Friends With a Greaser

Chapter 7

As we arrive at school, I notice Nic falling behind. I wave goodbye to Ponyboy and tell him to tell my teacher that I'm showing a new student around before he heads to his homeroom class.

"See you at lunch, okay Ponyboy?"

"Okay. See you guys then," he replies as he closes his locker.

   
I turn around to go find Nic, still looking at Ponyboy's retreating figure, when I suddenly hit something solid and find myself on the ground. As I begin dusting myself off, I feel something off my face. Damn, I have a bloody nose. I pinch my nose to staunch the flow of blood, when I remember that I'd hit something. I look up to see Nic holding his head.

"Omigosh Nic, I'm so sorry!" I blurt. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nic responds quietly.

"Do you need ice?"

"No, I'm okay. Wait, what happened to your nose?"

"Just a bloody nose, nothing life-threatening. I've lived through worse," I smile.

I take Nic to the principal's office first, and introduce him to the secretaries. I explain that I'm showing Nic around, and just want to check in and grab his timetable.

I show him where his locker, the washrooms, and the cafeteria;

"This section is ours, and the other section is for the Socs. Okay?" he nods, and I continue. "Normally, Ponyboy, Sophia, Johnny, and I sit at this table, but if it's nice outside, we'll sit by the soccer goal posts and eat, and I'll practice shooting on the net. Soccer tryouts are after school today."

"Kay," he responds quietly.

I show him the emergency exits, the soccer field, and basketball tarmac.

We arrive to our first class just as the bell rings, signalling the end of homeroom. When I step into room 105, I see two empty desks right beside the window in the back of the room. I choose the window seat and Nic sits beside me in the aisle seat. Mrs. Valencia introduces Nic to the class and then begins the usual first-day-back protocol: explain the rules and expectations, let us know the consequences for bad behaviour, and lastly, homework guidelines and news about sports teams. We begin the math lesson and then move on to biology. As we are dismissed for lunch, I realize Nic is nowhere to be found. I decide that I value my life enough to find him so that I don't get murdered by Ms. Matthews for leaving school without him.

I scour the hallways and classrooms and then decide to check the soccer field, remembering how much Nic said he loves soccer.

"Omigosh! Nic! I've-been-looking-for-you-everywhere! Why-didn't-you-tell-me-where-you-were-going!? I-thought-you-were-hurt-or-something!" I yell at him. "Plus--" I stop suddenly, realizing Nic looks genuinely terrified. "The point I'm trying to make is; don't ever do that to me again, okay?"

"Sorry. It's just that I couldn't find you so I decided to come out here because the weather is nice." He replies quietly.

"I brought my ball that I saved up for last summer and my Converse, d'you want to practice with me?" Nic nods. "What position do you normally play?"

"Striker."

"Cool, I play sweep or fullback! Hang on, I'll be right back!"

I throw my black flats over by the tree and slip my comfy black Converse on. I run to my locker, grab my soccer ball, and dash back to the field.

"There. Do you have sneakers or cleats?"

"Not here."

"That's okay. You'll have to work with what you've got on right now, I guess."

We take turns in net, and by the end of lunch break, one of my braids is loose, my knee socks are scrunched down to the tops of my sneakers, my shirt is untucked, my skirt is dirty, and I have scratches on my face from retrieving the ball from the bushes.

The moment I walk into class, the chatter dies down and one of the snooty Soc girls audibly whispers
"What happened to her?"

I ignore her while gritting my teeth, and walk to my seat, grab my science binder from my backpack, and am about to sit down, when...