“I’ll take that as a yes, Miss Deshion.” Mr. Sheplar did not sound pleased and for one moment I considered stopping, but that voice of Lucy’s played in my head and I knew I had to prove her ideas about me wrong.
Swaying back once more as air rushed by, I grunted as the group made noise in anticipation. When I came forward I eyed the bar and threw myself for it, but the odd thing was in doing so I fell forward and my momentum was lost!
In seconds, yells and cries sounded and the floor below rushed up at me with a speed that made my heart seize up and my mind simply numb. All I could do was put my arms to my face to not see it all when a feeling of air caught me and bounced me up once and twice. The group let out a soft sigh as I moved my arms to see. I fell the three feet I had been stopped from the ground and landed with a painful thud.
“Ah.” I said as my ribs, legs, arms and face lifted from the floor.
I felt disoriented by the fear of falling that I had never felt before and then the realization I had been dropped prematurely.
Sitting up, I gingerly touched my nose that again felt beaten. I cringed while the group of students again seemed to hush and I looked up to see the scrawny boy thrusting himself back and forth.
With my mouth agape, I watched as he thrust forward and waited for his fall but as he let go he flew for the bar and grasped it as the students cheered. Before the moment could be lived very long his grip loosened and as he swung forward from his momentum falling to the blocks and rolling atop them with a thud.
After only seconds he stood up as the group clapped. He smiled wide and his face was red from doing something not just from his fear.
Breathing a soft painful sigh, I looked down at my hands that had white blisters forming. The fear that had seized me as I fell made me question how I could have fallen? It seemed so easy compared to Skyjumping, yet, as I looked back up while the group cheered I felt cheated, as if the whole thing was rigged.
Quieting down the group Mr. Sheplar spoke,
“Please come back over here and stand before the class, you five,” he said, reluctantly and painfully I stood up and started over with the very heroic looking scrawny boy who no longer seemed scrawny as he puffed out his chest.
Standing in a line I saw Alissa’s mouth held slightly in a grimace as I held my arm gingerly from my fall. At the thought, it reminded me that I had fallen to the ground.
Glancing to Mr. Sheplar my lips held a frown, why would he drop me? I knew the large girl had fallen to the net and walked off, not dropped?
“Today we demonstrated five ways of taking on this class,” he announced and as if I was on display I felt the eyes of the other students prodding to know what made me tick.
He started with the first twin boy as he spoke not pointing but motioning to him and looking him in the eyes.
“You thought it would be easy so you over looked the wall before you even started,” he moved next to the other cocky twin with a slight glare and edge to his tone, “You thought you could cheat and take out a competitor when you should know the race is only against yourself.” He scolded.
I felt he was right about both of them as he moved on to the girl,
“You did not check your surroundings once you were in the tunnel,” he said and she looked down with disappointment on her face when his voice picked up, “But you admitted your disadvantage without complaint.” He nodded to her and a soft pleased smile crossed her lips.
His gaze now came to me and I desperately wished I could be saved from what I felt was coming, I had wanted to be the good student, not the literal flop!
My hands twisted behind my back as he eyed me over trying to keep my chin up.
“You held back and then over estimated your agility, in any situation you could have died from a fall like that.” He said matter-of-factly.
It felt like a dagger had lodged in my chest.
Lowering my head I felt like an idiot as I bit my lip. What would my father think after hearing I had been reckless?
“But you did warn your fellow classmates when you could have taken them out of the game…” he glanced at the second cocky boy then returned his gaze to me as I looked to him, “…that is a trait better than some of your performance.” It felt nice yet ice cold as he moved on and my head lowered.
“And last, you made it when you felt you could not. Your disadvantage was thinking you could not make it. Beyond that, you have showed that out of the others you had the closest finish for that fact.”
Turning to the rest of the class he nodded and motioned all around.
“If you want to ace this test take some notes within your mind of what you have seen from each of your classmate’s weaknesses and strengths and see what things you may need to work on.” He nodded as the bell chimed.
“Class dismissed.”
Alissa handed me an ice bag as we walked back to our table with our lunch of chicken nuggets and celery.
“Why the heck would he let you fall?” Zac asked from the side while I winced as the cool bag caught my bruise.
I tried not to notice how people looked at me as I passed by.
“Maybe to make his point.” I said, wincing again as we took three steps down to the lower levels to try and find our booth again.
I prayed as we finally found our booth with Zac’s bag atop the table that Keten would not be coming to sit with us. I could only imagine how I looked with a red swollen cheek and my nose back to hurting and staying a lovely red.
While Alissa and Zac sat down I glanced around and thankfully, Keten did not seem to be anywhere near us. Upon sitting down my hand slightly slipped making me wince again.
“Ow.” I said, grimacing.
Alissa picked up one of her celery sticks as Zac moved his bag from the table.
“So what if it was just to make his point, letting you fall sure seemed like a harsh punishment,” she took a bite of her celery as again I noticed a soft snicker from students as they passed by.
