Chapter 6 - New Prospects

The weather was beautiful and mild, so I enjoyed my lunch outside under the shade of one of the gorgeous silver maple trees on the school property. I liked spending time with my new friends, but I also loved the luxury of eating outdoors while at school. That was not something I could do at my former private school, and I was looking forward to this opportunity. My family's home was modest, and we only had a little space on our property. In some ways, this was great - like how it didn't take very long to mow the lawn! But, in others, not so much. There was little space, so we only had a small garden and a few trees. Sitting in the shade of a large tree on a mild, sunny day and reading a book was a treat for me!

I removed my denim jacket to use it as a cushion under the tree. Taking hold of my well-loved favorite read, I rested against the dark, reddish-brown bark, savoring the coolness provided by the light green leaves of the silver maple tree. Taking a bite, I enjoyed the juiciness of my red apple.

This is one of my favorite stories. I loved the subtle horror of the tale, especially the concept of doubling. Everyone does have a Dr. Jekyll and a Mr. Hyde in them to some degree. We all have competing desires. This was a short book, too, and having read it countless times, I knew that I could eat my lunch in peace and enjoy the tale again without getting lost in the story and losing track of time.

The lunch period flew by, and I gathered my belongings to head to my Environmental Science class. I looked forward to rejoining Claire, Vince, and Tristan in class. I wondered what kind of ridiculousness they'd get into today. I laughed out loud at the thought. They were fun - I just had to pay attention, so I stayed caught up in class and focused without being distracted by their antics.

Working with them as lab partners in this class was incredibly exciting. We had already planned to collaborate on today's assigned lab. Our assignment was to test different soil types to determine their nutrients and composition. Our next group project was supposed to be designing a plot in a community garden, considering local conditions to ensure the project's sustainability. This would start tomorrow, and we'd have until Friday to finish it. The teacher told us the class would meet to research in the library tomorrow and then have the rest of the week to create an electronic presentation of our findings. Did I mention how much I loved taking this class? I love the outdoors, and especially plants!

"Babygirl, where did you go to? We missed you," crooned Vince as I entered the classroom.

I blushed. That was sweet and unexpected. The big tattooed guy was a teddy bear at heart.

I waved my book at him and said, "I was reading outside."

Tristan quickly grabbed the book and said, "Interesting..." quietly. He gave me a quick smile and handed it back.

"You like the classics, eh? Are there any other favorites?" Tristan asked.

"Um, yeah. I like Dracula, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, and anything by Edgar Allan Poe," I rushed out.

I loved reading. I could spend hours in a bookstore or the local library, getting lost in the pages of a good book. Having a vivid imagination helped.

I blushed again, thinking that they'd laugh or make fun. Instead, they just nodded in appreciation of the titles listed. I smiled. I liked this group more and more.

Tristan put his arm around me and whispered, "Time to get to work, Babygirl. We've got a project to work on."

He kissed me on the cheek and quickly got to work using the soil testing kits distributed by the teacher.

I looked at Claire with my eyebrows raised and a stunned look on my face.

She laughed, "Sage, you are just too cute for words. We had better get to work, girl."

We finished our labs in record time, cleaned up the instruments used, and handed the assignment to the teacher to mark. I was surprised to see the rest of the class still working away on the labs assigned. I shrugged and spent the rest of the period getting to know my new friends better. We all had similar interests and work ethics. All of them would be going to the bonfire this weekend and were not too surprised to learn about my strict parents. Being shy and quiet like I am led them to assume as much. And they didn't care. My heart sang. I finally felt like I'd found a group that I fit in with. This is going to be a good year, I thought to myself. In some ways, it's a mantra I keep saying to myself.

The teacher came by at the end of the class to hand back our assignment. A+! Damn! And I got a kiss on the cheek from a hot guy! This is going to be a good year! I left the class with a giant grin plastered on my face, a happy heart, and hopefully, a new distraction from River.