The Stars

Ch 4: The Silhouette

     I felt so tense. It was as if everyone around me was a ghost in some sort of clique... I decided to sit down so I could try to relax. Santiago pulled a chair up next to me and settled as well.

Santiago: "Hey dude, you feeling okay? You don't look so good."

Me: "Hi Santi... And to be honest, man, not really. I don't really know how to feel about today yet..."

     He kindly put his arm on my shoulder.

Santiago: "Hey, try to lighten up, dude. I know... It's a scary time for all of us right now, but we all gotta stay strong and hope she turns up just fine."

Me: "Thanks, man..."

     He gently hit my shoulder and got up to walk away. Little did he know that wasn't the only thing clouding my mind that day... The bell rang and we all sat in a circle of chairs. Before me sat a set of fresh new faces and familiar faces who've returned for another year of improv. As my eyes scanned across everyone's faces, I saw an array of different moods. But in general, those who knew Tamrah best seemed worried. Everyone else seemed joyous; ready to begin class and get to the games. Our teacher, Mr. Miskulin, grabbed his director's chair and sat among us in the circle.

Mr. Miskulin: "Hello everyone. Now, usually I like to begin this class on a better note, but earlier today we've received some bad news..."

     oh, no..... don't remind us...

Mr. Miskulin: "One of our classmates won't be able to attend class until further notice... Her name is Tamrah Sales."

     In an instant, the array of different moods across the class became nothing but an amalgam of negativity. Stephen's face was blank but dismayed beyond tears. Santi wore a similar numb expression. I glanced over at Ulysses. It seemed to be news to him because he was dumbfounded. His lip began to quiver, and his eyes began to water. I wanted to console him, but something told me he wouldn't appreciate that coming from me... The rest of the class murmured in confusion.

Mr. Miskulin: "For those who were close to her... or even if you only knew her a little... or maybe not at all... Let's all keep her in our prayers. A student like her shouldn't deserve this. No one at all should deserve this..."

     Miskulin was starting to choke up his words a bit.

Mr. Miskulin: "Because this is a sensitive topic to many of us, I won't speak much more about it. I just felt that it's necessary to address it so we could keep her in our thoughts."

     I overheard some side conversations when Miskulin took a moment to pause. Many were asking each other about what happened.

Mr. Miskulin: "Alright class... Now because we have to, it's time to run through another slideshow."

     The class reluctantly turned their chairs to face the projector screen. I glanced at Ulysses once again. His cheeks were a bright red and his eyes were puffy.

Me: [to myself] "I'm sorry, man..."

     Class seemed to be over as quickly as it began. The majority of the class seemed to naturally come together and give hugs to make each other feel better; I was hesitant to get involved... I grabbed my backpack and stepped outside to reflect. A long, shaky sigh escaped my lungs.

I need to allow myself to feel accepted...

     The door opened and Ulysses walked outside. I was greeted with an awkward stare. He tried to cover the redness of his face.