“I mean, even the two boys who thought they could make it easy didn’t get hurt.” Alissa nodded and looked to me.
“I just don’t get why he picked me out of the crowd.” I said thinking out loud.
Zac gulped down a bluish punch and nodded,
“Maybe you’re trying to hide something and he knew it?” Zac said, nonchalantly.
I looked up immediately to their faces and my eyes slightly widened but I tried to hide it as my eyes swayed to the table, though my lips pursed together. Alissa stopped eating and tilted her head as Zac stopped munching.
Shoot, I need to act calm! I tried to open my mouth to speak, yet as I tried to think of anything to say, my mind drew a blank.
Glancing up to Alissa and Zac I suddenly realized how little I knew about them and how exposed I now felt. My instincts kicked in and my eyes dropped to my plate and I bit my lip, maybe they would just move beyond this?
“Quil?” Alissa asked.
I glanced up to find her looking at me as if I was trying to hide under the table, which I may have been trying to do.
“Ya?” I asked, how could I get so frozen!
Alissa for once looked like she worked over what she would say as Zac patiently watched us both.
“If you don’t mind me asking Quil, why do you stop yourself from Skyjumping and look so terrified at the idea of a fun competition with friends?” She asked kindly.
I suddenly felt the day and a half of friendship I found with them was now thinner than I realized, all my life I never had true friends. I could never let anyone get that close.
“I…ah…” I bit my lip and considered what to say.
Looking up I saw that Zac had stopped eating and he and Alissa sat with soft smiles on their faces as I remembered that they had stood up for me even before they knew who I was.
“My father doesn’t like me competing in Skyjump competitions.” I said honestly as I put a hand to the bracelet on my wrist as if trying to gain some magic strength from it.
“W
hy doesn’t he let you? I mean, you seem like a pro.” Alissa said, and Zac nodded.
“Why would he stop you from doing something you’re talented at?” Zac added, with both of them so genuinely kind.
I felt a hard rake caught in my chest. Why could I not have come up with a better reply?!
Taking a breath and trying to put a smile on my lips that felt far too strained I spoke as I picked up a slice of celery.
“It’s because...” I had to give them an answer and suddenly as if a light had turned on I looked up, “My mother was killed in a Skyjump competition.” I said and I tried to keep the smile off my lips at how well I had covered the truth but deep down I felt wrong using my mother’s death as my easy cover story.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Quil! We didn’t know.” Alissa sympathized, putting her hand to mine as she nodded.
Looking up I nodded slowly, making my movements planned though they felt robotic compared to how I would normally act.
“So, your dad was the one who came and took you wasn’t he?” Zac asked, after a soft silence.
Alissa glowered at him but I looked up and nodded remembering how I had known nothing about them, not even their names and now… well I still did not know them completely. Friendship was not always something built but sometimes a feeling of people who you could trust.
Keten’s kind smile caught in my mind’s eye at the thought, he felt like a nice person and if given the chance I did want to become friends with him.
“Ya, we were stopping to submit my papers to be enrolled here and well, I just wanted to watch.” I smiled and shook my head as I looked down at my plate remembering how it really had all started, “I just wanted to give the girl, Clara, a pair of my old gloves after I saw what that boy who made her lose did and then before I got to her, the announcer thought...” I bit my lip and looked up remembering the thrill as I put a hand to my head and winced forgetting the bump on my cheek.
When my eyes came back down Zac and Alissa both glanced back and forth to one another with soft smiles and then turned back to me as I tilted my head.
“What?” I asked feeling slightly stupid for telling my reasoning, me and my loose mouth that could be as hard as iron at times to make work.
Alissa glanced at Zac again and she nodded with an expression that felt sincere.
“Yesterday, when I almost got us in trouble in Mr. Jacobsen’s class was because we both recognized you and I wanted to thank you.” Alissa said with a sisterly smile.
I tilted my head,
“Thank me, for what?” I asked with a soft laugh, surprised by the turn of the conversation.
Zac nodded and Alissa pointed to me,
“For giving my little sister those gloves.” She said, and my smile left as bewilderment crossed my lips, all the while Alissa continued, “It was her first real competition and her dream has always been to compete. People who saw me and Zac helping her practice Skyjumping said she was too small for winning and when she was so close, that boy...” Alissa’s lips curled and Zac raised his eyebrows concerned she might blow.
Taking a deep breath Alissa shook her head and looked to me with a side smile,
“Well, you saw what happened, I thought she would never be able to recover, but then you won the gloves and just easily handed them to her.” She smiled, and looked at her plate as she held her celery stick that was half eaten to the side.
“I had no idea.” I said half to myself and half to them.
Zac smiled and nodded,
“When we drove back you should have heard little Clara. She prized those gloves as if they were gold and kept saying she hoped to meet you and give you a hug and find out your name.” He said, with a soft smile as if he too was her older brother.
