Chapter 01.3

Ms. Klein was a tall, thin, middle-aged woman with a slightly sour demeanor. She lived alone with her cats.

“Well, this is our last year together. I hope you realize this subject is an important part of your future, so expect even more pop quizzes this year than last,” she announced. The class groaned.

“I see we have a new student. Stand up, dear, and introduce yourself,” she said, looking at Jane.

Jane stood up and smiled around the room. She always smiled when she knew people were watching—strange girl.

“Hi, I’m Jane Shepherd. I recently moved to the city.” She sat back down.

Well, she wasn’t very talkative, that was for sure.

“Thank you, Jane. I hope you like history—it’ll make the next few months easier with me.”

The lesson dragged on, and I barely paid attention. Occasionally, I glanced at Shannon, but Jane also crossed my mind. I wondered if she was still taking notes in the book, but turning around to check obviously wasn’t a good idea.

When the bell rang, I rushed to the cafeteria. The line was always ridiculously long. The serving counter started right at the entrance and stretched to the wall. Our usual table was near the cashier, so we didn’t have to balance our trays for long.

The boys were already waiting. We sat down at our usual spot.

“I hear you have a date with Shannon,” Brian said, sitting across from me. 

“Yeah, I’d be stupid not to take the chance,” I replied. “In biology, two new students are my teammates. What do you know about them? Some Paul and Jane.”

“Ah, yes. They’re both new seniors,” Brian said. “Paul is half Japanese—his father is some rich big shot. They moved here over the summer and bought the old Sigma house up on the hill. Renovated it completely. Nice, approachable guy—I think he swims too, like us.”

“And the girl?”

“I don’t know much about her. Wait,” he pulled out his phone and opened his documents. “Ah, here it is. Her mother is a widow and a home nurse. I don’t know where they live—it’s not listed here. She was nice when I showed her around on Friday, but she didn’t talk much.”

“Does it say why they need advanced biology?”

“No, nothing about that.”

“Whatever. I just hope they don’t mess up my grade.”

I glanced around the cafeteria, searching for them. Jane sat alone at a distant table by the window, reading. Others were sitting on the opposite side of the bench, but there was a noticeable gap next to her—no one was talking to her.

Paul approached with his tray, asked her something, and she nodded before he sat down. They started chatting quietly, looking comfortable with each other. I glanced over occasionally, but only out of curiosity.

The rest of my afternoon was uneventful, though Shannon made sure to sit next to me in every shared class, clearly waiting for my call. In those classes, the new girl and Paul always sat together, far from Shannon and me.

—-

After school, I hurried home, knowing Mom would kill me if I was late—she expected me to mow the lawn. She was just leaving when I arrived.

“Hi, son. Thank you for coming home on time and mowing the lawn.” She smiled, adjusted my shirt, then walked out the door and drove off.

I quickly got ready and mowed the lawn. I actually liked mowing—it was relaxing—but I couldn’t let my parents know that. If they knew, I’d lose my bargaining position.

Our backyard wrapped around the entire house, but aside from a few trees, Dad had kept it simple—just grass. In the summer, we often had dinner on the back terrace.

Later in the afternoon, I finished my homework and called Shannon before dinner. I lay on my bed, which was against the wall opposite my desk, so I could use my computer from there. My large wardrobe stood between the window and my bed. I didn’t have much furniture, but it was enough for me.

“Hi, kitty. How are you?” I asked when she picked up.

“Hi, pretty boy. I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“We’re planning a movie night with the guys on Saturday. Want to come?”

“Oh, I thought we’d go somewhere just the two of us,” she said. “I’d prefer that.”

“Come along—we’ll be alone after the movie, I promise.”

“I don’t know… If I’m not that important to you,” Shannon started whining.

“Come on, kitty. You’re so important that you get to meet my friends too,” I rolled my eyes.

“Well, okay. We’ll coordinate on Friday. Dream of me.”

“I will.”

I hung up. Shannon never surprised me.

Curious about Amber’s day, I headed to her room. I stopped at the door—she had a large piece of fabric spread out on the floor, cutting it with scissors.

“So, what did you accomplish today? Did you get any applicants from your flyer?”

“I did, but none of them were great. I called them all, talked to them, but either they didn’t like my designs or they had no personality. I’m still looking, though—the deadline is approaching,” she said without looking up. “I even offered payment for the trials and photoshoots, hoping it would motivate them, but so far, no one has clicked.”

“Why don’t you showcase them yourself?” I asked as she finished cutting and stood up.

“Because it would look silly if I were the only one wearing my designs. They weren’t made for my figure.”

“Well, you know best. I don’t understand this stuff,” I shrugged.

“Well, you don’t. Come on, let’s go down for dinner.”

Amber was tall and had a beautiful face like Mom, with brown eyes like Dad. She wasn’t curvy, but she had a great figure. She also played tennis regularly with Mom.

Dinner was a tradition in our house—no phones, and everyone reported on their day. Tonight, Dad started.

“I have new patients again. It’s like parents are choosing a brain picker instead of parenting,” he said. “How about you, dear?”

“Quiet, administrative day,” Mom replied. “How about you, kids?”

Our parents always listened to us in the evenings. They didn’t bore us—just shared a sentence or two out of politeness.

“Two new students became my study partners in biology,” I said.

“Who?” Mom asked, interested. She had a good network because of her job.

“The guy is half Japanese—Paul Tashiro. And the other is a girl.”

“What’s the girl’s name?” Mom continued. “Maybe I know her parents.”

“I don’t think so. As rude as she is, her parents can’t be any better,” I said, considering the topic closed.

“I see,” Dad said, exchanging a glance with Mom and Amber.

“I handed out flyers today, but all the girls are as simple and superficial as my brother’s girlfriends,” Amber chimed in.

“Hey, hey,” I protested, food hanging out of my mouth. “I object to that. Not all my girlfriends were like that.”

“Yes, son, all of them were,” Dad said calmly.

“Well, on Saturday, I’m going to the movies with one of the best girls in school. She’s definitely smarter than the others.”

“If you say so,” Amber said. “But if you find a more sensible one, recommend her to me.”

“You know what? Let’s bet that this girl will meet your standards too. I’ll bring her here before the movie on Saturday, and we’ll see.”

“Okay. If you win, I’ll do the dishes for a week. But if you lose, you will.”

“Deal.” We shook hands.

“Well, we won’t miss this either. We’ll be home Saturday afternoon—we’ll see,” Mom winked at Dad.

I didn’t know what they were planning, but this was a bad sign. Shannon was unlikely to make a different impression than my previous girlfriends.

I didn’t even know why I bet—I should have just prepared for dishwashing.

I fell asleep quickly that night, knowing that swim training would start the next day. I had loved water since childhood, and my parents had taught me to swim early on. For a while, I had considered pursuing it seriously, but now I wasn’t aiming for a sports scholarship. I wanted to be the captain of the school’s swim team, and the decision would be made tomorrow. I needed to rest.