Jayden went on with the meeting, speaking of things that would be of vital importance to the body. While he did, I found myself being transported to another place and time. He was a natural leader, lulling me into a sense of well-being and trust with his magnanimous statements and over-enthusiasm for leading the students of this school.Most of the topics didn’t interest me and the fire I’d had for proving them wrong by joining the body was waning but each time it dipped too low, his smile would be there to bring it back. His assertive manner and his passion for leadership would rekindle inspiration in me until my desires were renewed and I once again desperately wanted to be among their ranks. It didn’t matter what he was saying so much as how it all came across. In that moment, I began to feel that I was a part of something bigger than any individual experience I’d ever had, and while I couldn’t explain such a nonsensical thought&helli

The following week found me hurrying from the house. Staying seemed like a bad idea with Mother having gotten Matt's first semester report card from our previous school sent over. Report time was never a pretty sight, no matter which school it came from. There was something about the straight line of D's going down Matt’s report that always seemed to scream 'Kai's fault', and there was never anything about my own A's that ever screamed 'hard work'.I would end up being responsible for his grades slipping whether through my refusal to help him study or the distractions I produced while locked away in my room minding my own business. Never mind the Xbox he played from morning until night if you let him; it had nothing to do with it. Forget the way he came and went as he pleased, always being out with his friends and never picking up a book. Were it not for the ease with which he navigated his video games, I would be convinced my brother couldn’t read.I gave

Their eyes followed me across the gaping distance between the door and the teacher, curiosity overtaking the impulse to want me out of their space. The reluctance with which I handed over the principal’s note necessitated Mr. Burnes prying it from my hand, an action that brought snickers to my new classmates. Barely a minute in and I was back to making a fool of myself."Well, it's nice to have you, Ms. Deneiro. Please have a seat by Mr. Pryce. You're just in time, we're about to begin our lesson on vectors and matrices."My heart skipped a beat as, for the first time since entering the room, I dared to look down at the sea of students. There it was, the empty seat that beamed over at me from its position next to the stude

          "What?" I asked again, losing patience with this guessing game I'd somehow been forced into. Try as I did, I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary or worth driving your friends to the edge of insanity over. Our classmates were still making their way across the field and the coach was bringing in the rear. A scene so common shouldn't have had the power that it did to derail them.          "This is a joke, right?" Hayley continued unhelpfully.          Seeing my mounting frustration, Madelyn crouched by me and pointed to the opposite end of the field. When my eyes finally locked onto what I figured she must have been signalling, I felt I was still missing a big piece of whatever puzzle the others had b

          "Kai, talk to m—"          "Hey, Kai do you have a partner?" a guy from my math class asked from across the table. He was oblivious to the tension that had begun to rise between us, unaware he'd walked into a minefield and was in danger of having one of us explode.           In the end, it was Jayden.          "Back off, man. Can't you see we're talking?" He was harsher than he needed to be for someone trying to force a conversation with someone who wasn't interested.           "Relax, I was just asking a