California

Chapter Ten

It turned out that AP English was actually very nice. The teacher was an old woman named Ms. Willow, and she spoke so slowly that her PhD in American Literature should be changed to Boredom Studies. I had always liked English, and I thought AP would be a new challenge, but I had no way to foresee Ms. Green's soft, cradling voice, which almost put me to sleep several times. If it hadn't been for Eric and his eventual whispered joke, I think I wouldn't have made it.

Ms. Willow was all about getting down to business. She used up the last few minutes of class to announce the first reading assignment of the term: John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Being the bookworm I was known to be, I'd already read that years ago. Most of the story was blurry, though, and I though it was best to read it again. It was a short tale, and it would take me no more than a day to get it done.

On our way out, Eric and I laughed about how most kids nearly fell asleep too, and how they should change the teacher's name from Ms. Willow to Ms. Pillow. We scurried along the busy halls, dodging those hasty kids who wanted to get to class before anybody else, and he took me to the Gym, where PE was held. We said goodbye briefly and he left.

I spotted Amanda walking over to the locker room and caught up to her. We set our backpacks down and changed into PE clothes. I didn't understand why they had PE on second period, because that means we'd all be sweaty for the rest of the day. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but the girls were mostly pretty nice and I was looking forward to making friends. The teacher had us run laps around the football field and I felt the sun on my scalp. It was a long way from Seattle's shitty weather, where I had to run indoors and there was wind all the time. Don't get me wrong, I liked the rain; but I also appreciated that much needed change of pace by running under the sun. After that, we played a friendly volleyball match and I tried to downplay my abilities. Still, I stuck out like a sore thumb and most girls praised me for it.

"Why don't you play for the varsity team?" One of them asked me. "They're looking for some fresh faces, you know?"

"Oh, she knows." Said Amanda. "I think she'd be brilliant too."

I blushed and mostly deflected, showing a sheepish grin instead.

"Sure! I'll look into it." I said while we headed back to the locker room.

The following classes were alright. I wasn't that enthusiastic about science, but it wasn't that hard either. The teacher was nice and really knew how to keep the students' attention, so the minutes went by fairly quickly. Then, as soon as the bell rang at 3pm everyone rose to pack up. I swung my backpack over my shoulders and met Amanda on the way out. While we waited for the bus I took the time to admire the campus a little longer, lingering on the huge palm trees and freshly-cut grass.

After the bus dropped us off, Amanda went home to her AP calc homework. I walked home, still feeling the hot breeze, but grateful that a few scattered clouds covered up the sun. Mom was at the living room's couch with yet another book.

"No more clients for the day?" I asked, pulling a nice bottle of cold water from the fridge.

"These weeks are still pretty slow. I'll pick up the pace soon, though."

"Meanwhile you can binge-read your books."

"That's my girl." She winked at me with a proud smile. I laughed and went upstairs.

As I climbed the steps I bumped into my dad, who was running late for his company's board meeting. He gave me a quick kiss and scurried down.

"Oh, Liv," he said while picking up the car keys from the hanger beside the door. He lowered his voice so my mom wouldn't hear him. "Would you mind swinging over by the bakery? Mom made me promise to cook dinner tonight but I completely forgot to get the bread. This meeting's got me all tied up..."

"Say no more, dad. How many do you need?"

"Half a dozen should be fine, sweetheart." He opened the door wide and sent me a kiss. "I owe you one!"

"I'm gonna hold you up to that!" I joked.

He got in the car and left, and I went upstairs to my room. I dropped my backpack on the chair and fell on the bed. It had been a while since I had to wake up so early in the morning and my body kept reminding me of how exhausted I'd be until it got used to the new schedule.

I took a deep breath and rose, grabbing my purse. Dad's little task meant I had to bike all the way to town and back, which would cost me a whole afternoon of doing absolutely nothing with a side of Netflix. I guess it would be nice to see what it was like downtown.

I grabbed the bike on the backyard and had to pump the empty tires back to life. I placed my stuff in the little basket by the handle and got going.

℘

It wasn't that hot outside in the afternoon. It was about half past four when I pulled up into one of the bike slots downtown. It kind of reminded me of Disney Springs - a sort of cozy neighborhood with lots of little stores and restaurants. It was a busy location and I saw a bunch of kinds running around with ice cream cones of different flavours. If I kept down the road I'd reach the boardwalk, eventually leading up to the beach. I loved the summer vibes that place gave me so effortlessly.

I walked for a few minutes over to a tiny bakery on the curb. It was called Anderson's Bakery and the smell that came from the open doors was divine. I ordered dad's half a dozen breads and sniffed the brown bag's content satisfied.

"How do they smell?" Asked a nice old man who wore the bakery's uniform.

"Incredible." I said, smiling.

"Well, I hope they taste just as good!" He laughed, and I thanked him for the bread.

I soon left the bakery and walked along the streets back to my bike. I left the bread in the basket and pointed the bike back to the street.

At a distance I saw that cute old man from the bakery on his way home. I felt kind of sorry for him because he was all alone. Since he had been so nice to me before I decided to greet him as I biked home. I passed by him on the street and sounded my bike's bell.

"Have a good night!" I said as I waved.

I saw his smile light up through my rearview mirror and I smiled too. If that bread was any good I'd get an excuse to come back for some more and maybe keep that old man some company from time to time.

I got home and the sun wasn't still a long way before setting. I quietly placed the brown bag on the kitchen counter so as mom wouldn't figure it out that I'd gotten it. Afterwards I went back upstairs.

It was sort of early so I indulged in some Netflix time.

Tomorrow would be a brand new school day and, in spite of my initial expectations, I was looking forward to make the most out of it.