The Letter Game

Chapter Three

Well, that didn’t go as bad as I thought. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch break and my next period was an elective. I’d chosen Drama. Margaret offered to accompany me since she was also in that class. How sweet of her.

“So, Kristina”, she pauses to emphasize “liking EmPrep so far?”

Oh no, she wants to make polite small talk! NOOO! Run and hide, Kris!

“Honestly? It looks way better than my old school. But I’m not sure yet. I really think that question should be rephrased to ‘Does EmPrep like Kristina Waters so far?’.”

We turned left, went down a long corridor, took another left, and then went right.

“You’re funny, in a very weird way. I think we’ll be great friends.” She chirps happily.

Maybe this school year won’t be as awkward as I thought. Maybe I’ll really be able to connect with people. Hopefully, I’ll make friendships I will cherish forever.

“That’s so nice of you, thank you. I’m just really glad you and I have the same period. I think I’m developing a tendency to get lost around here. It’s nice to have someone to show me the way.”

“No problem, hun. I can show you around whenever you’d like. Also, haven’t you thought of asking for a tour? The school offers them for new students, like you.”

“Huh, no one told me that. But it really does sound like a great idea.”

“It is, maybe you should go check it out at the administration office after class.”

It really feels like we’ve been walking for hours now, and we haven’t arrived to the classroom yet. The silence kinda got boring so I felt compelled to say something. “Hey, what’s Drama class like?

“It is so much fun, I love it.”

I could really tell, because Margaret’s face lit up talking about it. And yes, we were still walking.

“We do a lot of interesting acting exercises to sharpen our craft. It’s actually really fun because the teacher, Mr. Smith, used to be a student here. He was a senior when we were freshmen, so he really knows all of us very well. Oh and um, we present a play or a monologue every year. I’m excited to know which one we’ll be doing this time. Oh gosh…” She stopped talking suddenly. “Ignore my incessant chatter; I was so distracted I had almost forgotten we’ve arrived. It’s that door at the end of the hall.”

“Oh gee, I’m kinda nervous. Is it okay if I sit next to you?”

“Sure thing!”

“You’re a lifesaver, thanks.” My face flooded with relief.

We went inside, and it was a total mess. A nice kind of mess. I took my seat beside Margaret and sat there quietly until the teacher spoke. He was perched on top of his desk with his legs casually crossed. I liked his style, he seemed very approachable.

“Okay, folks. This is it; I think we’re all here.” Instantly, all the chit chat around us died down.

“Welcome to a new year, I hope this one’s even better than last one! Before I give you guys the usual start-of-semester informations…Margaret, why don’t you introduce us to your new friend?

“Of cou-“ Margaret was in the midst of saying something before Mr. Smith cut her off abruptly.

“In a British accent.” he said.

“Very well then.” said Margaret, sounding more English than Kate Middleton herself. “This is my new friend Kristina. I can see she’s very shy, but I think she seems to be a very interesting person to the casual observer. She’s here on the essay scholarship, so she must be a very critical thinker. I am staring to like her. So don’t be afraid to talk to her, she doesn’t bite.”

 A few chuckles were heard from the other students in the class. Margaret had the perfect accent.

“Welcome to Emerson Prep, Kristina.” said Mr. Smith.

I was at a loss for words. It was a little embarrassing, the fact that Margaret had to introduce me. I could only utter a mere “thank you”.

“So now we can proceed with the announcements…” said Mr. Smith. “This year we won’t be doing a classic play. Instead, you guys will be writing your own script and producing your own play. What do you think? The play will be presented at the end of the school year. I’ll be giving you more details as the semester progresses.”

Several comments were heard throughout the room.

“That’s great!”

 “Who will write the script?”

“About time we gave the Bard a rest.”

Mr. Smith elaborated a little bit more on the topic and then he made us do an acting exercise. It was very intense, may I add. It consisted in selecting two students, and giving them a scenario and a letter of the alphabet to start with; they were supposed to play the scene using each letter of the alphabet. He asked for volunteers at first, and I hid my face hoping he wouldn’t select me. Hopefully he didn’t, but Margaret decided to go along with another girl named Sarah. They both performed flawlessly with a rather complicated scenario: they were the last two passengers of the Titanic--everyone else had been able to escape or was already dead--and they had to find a way to survive and get off the ship before it sank.

 I had so much fun, time went by in a blur. By the time the bell rang I didn’t wanna leave. So far, this was my favorite class. Maybe next time I’d try that acting exercise out.

“Margaret, you’re an amazing actress!” I said as we made our way out of the classroom.

“Oh yeah? So I’ve been told. Thank you.”

“Hey um, would you mind giving me directions to the administration office? I’d really like to figure this tour thing out.”

“Oh, you just go down the hall and turn left, take the staircase, and then turn right. See ya around, Kristina! I gotta run, I’m meeting a friend now!”

“Sure, thank you for your help! I really appreciate it!”

Okay Kris, I’m afraid you’ll have to figure this one out on your own, babe. You have 15 minutes before you have to show up in class again. So let’s make the most of them.  

Surprisingly, I made it quickly to the offices. Am I starting to get the hang of this or was Margaret very clear with her directions? Hmm…I think it was the latter.

Before getting the chance to get through the door I was hit by something hard.

“Oomph.” I hit my forehead with something while strong hands gripped at my waist. I opened my eyes to see- surprise, surprise- Collin Knapp!

“Collin! I-uhh…Is this becoming a habit? We literally running into each other like this?”

“I really hope not, or we could both get seriously hurt. How’s your forehead? I hit my chin, so I figure I hit you there.” I felt his hot breath on my face. And Jesus, those eyes. Freaking eyes…so blue. Ugh!

We stared at each other while he was holding me for a few seconds, then he cleared his throat and took a step back. I instantly missed the warmth of his proximity.

“So, what are you doing here in the admin office?”

“Oh, Margaret told me about these kind of tours they give to new students, so I came to find out how to get one.” Suffice it to say, I'm still a little shaken up and I don't think I'm in a position to chat casually with him of all people.