Chapter 2: A Day at School

There were three chances we had during the day to gather—before classes, during lunch, and after school. Though with AP tests over and the majority of us scoring well, the teachers allowed us the privilege to mess around in class as long as we weren’t disrupting instructions. We were especially bold in math class because the teacher had a stash of board games. Going to class was more like spending a night out with the guys. The moment we entered class, the teacher would begin instructions, and we would begin our games.

None of us was as bold as Chris though. He played on his DS and PSP in the middle of class as if that was the thing he was supposed to be doing. I remember a time when one of my classmates tried to pull off the same stunt and was severely rebuked by the teacher. Even though he tried to pull off the classic, “He’s doing it too!” excuse, the teacher only dismissed him saying, “Chris is getting an A in the class. As long as he does well, he can do what he wants, but you on the other hand would benefit from paying more attention in class.”

The whole class laughed, and that was that. I actually think that’s pretty fair. The administrators and the college entrance department doesn’t see what’s going on in class. All they see are the tests and the grades. If you do well, you look good and the school looks good. Who cares if you play games in the process of instruction?

With that said, I looked at Josh who was sitting on the same row as me but on the other side of the room. I was near the entrance of the classroom second from the wall. He noticed my glance and nodded while holding his chin with his right hand.

That was the signal to check my phone. I don’t know why he chose that to be his signal since it was kind of awkward when he did it, but I wasn’t going to judge. It got the job done.

Since Josh, Chris, and I were all top of the class, it was easy for us to send messages to each other while pretending to play games. Though most of the time, we were actually playing games. Most of the teachers didn’t mind, so we decided to take advantage of our blatant privileges. Some people would say it’s not good to show off and take advantage of our given privileges, but in this case, I think it was pretty good motivation for the class. They were envious, sure, but they were motivated. I could see the determination in their eyes when they looked at us.

Whether that was good thing or a bad one, I didn’t care, and I don’t think Chris nor Josh did either. All that mattered was that we did well, didn’t get in trouble, and got into a good college. That’s what our parents wanted, and that’s what we gave them.

When I saw Josh’s signal, I double tapped the touchscreen on my phone and it lit up. I set the light to its lowest setting so that it wouldn’t be as noticeable. For some reason, some teachers have a thing about texting in class but not with playing games. My biology teacher was one of those teachers. Maybe it was one of her pet peeves, or maybe it was a habit she developed whenever she caught someone on their phone texting. I don’t know, but as long as I did things discreetly, it was okay.

Unlike Chris, I didn’t play games in class, besides the board games available in math class. So while I was sliding the phone closer to me so I could read the text, I continued to look at the teacher and nodded my head at the appropriate times. Photosynthesis, yup; electron transport chain, got that; ATP production, great; Derek hasn’t come to school, what? I double glanced at my phone to check the text Josh had sent me.

“Derek didn’t come to school. Something must have happened.”

Although Chris and I had all the same classes together and thus the same schedule—AP Korean, AP European History, AP Bio, Lunch, AP Lit, AP Calc, and Tennis—Josh and Derek’s schedule differed from ours because they decided to take different AP classes and learn a different language. Josh’s schedule was a bit more similar to ours because he was also taking AP Bio, AP Lit, and AP Calc, but instead of AP Korean and European History, he was taking AP German and US History. His choice of sport was different too. Instead of tennis, he was on the track team.

I like running, but I feel like running isn’t a sport. It’s more fun to work with another person while coming up with set plays or strategies to defeat an opponent. Of course, track and field isn’t only about running, but there’s no strategy involved besides showing off your physical prowess.

Derek on the other hand had the most different schedule from ours. He was kind of like the odd one out of our group. It could have been due to the fact that we became friends with him later, but instead of trying to match his schedule with ours, he was more set on taking classes that were more interesting to him. His schedule was AP Spanish, AP US History, AP Chem, Lunch, AP Lit, AP Statistics, and Swimming.

Even during lunch, he didn’t always hang out with us. He hung out with the swim team near what we called the wall. It wasn’t really a wall, but it was more like these awkward concrete benches that arched around the swimming pool. No one really sat on them, but the swim team and people who played basketball usually hung out there since it was also near the basketball courts.

So even though we had three chances to meet during the day, we really only had two if we wanted to hear the latest gossip and conspiracies Derek had collected the night before. If it was important though, Derek would meet us at our usual spot. Our original plan was to hear from Derek before classes, but he sent us a text saying he’d be late to school. Since he had AP US History with Josh, Josh was supposed to get the updates from Derek and relay it to us during lunch, but Derek never arrived.

What could have happened?

I looked at Josh and he rolled his eyes at me with his cheek resting on his fist like he was bored. That was another signal of his: “Let’s meet ASAP.” I think he was really bored though. I glanced at Chris to see if he got the news, but he was swiping away at his DS screen. He was probably playing TWEWY.

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I rolled my eyes back at Josh and waited for the lunch bell to ring.

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After getting our food from the cafeteria, which was pretty good today—chicken hamburger and salad with orange juice—Chris, Josh, and I headed to our usual hangout spot, a random trashcan near the main plaza of the school. I don’t know why we decided that this trashcan had to be the spot where we ate, but it was a place we kind of took over ever since we were freshmen. It was also convenient because we could throw away our trash and leftovers as soon as we were done. But even after we were done eating, we didn’t leave the spot. I think part of the fun was talking to random people who would try to throw away their trash.

That’s how I started talking to Angela. The first time I met her was when she transferred to my middle school, same grade. The teachers told me to help her for whatever reason, maybe because I was a “model” student, so I helped her adjust to her new school. It’s not like we never talked, but whenever I was with her, there was always an awkward silence. I wanted to talk to her more and get to know her, but it was weird.

