Surprises

I sat by my mother’s bedside, watching her chest slowly rise and fall. It wasn’t fair to both of us. A sick fifty-three-year-old woman was left by her husband. A sixteen-year-old taking care of her ill mom and twelve-year-old little sister, keeping an eye on her older brother juggling two jobs and away for college, and paying the bills and debt left by her father. 

I checked my watch for the time. Oh no, it was 7:56! I was going to be so late! I dashed downstairs and found Olivia finishing her cereal and putting on her shoes and backpack.

I grabbed my backpack and headed toward the garage while saying to Olivia, “C’mon, we probably missed the bus, we’ll ride to school on a bike.”

She jumped up and down and went to go get her bike helmet. I wheeled mine and Olivia’s bike out and set it in front of the garage. I got on my bike, waited for Olivia to do the same with hers, and pedaled to school as fast as I could.

***

I ran through the hallway, noticing everyone had already gone to class. I looked at my watch, still running when I bumped into someone. They must’ve been a brick wall or something they didn’t budge while I fell on my butt.

“Oww…” I muttered. “I’m so sorry, but I need to get to my class!” I glanced up and saw a boy frowning down at me. I was confused by this, but I didn’t have time to think about it. I sprinted to my classroom and knocked on the door.

The girl closest to the door, Sarah, opened it. Mrs. Will did not look pleased.

“What did I say about being late, Ms. Wood?” she said crossly. 

There was no point in arguing. Two months into the school year, I'd already been late four times. We’d gone through this a hundred times. I slumped to my seat. “That I would get detention…”

Mrs. Will folded her arms. “Exactly. But you knowing doesn’t stop you from being late.”

I sighed and took out my notebooks and folders. 

Then there was a knock on the door. Sarah opened it and froze like a statue. All the girls were staring at the boy from earlier. I just rolled my eyes and continued to write notes.

Mrs. Will eyed the boy. “I’m guessing you’re Vincent. Why are you late?”

“Sorry, I was lost looking for your class. Then I ran into a little problem,” he said looking at me.

“Fine, but just know I don’t tolerate late students,” Mrs. Will sighed, also looking at me.

“Sorry,” Vincent repeated. “Won’t happen again.”

“I hope not. Now, we’ll do introductions. Vincent, you go first. Say something you like and don’t like.”

Vincent thought for a moment. “I don’t have much I like, but stuff I don’t like are fan girls.”

Mrs. Will shrugged. “Alright, who would like to go next?”

Everyone’s hands went up except mine. Mrs. Will saw this and put on a smile. “Ahh, thank you Ms. Wood for volunteering,” she said, completely ignoring all the other girls groaning. 

I sat with my mouth hanging. “Why me? Why not all the other people over there?!” I protested, while also noticing Vincent smirking.

“I want you to go.”

I crossed my arms. “Fine. My name is Clara Wood, and other than being late, I like to read and take care of my sister.”

“And how old is your sister?” asked Mrs. Will even though she knew.

“Eleven…”

“So you guys are five years apart?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, thank you for that. Next.”

After the introductions, all of the girls requested for Vincent to sit next to them. But Mrs. Will and Vincent looked at each other, having a silent agreement.

“Go sit next to Clara, would you?” Mrs. Will said.

I sat by the window, so the only person sitting next to me was Katie, a bratty girl. She stood up and stomped her foot.

“Why me?!” she whined. “Why not Clara? She’s the one always late, so why can’t she sit at the back?! Why can’t I sit next to Vincent?!”

Vincent frowned and Mrs. WIll put a finger to her temple. “Because you always whine and ask Sabrina for answers. Did you think I didn’t know?”

Katie picked up her stuff and threw it on the floor. Which got her detention, which made her stomp to the back. Detention with Katie. That should be fun.

Vincent sat next to me and I kept catching him stealing glances at me.

At the end of class, I decided to confront him.

I stopped him by the door and made sure everyone left.

“Whoa, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me already, I didn’t even do anything yet,” he teased.

“Ew no. I just wanted to clarify that whatever you did to Mrs. Will won’t ever see my good side do you understand?”

“Did what?”

“Just know I won’t fall for some dirty playboy who sleeps with all the girls in the school.”

“Hey now, you’re making it sound like I’m dirty, but I’ll sleep with everyone except you.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment? If it was you’d better try hard playboy because I don’t have time for you or any boys!”

“Maybe me sitting next to you would be the best decision I made in your life.”

“Yeah right, that doesn’t even make any sense!”

