Ditched

B Period What?!

"So this is the main office."Jack says, jamming a thumb in the direction of a secretary talking on the phone. "You come here whenever they call you down on the loudspeaker or if you need a late pass or if you lost your ID."

We walk down a hall and take a left. "This is the Information Station. Any questions can and will be answered here."

I nod along as he shows me the science lab, the tech lab, my english room, geometry classroom, and a few others. Overwhelmed, all I remember is that the Information Station is where I need to go to get my schedule.

"I'll walk you back to the Information Station and then I'll walk you to first period. Okay?" Jack says, looking at me nervously.

I smile and nod. "Thanks, Jack."

He grins. We reach the Information Station and I knock on the open door. The lady at the desk smiles, says something into the phone and then hangs up. She folds her hands. "How can I help you, Jack?"

Jack leans his elbows on her desk. "This is Piper LaVato. She's new here and she needs her schedule for the rest of the year please."

The lady nods and opens a file cabinet. Rifling through the folders, she pulls one out titled 'Schedules' and finds my name. She hands me the paper and tells me that if I need any help j an come see her.

"Thank you, Mrs. D." Jack says politely. We walk out of the room and sit down on the bench by the door. "What's first?" He asks. He snaps his fingers. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Periods are forty one minutes and they go by letters. A period. B period. And so on. Right now it's A period, the beginning of the day. We have six day cycles. The first day of school is Day One. Then Day Two. When you hit Day Six, you go back to Day One. Get it?"

I rub my eyes and laugh. "I'm, I think so."

Jack chuckles. "Yea, it's s lot to take in all at once. But trust me, you'll get used to it."

"What's today?" I ask him.

"Four."

I look over at him. "But isn't today Monday? Shouldn't it be One?"

He shakes his head. "It doesn't work like that because they're six day cycles not five."

"Ohhhh." I say, actually understanding the concept. I scan my schedule. "Uh, A Period is geometry."

He nods. "Let's test you." He smirks. "Lead me to the math classroom." Then he winks. "And tell me your teachers name."

I make a face at him. "Uh...." I sneak a look at the paper. Mr. Robertson. "Me. Robertson!" I exclaim.

"You looked!" Jack complains, snatching the paper from my hands.

I laugh. "But I bet you I can lead you to the classroom." I challenge, remembering the map of the campus in my back pocket.

Jack raises one eyebrow. He reaches around me and his hands brush the bottom of my back, catching bare skin. A tingle shoots through my veins, and I shiver. He snatches the map and stuffs it in my backpack. "No map. Get me to the classroom."

I sigh and look around. Breaking into a sprint, I lead him straight to the classroom. I stand, my hands on my hips, breathing heavily. I raise an eyebrow.

"One day, well race and I'll beat you."

I laugh. "I found the classroom."

"Yea, I didn't think you were paying attention to my tour." He winks at me. "Guess you were." He looks over my shoulder at the schedule. "B Period?"

I glance at the paper. Tracing my finger over the words, it lands on B Period. I tap it, a confused expression falling over my face.

"B Period Study Buddy. Oh you'll like that." Jack says.

"B Period what?" I ask, puzzled.

"Study Buddy. You get a partner who takes some of the same classes as you and you get to study with them for a period. And then you can have study sessions at home, too if you want."

I nod. "Okay. So can you pick me up here for next period? I have no idea where that room is."

Jack chuckles. "Yea sure." He turns away from me and jogs down the hall. Stopping at a locker, he grabs a handful of books and slams the door shut. He turns, winks at me, and then disappears down the hall.

I shake my head and smile as I walk into my classroom. "Hello Piper!" Mr. Robertson exclaims. He puts and arm around my shoulders and leads me to the front of the classroom. After introducing me, he tells me to take any empty seat. I spot Theo with an empty desk next to him and make my way over. He waves and smiles as I slide into the seat. Continuing the lesson, Mr. Robertson talks on and on.

By the time A Period is done, I'm already exhausted. I've listened more than I ever have before; and it's only nine o clock. I walk out of the classroom with Theo and he pats my back. "What do you have now?"

"Study Buddy."

He frowns. "Oh, make sure you get someone you like. Otherwise, that class is a disaster."

I laugh as he turns and jogs down the hall towards his next class.

"Ready?" I hear from behind me.

I grin at the sound of his voice. "Absolutely." He slowly leads me to my next class, testing me on the turns we take.

"Here we are. Room 210." He says, gesturing for me to go in. I just stand there. "Go on. Trust me, you'll love this class."

As he turns away, I grab his arm. He looks me in the eye, his face filled with concern. "What? What's wrong?" He asks anxiously.

I laugh a little. "Nothing. I just-I just wanted to say....thank you. For everything."

He smiles genuinely. For a second, he doesn't respond. He just stares at me, his eyes locked with mine. Then a weird look crosses his face. "You're welcome." He says it slowly and carefully, like no one's ever thanked him before.

I turn away from him and slip into a seat in the room. My reached, Mr. Griffo, I have to call him that in school, smiles at me and introduces me.

"Okay, class. No I'm going to assign your partners so you can get right to work. Tamara and Evan. Michelle and Aubrey..." He continues rattling off names, reading from a piece of paper. "And Casey and Piper."

I look over at Casey and grin. He mouths 'yes!' and sends a wink in my direction. I breathe a sigh of relief.

I glance at Mr. Griffo and mouth a quick thank you. Have fun, he mouths back, winking. A so far perfect school year. A perfect home. A perfect study partner. A perfect family. The start of a perfect life. Only one thing could possibly make this better....