Sara Mason

This story contains language, teenagers being teenagers(ex: talking about intercourse, drug use) and mentions of suicide.

One day, in their freshman year of high school.. He noticed something different about the school day. There was less chatter. "Come on class..!" Mrs. Jones groaned. "I know you all know this." She says with an awkward expression. Mark looked at the board seeing the polynomial shit on the board.

(3x+8x3-5+1) - (2x+3-2)

He exhaled sharply. "What would be the simplified polynomial be?" What would it be? He thought to himself. He stared at the problem as he wrote it in his notebook. Well.. You could put a one there... He thought to himself, looking down at his notes.

(3x+8x3-5+1) - 1(2x+3-2)

That would make it... (3x+8x3-5+1) with (-2x-3+2)... He thought with a smile. He nodded to himself. The negative two x and the three x would go together. That'd be one x. The negative three and two would go together being negative one.. and then we have negative four from the other side.. And then the 8x3 would be by itself cause there's no other degree. He thought to himself, writing it all down.

x-4-1+8x3

Mrs. Jones probably wants it in Standard Form. He thought simplifying it to 8x3+x-4-1. I can add the negative four and one to get negative five, simplifying it further. "It would be eight x to the third degree-" He looks up. "Or would it be cubic? Anyways that, eight x with a three above the x, plus x, and then minus five." He says. Mrs. Jones froze.

"Well done, Mark!" She said, surprised. His eyes widen and he found himself smiling like a dork.

And only then, did it hit him. What was wrong the pass while during this semester. She wasn't here.

He remembered she adjusted her backpack as she patiently waited in line. Her eyes were looking down at everyone's feet. Only when did she hear the shuffling of the kids in front of her move, did she look up and do the same as them. She walked into the portable and hung her backpack on her hook.

As usual, she was quiet and no one blinked an eye at her. She made her way a little farther into the room, and glanced at the substitute teacher, who was writing on the whiteboard. She poked her glasses closer to her forehead before wandering over to her seat. She sat down and immediately got her book out from her desk. "Hello everyone. I know your teacher- er.. Mr- Mr..." She trailed off.

"Mr. Smith." The quiet one said. Still reading her book.

"Ah- yes- thank you whoever said that-" The girl sighed. "Mr. Smith said that you all were to read the Scarlet Ibis, and proceed to write an essay about it." With that, the substitute left to the desk. The girl's eyes wandered over there. She merely blinked confirming the substitute's position, before returning to her book.

Time and time again Mark saw her do this. Walking straight to her seat, setting her backpack next to her. She always pulled out something that wasn't class related.

First it was her books. Then it developed to a notebook where she wrote things constantly, and Mark knew it wasn't notes(he checked whenever he could, she doesn't pay attention to who's staring at her much) but stories she wrote, and then she'd listen to music and read. Or write. It was so frustrating! How could she do all of that and stay on top of her classes?

Mark sighed as she grabbed a book, almost immediately she was lost in the world the author was creating for her. He shook his head grabbing a notebook. For notes. He unearthed his pencil from the bottom of his backpack and wrote the date on the random page he opened to. He leaned against the back of the seat staring at the board. He started to space out, that wheel in his head spinning frantically, making him hate himself so Gods damned much.

What was her name? He thought to himself, folding his arms. The entire time was of him thinking that. Of her, and what her name was. All the names he thought of, didn't sound right, not at all.

Mark let out a yawn sitting down at the lunch table. He looked at the sea of teenagers around him. It's so fucking crowded in here.. He thought tiredly. He sat there for quite a while listening to the casual chatter of the various friend groups.

He and several others however, jumped hearing the sound of shouts. He stood up rather quickly, immediately looking towards the sounds of unusual chaos. His shoulders slumped as he recognized the look. A fight. He thought to himself. Shaking his head, he left the commons. I'm not dealing with that today.

The brunette leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down. When his bottom hit the earth he pulled out a blunt and a light. "Oi- can I get some?" A voice asked. After a small cough and exhale Mark obliged to Jesse's request. He couldn't help but chuckle hearing Jesse's series of coughs. "You heard about the fight?"

"I was there when it started-" He said taking another hit. "But I left. Why?"

"I dunno the details- but the cops got called." Jesse says exhaling.

"The fuck they do?"

"A gun was pulled."

"Again?"

"Again." I can't wait to leave Everburn.

He wandered the track field of his high school, his hands in his pockets. Mark was set on heading straight to the benches, where he and his friends hung out during lunch. When he got there, the group was talking in hushed voices. "So who got laid?" He asked with a lopsided grin, sitting at his spot on the benches.

While it clearly wasn't what they were talking about, Jesse went red immediately. A chorus of "ooo" 's and "ahh" 's came from the rest of the group. "Oh shut up!" Jesse barked.

"How can you always tell that, Mark?" Wendy asked staring at him with folded arms. He blinked.

