"I'm going to go and get some new rolls of yarn," said Emily. "I'm almost out. I'll be right back." She hopped away like a kangaroo, leaving Timber laughing at her antics.
"So how old is this town?" asked Henry.
"Almost a hundred and thirty years. It was founded in 1889, I think, before the Civil War as a military garrison, not a fortification. By 1860 something, the military outpost was abandoned. Ten or twenty years later, Fort Bragg had an established lumber port at Noyo."
"You really know this town's history," said Henry sounding impressed.
"We all learned it in elementary school. Though I'm the only one who got into it. I like history."
"I'm done," called Emily running up to them grinning broadly and holding a bag of purple yarn.
"Shall we continue downtown?" asked Henry.
"Yeah," said Emily.
They left the building and crossed the street but instead of staying on Main Street, they went one street over to Franklin Street. Henry looked around at the buildings and then looked at Timber.
"These don't look like the buildings from the late 1800s," he pointed out. "These look newer."
"Isn't that because of the 1906 earthquake?" asked Emily.
"That reached all the way up here?" asked Henry in surprise.
"Yeah. The earthquake started a fire that threatened the sawmill and the city. All of the brick buildings had been damaged. The fire downtown burned the entire block bordered by Franklin, Redwood, and McPherson Streets, plus the west side of Franklin. The mill escaped with minimal damage but there were dozens of people who died.
"The year after the quake, most of the downtown reconstruction was finished. The ironic thing is the quake helped Fort Bragg financially. The mills furnished lumber to rebuild San Francisco, and the lumber ships returning from San Francisco were ballasted with bricks used for rebuilding Fort Bragg. With all that money, the rail line to Willits was finished."
"Timber, I am now completely impressed with you," said Henry, making Timber blush tomato and look at her feet with a small grin playing on her lips. "Now, where are we going?"
"Heavenly Soles so I can get a new pair of shoes," said Timber. "These are falling apart and I want time to break in the new shoes before school starts. I won't be long."
Timber went in and scanned the store for a pair of sneakers she liked and found her size. She paid for the shoes and walked out of the shop with her purchase under her arm. She found a bench outside the shop and sat down to swap out her old shoes for her new ones. She threw away the old pair and she got up and continued walking with Emily and Henry.
"That was faster than expected," said Henry.
"Does that mean you don't mind coming shopping with us?" asked Timber secretly hoping that he would say no and her heart leaped when he shook his head.
"If you shop quickly, I have no problem with it."
Timber grinned sheepishly and looked down at her new yellow sneakers.
Timber wanted to go into the candle store to sniff around. She didn't buy anything but she succeeded in giving herself a mild headache. Henry went into the Radio Shack store and looked around for a minute, bought a pack of batteries, then left. Henry, Emily, and Timber walked, told jokes and laughed. Timber was having a great time walking beside Henry. She found herself relaxing when he laughed, smiling when he did, and blushing when he addressed her directly. Henry seemed to come out of his shell and become more relaxed as they walked. He started cracking jokes and becoming more greatly exaggerated in his movements. Timber would randomly start dancing, and Emily would join her. None of them could stop laughing.
Suddenly someone rammed into Timber's shoulder while she was dancing, making her lose balance but Henry was able to catch her before she fell. She looked over and saw the high school diva. Timber hated this girl. Not because of the Lamborghini she drove to school or her high-end designer clothes that she ordered online. It was her attitude towards those she saw as inferior that made Timber dislike her so much.
"Move your fat ass out of my way Tootsie Roll," she said. "You're taking up half of the sidewalk."
"I'm so sorry my fat ass causes you so much grief, Diana," said Timber. "I'll be sure to keep it out of the way of your overly inflated ego."
"I don't care where you keep it just as long as I can't see that ugly thing," said Diana snidely. Then she saw Henry. "Well, you are gorgeous, aren't you? I've never seen you here."
"Leave him alone, Diana, he's not going to be your boy toy," hissed Timber angrily.
