They Meet

It was Monday morning. The alarm went off, letting Christopher know it was his first day at his new school. He groaned loudly, getting out of bed to take a shower and get dressed.

“Are you ready for school?” Grace asked as she saw Christopher walk into the kitchen, dragging his feet.

“Yes, I am. A little nervous, though,” Christopher replied, taking the bacon with some eggs. “Some boys were making fun of me when we were in town, and I’m afraid of seeing them at school. They might do the same.”

“Oh, Chris. Don’t pay them any mind. Remember, you have to ignore whatever comments they say, or you will live in fear all your life. We’re starting fresh, and I want you to think about it.”

Easier said than done.

Christopher finished his breakfast and headed to the bus stop in front of his house, thinking of those words. Not long after, they picked him up and he sat on the last seat at the back, staying away from everyone else. He could hear the other students murmuring, and despite not hearing what they were saying, he knew they were talking about him.

“Hey, new guy! Where did you come from, a dairy farm?” One student said, making his friends laugh, but the rest of the bus was quiet. Christopher stayed silent for the rest of the ride while the other kids chatted and laughed about random things. At least he was glad they didn’t pay any mind to him for the rest of it.

The bus arrived, pulling over at the entrance before the driver opened the door. Christopher waited for all of them to get off before he did the same. 

“Hey, kid. Don’t pay them any mind. This place is a small, boring town, and they have had nothing new to talk about for a while. Being a new student will get you a lot of attention. Just ignore them,” the bus driver said and smiled at him before she let him out of the bus and drove off. He stood there for a bit when he heard a pickup truck park next to him. 

“I swear, Gunner. Next time you decide to drive fast, I will not take a ride with you,” he heard the girl yell. Did they seem to be friends, or maybe a couple? The way they were fighting, he would have to be inclined to the first. 

A compact car with a lady and another girl stopped right behind him, letting her out.

“I’ll pick you up later, sweetie,” the lady said.

“Mom, I told you not to call me sweetie in front of my friends,” she whined. “I’ll see you later. Love you!”

Palmer closed the car door, and suddenly he remembered where he had seen them. They were the three friends who rode the horses to his house and tried to get him to meet them.

Christopher didn’t waste time and hurried into the school before they noticed him. He headed towards the principal’s office to get his class schedule, hoping the day went by as quickly as possible. The secretary motioned him to sit until she could print it out, and he did as told, bouncing his leg up and down nervously while he looked around, interested in the art prints on the walls. 

“Good morning, Miss Lowell,” Faith walked in with her usual cheery self and greeted her. Miss Lowell rolled her eyes, and with a smile, she handed her the standard mail for her teacher. 

“Thank you. Now go, Miss Hilton,” Miss Lowell replied. When Faith turned around, she saw Christopher sitting on the chair—looking at a book he picked up from the table next to him.

“Oh, my God! You must be Christopher!” she squealed, making both Christopher and Miss Lowell jump in their seats. He stared at the secretary with a ‘help me’ look while she shook her head.

“Miss Hilton, go to class,” she ordered. Nodding, Faith walked out of the office, leaving Christopher wondering if she was as crazy as she seemed. Miss Lowell handed him the schedule and wished him good luck on his first day of class.

Walking down the hallways until he found his first classroom, with a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside. The students looked up to see who the mysterious person had walked into class, and they all stared at him.

“You must be Christopher,” Mrs. Kay, his teacher, greeted him with a smile, “Welcome to Stevensville High, please take an available seat so we can start our lesson of the day.”

He looked around, and it didn’t go unnoticed that the other students were staring at him while he was walking towards his seat. To his luck, he had to sit next to that overexcited girl he met at the principal’s office.

No way, just my luck, he thought, looking at the floor until he sat down. Faith couldn’t help but stare at him and leaned over to get his attention. 

“Hi, I’m Faith,” she introduced herself, extending her hand for him to shake. At first, he tried to ignore her, but she was very persistent and kept her hand in place.

“Christopher. I guess you already know that,” he replied, hesitantly shaking her hand. 

“It’s really nice to meet you. You have been the talk of the town. Oh, wait until my friends meet you. Palmer has been dying to.”

He nodded his head, burying his face in the book, trying to tune her out and focus on the class. Hoping now he didn’t have any more classes with her.

The classes were over; they all headed to the gym to watch the game and the pep rally. Christopher sat in the first available spot, and it was right in the bottom middle of the steel benches, just by the courtside.

He saw a few students perform, and at the end of the dance, the leading dancer pointed in his direction and looked straight into his eyes, making him blush at her random action. Embarrassed, he rushed out of the gym without looking back.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

It was finally time for the pep rally, and Palmer was getting dressed for the performance, right after the basketball game. 

“Are you ready, girls?” she asked as they all cheered in excitement. They couldn’t wait to get out there and start the show. After they were all ready, they headed towards the boys’ locker rooms to get them and walk to the gym where everyone was already sitting, watching the game, and waiting excitedly for the group to come in and perform.

They all knew Palmer as the most excellent dancer in school. In her small town, it was easy to acknowledge her.

It was finally their turn to perform, and after great twists and moves to some country and hip hop, everyone cheered and clapped.

“Palmer! Palmer! Palmer!” The students chanted her name. With a big smile, Palmer bowed in gratitude. 

When they were all about to walk back out, a boy with skin as pale as the basketball court’s walls and hair as white as a seashell caught Palmer’s attention. 

She turned over and looked at him, pointing the cane she was dancing within his direction, but her action made him nervous and he hurried out of the gym. Palmer watched him leave and followed him. 

It might have seemed like she was stalking or harassing him, but her curiosity and her eagerness to meet him made her run after him. She saw Christopher by the lockers, trying to open it and take his belongings out. Without wasting time, she walked over, approaching him before she leaned against the locker next to his.

“Hello, I’m Palmer. You must be Christopher. It’s so nice to meet you finally. I’ve been trying to see you since that day at your house. Your mom said you were not feeling well. Hopefully, you’re feeling better now, and we can...” she rambled, and he looked at her with his eyebrows raised, checking out the nearest exit to get away from her.

“I’m sorry for all my rambling. You must think I’m crazy. Anyway, it’s very nice to meet you,” Palmer said, extending her hand, hoping he wasn’t too scared of her with all her talking.

“Nice to meet you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my mom must be waiting for me at the entrance. I missed my bus when I decided to stay here,” he mentioned, ignoring her hand, but giving Palmer an idea.

“Why don’t I tell my mom to give you a ride? She takes me to the diner to get some apple pie, and maybe I can invite you to join us. Wouldn’t that be a good idea to get to know you?” she asked, crossing her fingers behind herself. 

Christopher was silent as he made a run for the exit, making her follow him once again. They made it to the parking lot, and luckily his mom was there, waiting. But so was her mom.

Palmer ran towards Grace’s car and greeted her. “Hello, Mrs. Melbourne, remember me?” she asked, and Grace, with a big smile, waved at her. 

“Of course I remember you. But please, I have told you to call me Grace. Mrs. Melbourne makes me feel old.”

“Okay, Grace. I was wondering if you could let Christopher join us at the diner for some desserts. We’ll drop him off later. Is that okay?” She asked, eagerly. Grace looked at Christopher, who seemed uncomfortable with the situation.

“Maybe another day. It must have been a long one for him, but I’m sure he’ll accept next time,” she replied. 

“Oh, okay. Until next time, Chris!” She said before walking away, disappointed. Palmer saw him get in the car as she put her seatbelt on before her mom drove away, ready to share the delicious pies she always enjoyed with her.