We The People

1. You Want to be One of Us

Sunlight hits the countertop where Myra preps Xavier's lunch. She whips her hand over to the clock on the wall. The clock is ticking autoably, and the rush in her fills her. "Xavier!" She calls. She packs a sandwich, carrots, and a juice box in a lunch bag, places it next to Xavier's bookbag. His bag is hanging open with homework sprolled out on the floor around. Myra picks up the paper and neatly places them into a folder in the bag. She takes a stride to Xavier's room and trips over a baseball glove laying in the middle of the floor. She picks it up and calls again, "Xavier, if you do not get out here!"As she raises her arm to knock on the door, her son pops out.
"And good morning to you too," he takes the baseball glove from her hand. And walks over to his bookbag. Zips it up and wrap it around his body. Picking up the lunchbox and walking over to the front door. He places his shoes on in such a swiftness that Myra was standing there watching him, coexisting in his chaos.
"Bye mom." He rushes out the door and I am in my ecosystem. Alone in our small space and without my only son. I walked into his room and see the mess that is in store for me.
**
Xavier taps his foot on the back of the seat of the chair in front of him. There is a beat stuck in his head but the words are not surfacing to his mind. His eyes are closed and his and he searches for the words, blocking out the monotone voice of his teacher.
"Excuse me." A hush voice causes him to open his eyes. His foot in mid tap on the leg of the chair. "Do you mind not tapping my seat?" The girl asks. Xavier smiled sheepishly and retracted his foot from the seat, and went to fidgeting with his mechanical pencil. She is quite beautiful, a thought creeps into his scattered mind. He was worried about the reaction that he would get if he attempted to start a conversation. But he went out and tapped the girls shoulder with the tip of his mechanical pencil. "Sorry to disturb you again," Xavier looked around the room. Spotting that the teacher was staring at the board, discussing dead hypocrits so he thought would could he possibly be missing. "I did not get your name." She lowered her gaze at the pencil that tapped her. "I do not believe I offered you my name." Xavier retracted back in his seat, slow burn, he commented in his voice.
"My name is Xavier by the way." He opened his note pad and started writing words that the girl arched her neck to see.
"Xavier," his head shot up to look into her eyes. " Be careful who you give your name to." She turned around and went back to listening to the teacher and writing into her notebook. His heart leaped with the thought of the girl doodling his name in the notebook.
The bell rung and he watched her exit the room with out talking to anyone. She seemed like someone who would talk to a teacher after a lesson to become friends with him or her. But her head was lowered as she went through the door and out into the hallway. Xavier could not help himself, as he followed her through the hallway. Watching her curls hit the back of her neck as she went pass the rush and free bodies. They were all going home but she had a destination. She would look back to see if someone was watching her movements without seeing Xavier hiding behind the closes teenager with his hoodie hiding his presence, or so he thought. She walked out the exit door and it slammed. Xavier crept next to the exit door, hiding in thecut between the door and the lockers, listening out for anything.
"Ver, what took you so look?" Xavier leaned to see out the window. It was another girl, she leaned in and pecked the girl on the lips. Ver closed her eyes and exhaled a breath when their lips released. She looked back at the door, and Xavier leaned back into the cut of the wall.
"I felt like I was being followed by a possible initiative."
"Who is it?"
"His name is Xavier. I need you to keep an eye on him. He is kind, and I want him."
"Yes, Ver."
"I love you and appreciate you." Ver whispered to the girl.
"I love you and appreciate you, Ver." The other girl responded. "Let us go now, the others are waiting for us to start." Xavier heard the foot steps descend away from the door. When he heard nothing else, he opened the door and looked around. Careful to hold the tip of door with his foot so it does not lock him out. It was an alley, an ominous darkness clung in the atmospher. If he squinted, he could see a place of greenery and a guy sitting with his legs crossed and he was rocking side to side. When he moved to the left Xavier saw a girl doing the same action. Then he heard someone say, "Tell me a secret." The group swayed to a center position and snapped their eyes open and repeated in a hush voice after the voice, "Tell me a secret." The guys snapped towards Xavier and his foot fumbled with the door. He made a loud banging noise as he caught the handle of the door. He pulled himself back into the school, and ran down the hallway towards the front office.
"Shit, shit, shit." Xavier leaned on the desk in the front office. Take deep breaths to keep calm. He could not stop filling his thoughts with the words that were vomiting out his mouth. He felt like he stepped into a ceremony that he was not supposed to see. Ver, that is the girl that he believes sits in front of him in History class.
"Young man watch your mouth, you are in a school." He twirled around to see a chubby older woman with flush cheeks and permanent squinting eyes like a capybara.
"Sorry ma'am." He lifts himself up and walks outside. He sees his mom immediately.
"Where have you been? I was circling this lot for a little too long."
"I was talking to a friend." He was quick with his replies but in his head he could not stop thinking about how Ver said she wanted him. Wanted him the way he wanted her or in a different manner.