"God, Timber are you blind? You really think any man can turn me down after looking at you?"
"I could remove ninety percent of your beauty with a wet Kleenex," growled Timber.
"Really? When was the last time you saw your whole body in the mirror?" She turned to Henry. "Where do you like to be kissed?"
"Don't make me mess up that pretty face of yours," growled Timber and she stepped in front of Henry with her fists clenched. "Say one more word to him and I will give you a fat lip."
Diana seemed to think it unwise to pick a fight with Timber without backup so she huffed and walked away with her nose in the air. Timber rolled her eyes and started walking again. Henry and Emily followed.
"Sorry, Henry," said Timber. "That's Diana Vinden. She's the queen of the campus. Her daddy is filthy rich and head of the board of directors. She thinks she's better than everyone because of it."
"I know those types," said Henry with a light tone of acrimony. "They're small-minded and lonely with no real friends. So they surround themselves with flashy things and lash out aggressively at others to make themselves feel better."
"Well, that sounds like Diana," said Timber. "So, are we ready for ice cream?"
Henry jumped in the air enthusiastically with a loud, "Yes," and the girls laughed. It was at that moment that Timber realized that what she was feeling for Henry might be more than friendship.
The first day of school arrived and it was a perfect sunny day. The temperature outside was warm but not too hot. Timber put on her white shorts and her favorite yellow lace top with a crisp white camisole underneath because the top was low-cut and sheer. She put her long, somewhat bushy hair into her usual ponytail with a low pompadour. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before putting on makeup. Timber preferred light makeup so she put on a layer of tinted moisturizer and powder. She put on a thin line of black liner on her upper lid and a coat of mascara before applying her signature peach lipstick. After putting in her simple gold earrings and adding a string of pearls around her neck, she grabbed her backpack and her camera. Before she went down the stairs, she slid on her cowboy boots with yellow detailing.
"Timber, you look beautiful," said Chad as Timber came down the stairs. Timber rolled her eyes in disbelief but she smiled anyway.
Chad and Grace made it a rule to both be home on the first morning of school so they could see the girls off. Grace liked to take three pictures every year; one of Emily, one of Timber and one of the two of them together before they left for school. Both girls liked seeing how they had changed over the years. Emily was always in a dress or skirt and a bright color. The only changes were her age and the length of her hair. Timber went through the most changes over the years. For three years, she had shorter hair and she wore dark colors like charcoal gray and black. Then she started coming into herself and started growing out her hair. She began dressing more feminine. Although Timber's style had always been basic, she held her roots in her style and presented herself as a Southern Belle.
Timber and Emily posed for the annual pictures in front of the entry table. When they had finished and each grabbed their backpacks to leave, Grace started crying.
"What's wrong, Honey?" asked Chad putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"This is the last first day of school picture of Timber I'm ever goin' to take," sobbed Grace. "She's all grown up and graduatin' at the end of this year."
"Aunt Grace, that's not true," said Timber. "Well, not all of
it. I have to grow up sometime. But you still have to take my first day of college picture."
Grace threw her arms around Timber and sobbed into her shoulder. After a minute or so Timber had to pull away but she smiled at Grace, who smiled back.
"I have to go," said Timber. "My friends are waiting for me. I love you both."
"See you two this evening," said Chad.
Timber and Emily walked out the door together but Emily turned left toward the middle school on the north side of town while Timber turned right. Timber saw Henry up a short way, smiled and called out to him. He stopped, turned and returned her smile. Timber ran to catch up to him. He looked odd to her in his work clothes, and without his wristband or his earrings.
"Good morning, Timber," said Henry.
"Good morning," said Timber gleefully. "I have fantastic news! Though I'm sure you already know. You're my teacher! I got my schedule on Saturday! Isn't that great?"
"It is but you know you can't call me Henry at school. It's Mr. Santelli."
"I know," Timber said.
