Storks: A Human And Her Stork

Chapter 2

Tulip's POV

I don't realise that I'm still stomping over the pavement when I hear dad calling out my name from behind.

I whirl around. Dad peeks out of his car's window looking worried. "I'm so sorry about your mother, Tulip. Get in the car"

"It's okay dad" I shrug "I can go by myself"

"Tulip, please!" Dad's forehead creases with lines "I apologise for what happened"

I feel sad looking at him. I slump and amble towards the car. Dad gives me an apologetic smile. I purse my lips at him and nod awkwardly.

We don't speak of anything at all which is good because I really have no interest to talk. I'm already feeling the anxiety raising up in me. Euhh!

Dad slows down the car at the corner of the school and I glance at him unsure.

"Uh, Dad? School is still on the way"

"I know. I don't want you to be teased for getting lifts by your dad when you're an adult"

I humph "I don't care what they think of me dad"

I smack a light kiss on his cheek and slide off the car and wave at him. He waves me back. I walk down the pavement kicking the pebble until I reach the school.

Okay, when I say school. It's not really a school. It's a special kinda school where people like me who didn't get education for various reasons would come here to get a quick training, assessments etcetera so that they could write a direct exam and get promoted.

I know. I know. That's not fair. But it's not open for everyone. It's for people who studied at home and the required knowledge for the promotion to degrees. I used to read back in the Cornerstore. Especially those bills and orders. I'd read a lot of newspapers and a few old books here and there which helped me get through the gateway quite easily.

That doesn't mean people are any good here. They're still the same. Except the word Orphan I've been called all types of names here. Birdgirl, loser, weirdo, and all the sort of names one would call someone like me. Wild hair is a new name which Bessie, my classmate came up with. It got popular now and that's how I'm called now Wild Haired bird girl Tulip.

Bird girl is because in the beginning it was Jasper who would take me to school and bring me home. But he stopped it all when he heard some guys sniggering about it.

I literally have no friends here and mom wants me to stop being friends with Jasper. The only person with whom I hang out with daily after school and relax. If she doesn't want me to hang out with Jasper she means the same about Junior too. I wonder what wrong we have committed to stay away from each other.

I sit at the back of the classroom as usual and the regular empty seat on my right side is occupied by someone.

Mrs. Lee, our basic mathematics teacher walks in hushing down the noise in the class. She's young but scary. And I told myself not to get in the wrong row with her when I saw her on the first day.

"Alright, students" her hands hug the edge of the desk as her bespectacled eyes scan our faces. "We have a new student today. Carol Campbell"

"Hey guys!" The new girl beside me waves awkwardly at everyone. Her hair is long dirty blonde and she looks friendly enough. She turns at me and smiles pleasantly. I grin back at her.

Wow, first person to smile at me in this school after four months. Well if you exclude the janitors. I love the janitors. They're really kind and helpful here. They're the ones who snatch the page with 'I'm a dumbo bird girl and love worms' scrawled across it off my back.

Mrs. Lee goes on teaching the mathematics and I find it quite boring. Not because I don't like math but because I want more than that.

The institution would give us three years of all over training until we are allocated to write exams for whichever field we are interested in. Until then, we are taught basics of everything. Which is pretty interesting yet stressful.

Mrs. Lee ends the class with the regular homework to do. What, come on, we aren't kids anymore!! Quarter of us belong to the age group of 18-23 years. And I wonder who would sit and write homework.

Definitely, I wouldn't wanna do. But just like how dad wants to drop me off to school my mom wants to sit by me at the dinner table and help me do my homework. They're desperate to catch up with their parents' duties they were deprived off. And I can't blame them.

"Hey" Carol turns to me. "What's your name?"

"Tulip" I smile at her "Tulip O'Connor"

"Nice name!" She beams at me.

"Yours too"

She rolls her eyes "I get bullied a lot for that name. Seriously, Carol Campbell?"

"Hey, come on! It has a nice ring to it!" I grin at her.

She shrugs "So what do you wanna do after this three years of regular training?"

"My parents want me to pursue business administration but I wanna do mechanical engineering" I shrug "What about you?"

"No idea. I'm just sent here"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean" she stutters "I'm forced to come here. I love painting and stuff. I don't know what I'd be choosing. I mean, I still have two years of time to see which subject I click with"

"I'm sure you'll come to know about it sooner" I smile at her.

"Thanks!" She chortles.

We'd chat with each other everytime we got a break and it was fun talking to her. She said she was home schooled most of her life because her mother was a traveler. She then finally decided to settle down when she realised her daughter was deprived of the education and the usual social life people of her age were enjoying. But Carol Campbell looks like the smartest girl in the classroom. I mean, for someone who has travelled around the world at a very age she's more exposed to the world more and she'd know everything.

I'm glad I hitched a friendship with her. She was horrified when a few girls call me Birdgirl and other names during the lunch break. And I shrugged it off saying it doesn't matter to me.

"That's alright. I really don't care about it" I say as we sit in the corner most table for two in the canteen.

"But why do they call you Bird-girl?" She says sinking her teeth into the grilled cheese burger.

"Well, I'm friends with a few Storks"

Carol almost chokes on her food. "What?"

I shrug as if it isn't any big deal. "I worked in Cornerstore before. So I made a few friends there. They usually come over here sometimes and these people make fun of me for that"

"That's so mean!" Carol scronches her face. "But are humans allowed in Cornerstore? I heard that humans are strictly prohibited"

I didn't want to tell her that I was the very reason why the whole delivering babies thing got closed.

"My dad knew a few people who knew a few who knew the storks. It was just an exception. A regrettable one"

"Why? What did you do?"

"A lot of stuff" I grin. I remember the time when I blew half of the place the day Diamond Destiny was born.

That was the very first time Junior had talked to me. Well, directly. He was quite a celebrity and I was on cloud nine when he approached to talk to me. I kinda liked him, to be honest. Way before we both talked. He was funny and sarcastic. And cute.

I snap back to reality. Carol is talking about something but I'm no longer listening to her. All I think of is Junior and how bad I miss him.

Although my parents' pester on breaking friendship with the storks is killing me I am glad I made friends with at least one person.

Something tells me that Carol will bemy first human best friend.