She didn’t look like a model or anything, but I liked the way she smiled, gentle and genuine. The first thing I noticed was her long black and straight hair. I could tell she combed it daily. I’m sure other girls do too, but it wasn’t to the point I noticed a difference. But her hair felt different. It’s not like I touched her hair or anything, but even from looking at it, I could tell how soft it was. It made me curious.

After graduating middle school though, we didn’t really meet each other often. She was in some of my classes, but besides the occasional greetings, that was it. I needed an excuse to meet her, and the trashcan we ate at provided it. I think she probably needed it too since she was the one who started throwing her trash away at our trashcan. I mean, the way I see it, there’s so many other trashcans she could have used, but she didn’t.

The first time she threw away her leftovers at our trashcan was a bit awkward. She caught me by surprise since she came from behind me and kind of nudged me to the side. I think she was just trying to get through, but because I wasn’t expecting it, I spilled all the food I was holding in my tray. I was almost in tears. I don’t like wasting food, so for it to all go to waste in a blink of an eye was kind of sad.

On the bright side, it was easy to clean because we were right next to a trashcan, and on the brighter side, our conversation went beyond our usual greetings to an apology and, “If you’re still hungry, here’s my leftovers.” Though I don’t like wasting food, I’m not too keen on eating other people’s leftovers. There’s something repulsive about it. Maybe the germs. Even if it’s from someone I like.

But from that point on, she kept throwing away her food at our trashcan, and during those times, we’d have short exchanges: “The weathers great, isn’t it?” “How about them Lakers?” “Did you hear about this and that?” Thinking about it now, it’s kind of embarrassing, like what were we actually talking about?

On one of those occasions, I asked her, “Where do you usually eat?” I think she was joking because she said, “Around a trashcan,” but I thought I’d follow along and said, “Well, maybe I should throw my trash away at your trashcan. Or, you can just eat at our trashcan.” I know. It’s not the most romantic of conversations, but it worked. Like they say, all’s well that ends well. Though, I’m not sure who said that. Chris would probably know.

Eventually, Angela did join our little group around the trashcan, and for once, it wasn’t awkward. The transition was very natural. One day, she and I happened to be waiting in line for our food at the same time, and instead of splitting off to go to where she usually ate, she stayed with me. I tried to appear as natural as possible, but to be honest, my hands were shaking. I knew because she said, “The pint of milk in your tray looks like a house going through an earthquake.”

Josh and Chris looked at each other and laughed. I think they didn’t mind the extra company because when Angela joined us for lunch, her friends Victoria and Sally also joined. So we went from a group of three to a group of six. Perfect. Everyone gets a match. Except Chris and Sally weren’t really on good terms with each other. Was it one of those love-hate relationships? I don’t know. I was just glad I could hang out with Angela.

When we had gotten into formation surrounding the trashcan, Josh was the first to speak.

“Did you get my message Chris?”

Chris nodded, “Of course.”

“Don’t lie! I saw you playing your DS the whole time!”

Chris gave Josh a weird look and asked, “Why were you looking at me the whole time?”

The girls also looked at him with an incredulous face.

Josh flinched and waved his hands in the air, “No, I’m not like that!”

I laughed and said, “Okay, okay. We believe you Josh. Now, could you explain what’s up with Derek?”

“What’s up with Derek?” Angela butted in.

Josh looked at her and then back at me, “Well, I’m not sure. He said he was going to be late, right?” Chris and I nodded. “But I didn’t see him in second period, so at least until that time, he wasn’t in school.”

Victoria asked, “Well, did you text him?”

We all looked at Josh, and he looked like a deer caught in lights. “Well, er… Yeah.” He said while taking out his phone.

Chris shook his head at him, “You idiot.”

Everyone else nodded, except me. I shifted my eyes between Chris and Josh. Maybe they also have some sort of love-hate relationship going on. It was a stray thought, but I thought it carried an ounce of truth.

Josh looked down at his phone and texted Derek. Angela leaned towards me and whispered, “Anything I should know?” I don’t think she was trying to get me excited, but the combination of her proximity to me and her whisper turned the engine running in my heart up a notch. The pleasant fragrance of vanilla entered my nose, and I assumed it was coming from her.

My mouth dry in a flash, I whispered back with a slight stutter, “I-I’ll tell you later.”

She nodded and smiled at me, “Call me.”

I looked at her and didn’t look at the others because I felt their stares on us. Josh had already finished texting. I was thankful for him though because he prevented the awkward moment I would have faced by clearing his throat like he had something to say.

We all looked at Josh expecting him to say something, but he just raised his right hand to his chin and nodded. It was the sign for us to check our phones. Chris and I glanced at each other from the corner of our eyes while the girls looked at him still expecting him to say something.

After a few more seconds, their faces grew from expectation to confusion and then Victoria said, “Well? Are you going to keep us waiting?”

“Oh,” he said, “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, Derek replied to me just now.”

“We know that,” Sally said while crossing her hands over her chest and looking at Josh like he was an idiot, “What did he say?”

“Ah, right… He said something came up all of a sudden, so he wasn’t going to come to school anymore.”

Victoria said, “What a weirdo,” while Sally scrunched her eyebrows together like she was trying to read Josh’s mind. She didn’t believe him, and neither did we, but Chris and I would have to confirm our suspicions later.

Angela looked at me with puppy eyes. Damn, okay, I got it.

I relented, “It’s okay Josh, tell us what he said.”

Josh looked at me and then Chris. Chris shrugged like he didn’t care, so Josh sighed.

“He said he’s getting out of the city and that we should too. Class 3 outbreak.”