"So which period do you have me? I made seating charts but I haven't had coffee yet. I'm still groggy."
"Here," said Timber, pulling a plastic mason jar full of liquid from her side pouch. "It's my morning tea. I hate the taste of coffee so I drink this. It's green tea with lemon."
"Thanks," said Henry. He opened the lid and took a large sip. "Oh, that's good. So, which period?" he asked again as he handed Timber her tea.
Timber pulled her schedule out of her front pocket and unfolded it. She looked down her schedule properly for the first time and smiled.
"Second period," said Timber. "That's very fortunate for you."
"Why is that?" asked Henry with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I have gym first period and I have a nice teacher so I'll be in a good mood for you. I'm always in a good mood after gym class." Timber chuckled. "If you had me last, you wouldn't be so lucky. I have calculus after lunch," Her mood shifted from happiness to agitation, "with the worst teacher in the school. Oh, this is fantastic!" she added sarcastically. "Mrs. Gregson is the worst teacher in the world."
"Explain," said Henry.
"Do you, as a man, find this outfit provocative? Be honest." Henry took in Timber's outfit and Timber saw a flicker of unreadable emotion in his eyes but shook his head no. Timber chose to ignore the flicker and she continued, "I wore this outfit last year when she subbed for another teacher during her off period. This is my favorite top so I wear it a lot but I always wear something under it. Mrs. Gregson wrote me up for dressing too provocatively. My friend Ashley had her last year. Her cat was hit by a car one day so she didn't do any of her homework that day because she was understandably devastated. The other teachers gave her an extra day to do it. Gregson gave her detention."
"How old is this woman?" asked Henry curiously.
"A hundred?" said Timber. "Not really. She's maybe in her sixties? She has no sense of humor either. I have a feeling I'm going to spend a lot of time in detention for my inability to keep my mouth shut."
"I thought you were timid," said Henry. "At least a bit. That's what I've observed anyway."
"I don't try to be," said Timber. "It's a - genetic trait - I guess. I'm not timid when I'm mad. It's not a pretty picture so most of the time I end up standing there trying not to go passed sarcasm."
"Well I will attempt not to make you mad," joked Henry, grinning down at her.
"I don't think you could make me mad even if you tried, Henry. You'd have to threaten me or someone I care about or attack my morals, which Gregson likes to do. It's hard to piss me off otherwise. Unless you're Diana. She makes everyone mad. On the plus side, I have theater class at the end of the day so I can turn the left side of my brain off for an hour and play. So, I have to tell you something. I hope you don't think I'm being rude, but you look weird."
"I feel weird. I know you're referring to my attire. I look way older than I am and these khakis don't help. I'm also wondering why I decided that light blue was a good color. I should have stuck to black. I like black. I also thought it was best to cover my tattoos for a while. I can't cover the star on my hand, though."
"I like your tattoos and none of them are inappropriate," said Timber.
"I know but some people might get offended by the gothic style cross on my forearm," Henry pointed out. "I don't want to start the year like that."
"In this town? I seriously doubt it. Most people here are Catholic."
They had just walked on campus when Timber heard someone shouting her name. She turned to see her best friend Xianna Greydlan running towards her with her blonde hair bouncing happily. She was looking ecstatic about something.
"My brother is getting married!" she shouted. "Orion finally proposed to his girlfriend!"
"Xia, that's wonderful," cried Timber, hugging her. "It's about time! It's only been five years."
"I know!" said Xianna. Then she spotted Henry and her jaw dropped and she looked him up and down. "Who is this gorgeous hunk of yes?"
"Calm down your pants, Xia, he's off-limits," said Timber with an exasperated growl. The protectiveness on her face clearly caught Xianna off guard and Henry looked at her curiously.
"He's yours?" asked Xianna looking impressed. "Timber, you hit the jackpot."
Timber shook her head. "He's the new history teacher that's replacing Mr. Psycho-man. This is Mr. Santelli. Mr. Santelli, this mess of raging hormones is my best friend Xianna Greydlan."
