Walking the Ruins

Jenny

"We'll go shopping, after the official tour," Daniela said. "Jenny can take the train home with the rest of the class if she doesn't want to come. Maybe she can sit beside our good teacher Perkins."

Even though she talked about me, she looked at the others, smirking. Most of them laughed at her joke.

Even Nora.

The hate I felt for Daniela was almost physical, a bolt of electricity slamming through my body. I was tempted to slap her face. I took a breath, trying to regain control—control of myself and of the situation here.

"Well, really," I said. "I don't think that Perkins will allow anyone to stay behind for shopping. We'll all have to take the same train, together."

Last night, when arriving in the city of Geneva, all the shops had already closed. So we had gone straight to the hostel. We then had devised a vague plan that we could go shopping after visiting that CERN thing today, before taking the train home.

But now I was dead tired from last night. That foray into the hostel's kitchen had lasted until 2 a.m. And after that, the beer that the boys had smuggled in their packs left my head spinning and the rest of me sleepless basically until breakfast.

On top of all that, my shoulders were aching from my heavy backpack, and a pain at my left heel held the promise of a big, fat blister. I just wanted this hike, and the whole school outing, to be done with.

So, no, I wasn't in the mood for shopping today. I longed to take the earliest train home. But I wanted the girls to be with me for the long ride back. Nora, at least.

"I'll talk to Perkins," said Daniela and went off in pursuit of our teacher. The others followed, only Nora lingered.

"Don't be a spoilsport", she said.

"Look, I'm so tired," I answered. "Let's just take the train home. Please!"

Nora hesitated. Then she shook her head, her pretty dark curls shedding drops of water. She loved getting her hair wet in the rain. I didn't know why I found this habit of hers so endearing.

"Naw," she said finally. "Geneva is such a great city. This is a unique opportunity. I'll stay if Perkins allows it."

"OK, whatever," I answered and sat down on a log at the side of the trail. "I need some more rest, I'll sit here a moment."

"You're sure about this?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll follow with one of the other groups. You can go." I didn't need them, I didn't need her.

"OK," she said, a vague smile on her lips. With a wave of her hand, she turned and scampered after the others.

I watched her disappear behind a bend in the trail.

What friends I had. Really.

The clouds hung low in the sky, gray and heavy like a huge herd of elephants. It was not yet noon, but the world felt like late evening. Gloomy and drowsy.

I was sure that ours hadn't been the last group in our procession through the rain, but as I sat there alone on the ridge of that sodden hill and no one passed for minutes, I was beginning to feel restless, wondering if I should just get up and hike by myself. Might be a neat experience, for once.

But then I heard voices, and I looked downslope.

A guy appeared. "Hey!" he said, and it took me some seconds to recognize Steve under the hood of a dark Wellensteyn jacket. "Jenny?"

Hmm, it could be worse. I didn't know him well, he wasn't in my crowd, but he seemed OK. He was with Kevin, our class nerd, and three girls.

"Oh my God," I said, realizing how relieved I felt to see them. "Hello Kevin, hello Steve. It's so good to see you guys!"