“Actually, it does.”

“Whatever, I’m never going to fall for you!”

“Maybe you will.”

“Don’t even try!”

Then I walked away.

***

Turned out I had dumb Vincent in four out of my eight classes. He’s in ELA, math, science, and history. If he’s smart, then I can ask him to help me out.

I was in math class (which was my third period) when Vincent walked up to my table. I narrowed my eyes at him. 

“What do you want now?”

He shrugged. “Nothing, unless you want your notebook back,” he said holding out my notebook I had forgotten.

“Oh, thanks,” I said as I took the notebook from his hands.

The teacher clapped her hands. “Alright kids, sit back down in your seats. Today we will be doing a fun project,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “We will be making a poster board about a topic you can choose from a list. I will be assigning partners, but you can write down the person you want to work with on a sheet of paper.”

I rested my head on my elbow. I had no friends and there wasn’t anyone I liked in that class. I just put “None” on my scrap paper.

Ms. Farhan collected the papers and we were to work on an assignment while she read through them.

“Alright, we will start with the first group, As soon as I say your name, join up with your partner and pick a topic. Vincent and Clara,” she said. A chorus of groans filled the air. Vincent got up and sat next to me.

“So, I guess we just happen to be partners,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, we just happen to be partners,” I said while rolling my eyes. “What topic should we do?” I scrolled through the list.

“I don’t know. Maybe the one about saving trees and animals,” Vincent replied.

“Yeah…” I said thinking back to when I was ten and I took a beautiful picture of a blossom tree.

Ms. Farhan finished grouping people in pairs. “Alright class, you will have time to do this in class, but you must get your partner’s number and set up a time to meet with them. Now, in your books, turn to page one-hundred and nineteen.”

***

The dismissal bell rings. Everyone is bustling and shoving their way out. I was walking toward the bike rack when Vincent caught me.

“Hey, Clara,” he said with a goofy smile.

I looked at him. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yep, it’s me. Anyway, I realized that we didn’t get each other’s numbers yet,” He held out his hand, waiting for me to give him my phone.

I reluctantly slipped my hand into my bag and gave it to him. He put in his number and handed my phone back to me.

“We should meet up at the library across from here after school on Friday,” Vincent said.

I nodded. “Yeah, that sounds fine. I don’t have any plans that day. Well, I need to pick my sister up, see you.” He waved at me and I waved back while pedaling my bike.

As I saw Olivia, she had her hands on her hips. “Who was that you were talking to? Your boyfriend?”

I rolled my eyes. “No. He's just my classmate,” I replied.

She sighed. “Not even your friend? That’s disappointing. You’re never going to get a boyfriend, even though you're good enough for one. Are you sure he’s not your boyfriend?”

I frowned. "Yes, I'm sure. Why? Do you have a boyfriend?"

Olivia put her hands up in surrender. "I was only asking."

I laughed. "That isn't really an answer."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Olivia muttered, her face turning red.

***

When we reached home, Olivia threw off her shoes and ran to Mom's room screaming, "Clara has a boyfriend! Clara has a boyfriend!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. She wouldn't understand.

I put my bag down and walked to where Olivia was. She was giggling and telling Mom about what she saw. All Mom did was smile and put her hand on Olivia's back.

"Sorry Mom, but I have to go do homework now. Seventh grade is so much harder than sixth," Olivia said as she jumped off the bed. Olivia left the room, and now it was only me and Mom.

"That was quite a story that little one told," she chuckled.

"Yeah, but those are just false lies. Hopes and dreams," I said.

Mom sighed and looked at the ceiling. "We can't go on like this. You and Olivia... Olivia has a whole life ahead of her. Oliver has just gotten a job as a bodyguard for a rich family. He says he's going to send in the money."

I stare at Mom. I knew where this was going, but I just needed to be sure.

"Sweetie, I don't mind if you have a boyfriend, but you need to keep up your grades. You need to have a better future than this," Mom waved her hand across the room.

I stayed quiet and looked at the floor. "Yes. Mom..."

***

I went to Olivia's room and sat on her bed. She was working on her homework with some music playing in the background.

"Olivia, why'd you tell Mom that I had a boyfriend?" I said.

Olivia looked at me and gave me a sly smile. "To spice things up in her life." Then her smile melted. "She's been in bed for a long time. I'm really worried."

I walked up to her desk and put a hand on her head. "We all are, Olivia. But you know what? Oliver got a job and is going to send us some money!" I said as happily as I could.

"Really?" Olivia asked.

I nodded.