"We're sophomores, Wendy."

"You're sophomores."

"You're the one junior, Jack." Jesse says giving him a look. Jack shook his head angrily.

"I still have seniority over you, prick."

"Whatever-"

"Seriously-" Mark says, interrupting Jesse. ",though.. What's up you guys?" He asks shifting his body so he was facing all of them. "The group's never this quiet." Yes, they weren't talking, but something definitely shut up when Mark said that.

"Remember that one chick from elementary?" Jack asked.

"I didn't go to your elementary and even I know that's vague as fuck." Wendy said. Jesse laughed a little.

"Wendy's right. What chick are you talking about?" Jesse questioned.

"That one girl, Mark-" He says motioning to the brunette. "You know her- she was in our fifth grade class. That one with the black hair and wire glasses?" Mark's eyes widen.

"Her! Yeah, I remember her." He said a bit shocked. "What's up with her?" He raised a brow.

"We were just starting to talk about it." Wendy said with a sigh.

"Yeah.. " Jesse agrees scratching at his arm a bit. "Apparently she, ya know- did the deed-"

"You guys are talking about a chick fuck-"

"No." Wendy said clipped.

At the same time Jack explained: "What Jesse means by 'she did the deed', is that she offed herself. Took her daddy's gun."

"Or overdosed."

"Or hung herself."

"Slit wrist."

"Toaster in the tub." Mark pulled back as the three listed off a bunch of ways one could kill themselves. He shook his head.

"Hang on now- we're talking about the same chick. Right?" He asked. "How the fuck- why would she kill herself?" There was a deadly silence as he snapped at the three. Almost a minute of that went by before Jack spoke.

"What's her name?" Mark froze. "Her favorite color? Her favorite book, show or some shit?" His usually joyful homey face was stone cold. "Think about it Mark- we don't know shit about her. You remember how invisible she was, and she was in our class." He pointed out. Wendy inhaled sharply hearing this and Jesse sunk into the bench. The silence was there for a bit more.

"You're right." He said, his shoulders slumping.

Mark roamed the halls of Everburn High, his hands in his pockets. A faint smile came upon his face, seeing a familiar blonde. "Hey Wendy-" His words stop seeing her sharply turn. Mark being Mark, he swiftly follows after her. Appearing by her side he whispered: "What's up?"

"You of all people, haven't heard?" She hissed. Mark shrugged.

"What are you talking about?"

"Someone overdosed in the second floor bathroom." She said seriously, looking at him. His eyes widen.

"On my shit."

"On your shit." She confirms.

He leaned against the tree staring off into the darkness as he took a hit from his vape. He exhaled slowly, watching that cloud come out of his mouth. He smiled to himself, chuckling a little. It reminded him of a dragon, and despite being a sophomore, that made him so Gods damned happy.

Mark put his hands in his hoodie pockets, tightly holding his vape in his hand. He glanced around the land watching out for any figures trying to scare the shit out of him. He nodded to himself ever so slightly just as-

"Boo!" A sharp loud voice came from behind him.

"Holy Jesus fuck!" He shouted with a jump, his vape ended up on the soaked grass. "Jack- what the hell?!" He barked turning sharply towards his friend.

"Oh calm down." The friend replied, grabbing the vape and handing it to Mark. "You knew I was coming."

"Yeah- but not that you were gonna scare the shit out of me." Mark said bitterly.

"Whatever." He waved off. "Remember that chick from fifth?" Mark glared at him. What chick? He thought to himself. "The one everyone's talking about- the one who offed herself." He said sharply. Mark quickly nodded.

"Yeah- what's up?" He asked.

"I know her name- Sara Mason." Jack answered pulling out his phone. After unlocking it, he searched something up. Mark guessed it was her he was searching. "Freshman Sara Mason of Everburn High was fourteen when she missed weeks of school. After a few months her peers, and even school staff, had assumed she had killed herself. Many say she was invisible, never there. She has been presumed dead since May nineteenth of 2021." He reads.

"Which was two years ago." He comments before continuing on reading. Mark simply nodded. "However recent evidence on the case, per local librarian Marie Ash's request, police are starting to believe that Sara Mason and her parents simply moved elsewhere, leaving the small town Everburn." He finished, looking up at Mark. His eyes were wide.

"So she's not dead?" He asks.

"Sort of- no one knows for sure. The whole town knows her name now though. She's like a fucking Goddess now-"

"What do you mean, Goddess?" Mark asked checking to see if his vape batteries were charged. He let out a curse when they were almost dead.

"See- this is what happens when you're a smartass and graduate a year early-" Jack comments. "To answer your question though- she brought so fucking much attention to mental health and shit." He says putting his phone away. "The staff's actually doing stuff- not just the S.E.L shit they've been doing when you were there."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously dude- it's awesome."

"About time Everburn changed."

"Right?"