she finally walks in. She has her hair neatly tucked behind her ears and her backpack slung over one shoulder. Her eyes looked dark like she hadn't slept in weeks. I quickly look away acting like I wasn't staring at her. As she sits down next to me in her seat, I turn around surprised "Oh hey, Violet" as if I didn't know she was there. God I was so lame.

"Hey" she replies barely looking at me.

"Are you okay?" I ask frowning at her, but before she can reply Mr James walks in and the whole class turns silent, as sir tells everyone to take out our textbooks. I glanced over to Violet half way through the lesson and she hadn't taken any notes. I ripped out a piece of paper from the back of my notebook and wrote Is Mr James boring you to death ;) and folded it up and slid it on Violet's desk. She looked at the note for a moment and then slowly opened it. I watched her out of the corner of my eye and a small smile creeped on her face. She then scribbled something down and passed it back to me. I put the note under my desk and opened it so Mr James wouldn't see. No, I'm just tired, I could never be bored of Mr James I saw him once at the Purple club taking shots and dancing on the tables, he is more fun then he seems. I tried to muffle a laugh as I read it, trying to shake the image from my mind. For the rest of the lesson we passed notes back and forth. I found out her favourite bands and made sure I went home and listened to them straight away.

After school I had basketball practice, which I had three times a week. It is the best part of my week. It is a place I could go to get away from any problems and stress just enjoy myself and have a good game. Justin doesn't play basketball with me, we started on the team together in middle school but he never carried it on it wasn't his thing. Which was fine because we had a good team with some good guys and it was probably best he had quit, because we definitely wouldn't be winning any trophies with him.

I head straight to the locker rooms and most of the boys are already there. You can hear the rowdy bunch before you even open the door. Josh and Dean are pushing each other and throwing their clothes around the room, like they are five. I playfully shove them both out of the way to get to my locker to get changed. I pulled my basketball kit out of my bag realising I had forgotten to wash it from the last practice. I could feel the sweat in the kit and the smell made my nose turn up. I reluctantly put the kit on and Josh rushed over to me and picked up some folded up pieces of paper off the floor. It quickly hit me what they were and snatched them out of Joshes hand as fast as I could, shoved them in my locker and slammed the door shut. "What are they Cole, love letters?" Josh said with the biggest smirk on his face and he started doing kissy faces. There was nothing to hide with Violet, but I didn't want anyone to see our notes we had passed in class. They were just for us.