Chapter 3
"Not bad Mr. Brody. 94." Ivan took the paper from his teacher. It turned out that he was able to take the extra test during his free time. And to Ivan, the best free time to waste was lunch. He really didn't have much appetite anyway. But with only a few minutes now left to eat, he took his lunch from the cafeteria courtesy of the Free Lunch Program, and headed for the oak tree. As he came nearer, he noticed someone sitting on his spot. It was Jesse.
Ivan stopped and stood staring in front of the boy.
Jesse looked up at Ivan and his face softened into a smile. "Oh dude, you shouldn't have. We're cool."
Ivan furrowed his eyebrows, still not moving. "Shouldn't have what?"
"Oh c'mon. You come over here looking all serious. It's okay, dude. You don't have to apologize. I forgive you." He tapped the ground beside him. "Sit down. Isn't this spot I found for myself sweet? You can see what everyone's up to from here."
Ivan scoffed. "I'm sorry. I totally stopped listening after you said 'dude'." Jesse chuckled at that.
"Dude, I said I forgive you and you could share this spot with me."
Ivan crouched down to face the other boy. "Okay, dude." He emphasized the last word. "First of all, I didn't ask you to forgive me and second, this is my spot!" He pushed Jesse off balance.
Jesse repositioned himself to sit with his legs crossed. He rolled his eyes and said, "Okay. Whatever you say."
It grew quiet and the only sound heard was the distant chattering of the students. "You're really not going to apologize to me?" Jesse asked.
Ivan just kept on chewing.
"Fine, dude. I'll just take the chewing as a yes." Jesse then blabbered about trivial things and Ivan distracted himself by zoning out into his own thoughts. After he finished his lunch, Ivan stood up without a word, leaving a very intrigued Jesse behind.
The girl Alex was in Ivan's first afternoon class. He went to his usual seat at the front and tried to focus on the lecture. Focus was not usually his problem but today it was difficult with someone poking his shoulder with a pen. "What do you want?" He whispered harshly.
"My friend, Ivan. I want him back." Alex replied softly. Ivan ignored her. However, the poking began again. He turned his head a little to give her a glare.
"Please?" He heard her say.
But he ignored her again and for the rest of the period he had a pen poking him on the shoulder.
After all his classes, he managed to stay away from both Alex and Michael. He went to the school library to see whether the student assistant job he had heard about was still open. He really didn't think he would like the job, particularly since it involved talking to other students, helping them find books, and accepting the books they need to return. But he really needed the money. He was basically broke. All his savings had been drained by the cost of daily living and bills. His mother's lawyer kept calling him but he never picked up the phone. He didn't even bother listening to the messages. Since his mother had died, he had practically lived like a hermit. He had very limited contact with people. He wouldn't answer phone calls nor would he open the door when somebody knocked on it.
Unfortunately, the student assistant job was already taken but Mrs. Iversen, the librarian, told Ivan that if another position opened up, he'd be the first one to know. After thanking her, he left. On his way to the door, he saw Michael walking into the library. He stopped short turning to the nearest shelf he could find. He pretended to be searching for a book hoping to blend into the library. It wasn't like Michael was specifically looking for him in there. He was probably there looking for a book. Michael Gilner reading a book. That's a funny image right there, he thought.
