To The End

It was after I was on my way to class that I realized what I had just agreed to. Of course I would love to have someone to talk to here, but I was afraid that I’d get too attached only to have to leave again. But I didn’t really have time to dread what could come from sitting with someone at lunch right now. I finally found the room for my first class of the day: English. I was relieved to see that I wasn’t late, and people were still arriving as I was. But the inconspicuous entrance didn’t matter much when the teacher suddenly called out, “Hello, Miss! You must be Amelia Lockworth. I’m Mr. Dunn and we’re all very pleased to have you here. Please tell the class a few things about yourself!” I sighed microscopically and stood up to speak. “Hi, everyone. I’m Amelia, and I just moved here from Albuquerque, New Mexico.” I sat back down and was relieved that the teacher didn’t ask me any more questions.
The rest of English class, and my next class, passed uneventfully. It was now lunch period, which meant I’d have to figure out how to deal with Frank. Of course I wanted to sit with him and his friends, but I was so afraid of leaving again. I didn’t have much time to think about it because out of nowhere, Jade was behind me asking where I was going to sit and if she could sit with me. “Um, I got invited to sit with some kid earlier. He seemed nice, he probably wouldn’t mind if you sat with us too.” I looked around and finally spotted Frank with a group of other people. “There they are, over there.” Jade and I walked over to their table and were greeted by Frank. “Hey, Amelia! And who’s this?” I glanced at the others around the table before answering, “This is my sister, Jade. She’s also looking for a place to sit, if there’s room.” “Of course there is!” He motioned to a couple of empty chairs at the other side of the table.
I plopped my bag on the floor and sat next to a guy with hair similar to Frank’s, but bright red. He looked at me for a second before turning away. “Hi, I’m Amelia. What’s your name?” He seemed to be a bit reluctant to talk to me, he almost seemed nervous. He turned back to me and said, “Hey, Amelia. I’m Gerard. It’s nice to meet you.” He ever so slightly smiled when speaking, a soft smile that gives you a warm feeling when you see it. The momentary quiet around the table was soon broken by Frank introducing us to the others. “Alright everyone, this is Amelia and Jade.” Various “heys, and hellos” were muttered quietly and then he pointed out each person and told us their names. “Amelia, Jade, this is Pete, Ryan, Ray, Mikey, and Hayley.” He then looked at me and said slyly, “I see you’ve already met Gerard.” I slightly blushed when I realized what he was implying and Jade laughed. “It’s nice to meet all of you. And thanks again for inviting us over here, Frank.” “No problem, you guys seem cool.” It was then that I realized I hadn’t seen Alex come in. A quick survey of the room revealed that he had found a place to sit with some other boys who looked his age. I decided not to barge in to his conversation and embarrass him, and just check up on him later.
After chatting with my tablemates for the rest of lunch period, we went our separate ways for our other classes. The next few classes were without incident (other than the obligatory introduction to the class) and the rest of the day flew by in a frenzy of trying to find the correct classrooms in time. Finally the time came for my last period of the day. I looked at my schedule and saw that my last class was algebra. Upon entering the room, I immediately noticed Gerard’s bright red hair and an open spot next to him. After introducing myself to the class, I took the seat next to him and he broke out into a grin. I noticed that none of the others from lunch were in this class, so I guess he was happy to see a familiar face.
Once what felt like forever passed, the bell finally rang and we were released. On the way out, Gerard tapped my shoulder and I turned towards him. “Hey, Amelia.” His voice was soft and quiet. I was surprised that he was talking to me at all since he seems so shy. “I was just wondering, since you’re new y’know, if you wanted to go with Frank, my brother, and I to the park later.” I remembered passing a city park with a skating rink when coming into town, but didn’t think much of it at the time. “Sure, that sounds fun! Would it be alright if I bring Jade and my brother Alex, too?” “Of course! So see you at the park around seven?” “Right! See you then” And with that, I met up with Jade and Alex, and we headed home.

Notes