Leap of Faith

Day Nine

I’d hardly seen TJ today, and a part of me had to wonder if he was avoiding me. Since the beginning of the week, every time we passed each other in the hallway TJ would smile and wave or acknowledge m in some way, but not today.

For once, my locker was a boy-free zone and when I caught sight of TJ he was busy chatting to some blonde who had his full attention. I watched them interact this morning with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was an alien feeling and I can’t say that I liked it.

Break time was surprisingly quiet too without TJ and his friends around. I hadn’t seen much of Georgie all week and I was starting to miss her presence. My head was getting jumbled up with all these new people in my life and I needed her to help me get through it. Georgie was the one I trusted the most to set me straight but she was too busy with Greyson to spend time with me.

So, I spent break time in the dark room, combing through tens of photographs, trying to decide which prints could fit in with my portfolio. Some were obvious, like the black-and-white shot of Libby smiling while looking down at her stomach. There wasn’t a hint of a bump there but you could see the glow of pregnancy in her smile and in her eyes. That, coupled with the light shining around her, made my sister look angelic. I had taken the photograph on Monday afternoon on a whim. Libby was there, the lighting was perfect and everything looked so beautiful that I had to capture it for prosperity. I’m not sure if Libby knew I had taken the photograph, so I planned on presenting her with a copy as a late engagement gift.

Some of the other pictures weren’t up to standard and I cast them aside when the bell rang.

English third period went by quickly, which was strange because I hated the class. There was only so much Gothic literature I could take and I’d maxed out my quota for the week. Thankfully, I had a free period before lunch where I could relax and not have to think much.

In a bookish way, I went straight to the library, heading towards the philosophy stacks. No one ever came to this are of the library, so I took out my math books and started on the homework. Within minutes I could feel my body relaxing and a calmness wash over me.

“So, this is where you hide,” a voice laughed as a body dropped down beside me. I flinched a little, unnerved by my proximity to another person, but when I looked up and saw Chris’ eyes on me, I blushed. “I saw you come in and thought you might like some company.”

I looked down at my math notes and promptly shut the book. “Company would be great.”

“Cool,” Chris smiled before going quiet. He looked as if he was thinking of things to say, but each time he opened his mouth to speak, he ended up giving me a nervous laugh. “Are you still coming to watch me play tomorrow?”

I nod. “Yes. I’ve been studying, too. You could ask me to explain any of the rules and I could tell you.”

I was rather impressed by my rugby cramming session, even if I did say so myself. Not only had I watched countless hours of videos on the game, but I’d read up on teams and players, and had familiarized myself with the traditions of rugby too. For one, I’d learnt about rugby union and rugby league, as well as rugby sevens which was a shorter version of rugby union and with fewer players on the field. Each player on the team had different positions- hookers, props, locks, flankers, scrum half and fly half, inside center, outside center, number eight, wings and fullbacks. I’m still slightly confused about their roles, but I’m working on it.

Unlike football and soccer, rugby players don’t get to choose their numbers. Instead, their numbers are assigned and signal their playing position. For example, number 14 would always be the right-wing player.