"Santelli? This is great," said Xianna. "I have you second period."
"So do I Xianna," warned Timber. "You know I am not afraid to put you on a leash."
"Alright, alright," said Xianna throwing her hands up. "Come on, the rest of the girls are waiting for you. See you soon, Mr. Santelli." Xianna grabbed Timber by the hand and dragged her away. Timber looked back at Henry apologetically and she saw him chuckle.
Xianna dragged her to the usual spot by an old picnic table that the students called the Blue Lady Bench. The legend went like this: A hundred years ago, there was a teenage girl dressed in blue waiting for her love by a well. By an unfortunate accident, she had fallen in and drowned. When the school was built, they put the concrete courtyard over the well and sometimes at night, you could see a young woman in blue sitting on the bench of the table. Students used the bench for wishes that usually involved a crush. Sometimes their wish was granted. Other times it would go horribly wrong. According to legend, it was up to the Blue Lady.
Xianna Greydlan, Kendra Black, Ashley Hewitt, and Gina Owenby had been friends with Timber since fourth grade at Dana Grey Elementary School. Xianna was toned and athletic. She was blonde with green eyes, and long legs which were perfect for leaping over hurdles during track season. Kendra was Hispanic and her long black hair seemed to glow in the sun. Ashley was a redhead and covered in freckles. She was the tallest and strongest in the group and her size worked in her favor because she was the only girl on the football team. Gina was the genius of the group and could usually be found with a classic piece of literature in her hands. She, like Timber, had bushy hair, but being both white, and black, her chestnut colored hair was in tight spiral curls that she wore proudly.
Timber loved them all dearly. She knew every little thing about all of them because the five of them had one big rule between them; no secrets. Timber followed the rule to a degree but she could not tell them what she was. She knew if she told them, they would abandon her out of fear and Timber would be alone forever.
"So," said Xianna, "Timber just introduced me to a gorgeous man!"
"For crying out loud Xia, he's a freaking teacher!" Timber pointed out with exasperation. "Xianna has her panties in a knot again."
"That's nothing new," said Kendra, as she applied her favorite black lipstick.
"Kendra, you should have seen him," said Xianna. "His eyes are beautiful. Not to mention that I'm sure that his clothes are hiding some amazing muscles. The man could be a Greek God or something
."
"I don't believe Kendra, Ashley or Gina want to join your little fan club," said Timber. Normally, Xianna's boy ravings didn't bother her, but the way she was swooning over Henry was starting to upset her for reasons she couldn't figure out.
"Fine, it'll be a one-person fan club," said Xianna.
"You need to calm down, Xianna," said Gina mildly as she turned the page of the book she was reading. "It's the first day of our last year in high school. You have more important things to worry about than a cute teacher."
"Like what?"
"College," said Kendra. "As Gina pointed out, this is our last year of high school. We're not considered kids after this."
"My father said that I can only keep living at home if I'm in school," said Ashley. "I was looking at apartments in the area and elsewhere to get a general idea of what I'd be dealing with if I chose to skip college and get a minimum wage job. There's no way in hell I'll be able to afford to live here alone on minimum wage. There's no way I'll be able to live anywhere in this country alone on minimum wage."
"None of us will be able to," said Timber who was grateful for the change of subject. "We've already talked about this, Xia. If we all want to stay here and stay together, we all have to go to college."
"I know," said Xianna. "But I'm not good at anything that could help me pay for college. I don't even know what I want to major in."
"You don't have to decide on that yet," said Ashley. "You could just use your first year to get the core classes out-of-the-way. Besides, I'm sure you could apply for a track and field scholarship. You've only come in worse than fourth place twice in three years. I'm sure you'll be able to get one."
"It won't pay for your full tuition but it'll help," said Timber.
"How are you getting into college?" Xianna asked the group as though she expected none of them to have an answer.
"Loans and grants," said Kendra.
The Timber Effect Page 5