Autumn

1: Life As It Is

Living. Breathing. She lives! I pick up the small creature in my hands and shove it down my pockets. My science teacher expects us to hunt and dig inside the intestines of a frog? Gross. The school canceled on the head science program a long time ago because of it's expenses, and now we have to hunt down and kill frogs. First of all, I am no Katniss Everdeen. My science teacher, a tall skinny man with a brown beard and mustache stalks over towards my table looking disappointed.

"No frog?" he says, but doesn't stick around to hear my excuse. It's not my fault the school cancled on delivering frogs.

I sigh, the frog slimy and wet wiggling in my right pocket desperate to escape. Without even a thought on raising my hand, I rush past my classmates as they look (somewhat nervous?) at the dead creature they had murdered for a A. Passing them was easy enough, a sht the door without the crashing sound of it slamming itself on the door frame. I run through the quiet halls and to the back where lunch for grades seventh through eighth are now in session. The garden center if you want to be specific.

The garden is where most of the theater and art obsessed people have made their talent clear by having their many performers and artworks displayed. It is also the place where the picnic tables are put for lunch (Opinional). Inside of cafeteria is where I rather spend. It's AC works and they serve great food, whereas outside warm food usually doesn't taste as good outside with the mosquitoes are biting at your ankles.

Once I push the double doors to the garden center, I walk calmly to the flower patches and grab the frog from my pocket and set it gently on the soft grass. It hops away, glad to get away from either the school, or my jacket pocket. Getting up on my feet, I brush off the remaining dirt that caught on my pants. I smile, but as I turn to walk back to class, someone grabs my arms and pulls me to the side of them, where she is leaning on the side of the brick wall, yards away from the picnic area. I'm about to scream but the girl covers my mouth saying, "I see them, OMG! He's approaching her!"

Slowly I begin to realize who it is. Emily Sanderson, one of my best friends. Emily wears dark red hipster Ray-Ban brand glasses that are mostly covered by her long brown hair. Her styles is a mystery; black wavy skirts to pants, Hot-Topic tees to long sleeved one colored shirts, and dark jackets to sweaters. Let's just say, rocker rebel to black church attire. She hesitates to look again but signals me to take a glance as well. What I see is such as I surprise, I gasp myself under her hand. Her eighth grade sister, Clarissa Sanderson, talking to a boy much taller than her but by two inches or so; her longtime fourth grade crush. Not long ago, Emily and I found out that the boy, Winston Peipor, had a crush on her as well, from talking to Clarissa's other friends.

Winston had Clarissa's hands in his, and was talking to her but I could not tell what he was saying. From looking at Emily, she looked as if she were about to hug him. I couldn't tell what was happening but all at once Clarisssa's smile made her reply to what Winston had asked her, and so did the kiss on his cheek. They both smiled at each other going back to their friends, hand in hand.

"Oh my god!" Emily screamed silently, shaking my shoulders. "MY SHIP HAS LEFT THE DECK!"

I smiled back her as I dragged Emily back a few meters from them. In just a few seconds they would leave so the rest of the freshmen through seniors would have their turn for lunch. Emily was eagerly jumping up and down in circles.

"Diana and Elle will be ecstatic!"

"Calm down, Em." I say, still having a strong grasp on her arm. "Let's go back to class before-"

The double doors opening letting out half of the a high-school full of students silenced my words. It was time for lunch. By the time the large group of older students pass me, I take one glance back to Emily and realize she's not there. Great. I move past some of the sophomores, pushing them out of my way and lead my way to the entrance to the garden center where I find my three friends. Emily and Elle are screaming and laughing while Diana looks weirdly at them before noticing me and her waving hand invites me to the heart of the excitement.