Alissa laughed lightly and nodded,
“Before we left she wore those gloves you gave her everywhere and she practiced SkyJumping as if it was suddenly the only thing left in the world.” Alissa smiled and I realized she did look like Clara or vice versa, but until this moment I would have been completely clueless to their shared features.
A smile rose on my lips that was real and I knew would be lasting to imagine that little girl going after her dreams.
“I’m glad,” is all I could muster as I looked to my food that was barely touched.
Alissa looked up out of her thoughts and smiled coming back to her chatty vibrant self.
“And that’s why when you sat down next to us I got so excited, we thought we may never see you again and now I can write home and tell her your name!” she said with a broad smile.
Zac shook his head as his plate was practically crumbs.
“If I know Clara she will be begging for you to bring Quil home with you during the break between semesters.” He said with a throaty laugh.
I felt the conversation had turned out better than I expected as Alissa looked to him and tried to push back her laugher.
“He’s right. If I write her that you’re here she may force my parents to drive over just to meet you.” She said and we three laughed lightly.
Wiping my eye’s I looked to her and a thought struck me,
“Would it be better if I write a letter to her that you can send with yours?” I asked seriously, though my smile still lingered.
Alissa lit up and nodded furiously,
“She would die if you did.” She said with a giggle.
Zac put a hand to his head and moaned,
“Oh, Quil, what have you started?” he asked.
And before we could waste a second we were all giggling as students passed us by with odd looks and questioning glances but we did not even notice them.
After we had finished lunch, a decision was made that we would all meet after classes and go to get some writing supplies. Alissa said the choices of letters and writing paper was much better here than anywhere else.
Saying we would meet up later I had headed for my English class and was surprised to find half the class did not do the assignment and already gained one mark against them to not be able to enter the atrium. It seemed most weren’t too broken up about it and inwardly I wished I could take every one of their scores so I could get to wander inside the dome sooner.
I only hoped it would be big enough I could turn into my SkyJump beast form and canter around, or at the least play my guitar without the critic, Lucy, tattling on me.
Miss Lapten was a strict English teacher, but she seemed to be kind once you got passed her hard exterior. I had yet to crack it but she seemed impressed with my short paragraph I’d written.
Next, was Math that made my mind numb as much as the teacher’s lecture about division and splitting numbers felt. By the time I made it out of that class I felt thoroughly washed out, but the thought of Alissa’s sister kept coming to mind and keeping my shoulders from slumping and my lips in a soft upturned grin.
We decided to meet at the crossroads where the school office was because I was new to the whole building, with my shoes echoing softly on the floor I shifted my bag on my shoulder as students walked past. Coming to the cross road that looked all the way to the front glass doors.
Letting a sigh escape my lips the soft echo of footsteps caught my ears, I turned to my left down the hall I had never been.
“Hey, Quil!” Keten called, as he leisurely jogged up to me.
I suddenly felt self-conscious of the red, sore lump on my cheek and how tired and beaten I might look.
“Hi.” I mustered, again I had only managed one word.
“Oh, Quil,’ I could almost hear my father’s words in my head and at the thought of him as Keten approached so close I suddenly felt my cheeks wanted to break out red thinking of my father being here.
Keten glanced down the halls and passed me before he kindly tilted his head with a side smile that for some reason made me wish I had done so much more to make my hair and face look pretty.
“What are you doing over here, Quil?” He asked kindly, with a sly raise of one brow.
Under h
is gaze with no one around made me feel ten times more self conscious about how my hair, though pulled back, stuck out this way and that.
“I’m just waiting for Alissa and Zac, we’re going to go get some paper and stuff.” I said keeping one hand on my shoulder bag’s strap to keep it from fidgeting all over the place.
I only hoped it looked as casual as Keten did as he nodded to me, his eyes watching me closely.
“Cool,” he said and then nodded, “But why here?” He asked with a soft grin.
I looked up to him and a soft flair caught in my chest, his tone sounded slightly mocking.
“Because I, well...” My courage fizzled like a spark plunging into water as I shifted on my heels, “I don’t really know my way around... Still.” I said and though I did not look up I knew Keten’s grin widened.
I glanced up at him and my cheeks were softly pink,
“It’s not funny.” I said sounding like a small child.
He chuckled unable to hold it back and I scowled at him as he waved a hand to me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh.” He said as he straightened and took in my glare.
“Your honesty about it, well… I just saw the way you looked to try and find some way to lie and it…”
“Fizzled?” I asked with a soft smile making its way across my lips at his kind tone while his hair though short, swayed slightly.
He nodded making us both giggle. He looked to me genuinely after a moment as if we had been friends our whole lives, like Zac and Alissa.
Looking up to him I realized his expression was softer than even Zac looked at Alissa and I shook my head suddenly feeling the tense space between us gone.
“What is it Keten, you enjoy my bruise?” I asked self consciously rubbing my nose.
I suddenly saw him come out of his staring and I could almost swear I saw a light blush cross his brooding features.
Sky Jump Page 13