Survivors

Chapter Five: What Will Happen?

Nearly a week after my nightmare day concerning the substitutes, there was a bombing in San Francisco. It was all over the news and soon after, San Diego was also attacked. I couldn't fathom why these two cities had been attacked and nowhere else in the past week. Usually, the Communists would take over an entire second-world country in the same amount of time. I kept waiting for when they would strike us and what would happen when that does eventually happen.

Oh, and for some good news: THE SUBSTITUTES ARE GONE!! I fucking hated them and what they did to us; it wasn't fair, righteous, or by any means Catholic. My principal really needs to find better subs or else she'll definetely start losing money. But that also means being back with Ms. Rios, Mr. Valadez, and Mrs. Steese.

"Alright class," Ms. Rios started, "Who can tell me how to find the direct object in a sentence?" No answer. "Anyone, anyone? That's right: subject plus verb equals direct object! This is different from an indirect object, how? Anyone, anyone? Correct: because it is what is affected by the subject, verb, and direct object." And on and on. Think about the teacher from Ferris Bueller's Day Off and there you have an entire lesson about direct objects and whatever else I don't care about.

"How is this supposed to help us win the war?" Tyler abruptly asked.

"What?" Ms. Rios looked genuinely suprised for a moment then changed her expression to her normal confident look. "This is supposed to help you get a job. Something that will help you after the war."

"Well what happens if we never survive the war?" I asked.

"Well, that won't happen because we'll never be directly affected by the war." How wrong she was and how tragic it is too.

                                                             ~~~~~

I sat with Liora and Ali that day at recess and we talked about normal junk that people would talk about to avoid being afraid. We talked about how our classes totally suck, who's been going out with who (like it was even our business or as if I even cared), and who'll win what at the end of the year for class personalities.

"I think it's obvious that I'm gonna win 'Most Likely to Succeed'," I said with a confident grin on my face.

"Well no duh you are, but I really want to win 'Most Spirited'," Ali said with a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Yeah sure I'll vote you for that; I'll also vote you for 'Most Unforgettable'," I told Liora.

"Aw, I'll vote you two for that, but that's really nice of you guys; my sister won 'Most Unforgettable'," she responded.

"Okay, don't get all mushy on me," I said in reply.

"Oh, did you guys hear that Gabby's been going out with Timmy?" Liora asked.

"Dude, everyone knew that, besides, it wasn't that hard to figure out anyways," I said.

"I heard Jackie's been dating Xavier," Ali said, by which time I stopped paying attention.

"She's like a one-woman-USO; it's like a different guy every week," Liora said, unimpressed. "But I saw Tyler," at his name, I immediately started listening and my ears grew red, "was going out with GiGi; I saw them together last night at Yogurtland," Liora said smugly. Shit. I can't compete with GiGi. I'm totally screwed with my chances with him. Fuck GiGi for taking him.

The rest of the day, I was in a total trance until I came home that afternoon all pissed off. I wrote down a letter addressed to Tyler telling him how I felt and then I ripped it and pounded it as hard as I could into the trash. It was titled "My Heart". What's my problem?! Later that night, I got a call from GiGi asking what the Science homework was that night. Instead, I told her what a bitch I thought she was, yelling and crying at the same time, and that I wish she would die. I didn't mean any of that of course; we were friends before that. I think I'm just bipolar and that I have major control issues. What the hell's wrong with me?