Incarnadine

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

“As you’ve learned before this term, the electricity is divided into the electrodynamics and electrostatics. Since we have covered the topic of electrostatics, we’re going to begin our lesson in electrodynamics this year. I hope you are paying attention, because we’re not going to waste time for introductions and doodling on the table.”

The class was as silent as death, except for a furious sound of scribbling. Mr. Zimmerman stopped talking when he reached a desk.

“Mr. Sanders, I assume you heard what I said?”

Armand stopped scribbling and looked up. “Oh,” he said with an unmistakable dry tone, “you were talking about me, sir? I apologize.”

“What are you drawing there, boy? Looks like a Godzilla. Are you a fan of Japanese monsters, Mr. Sanders? Because I have a secret to share.” The Physics teacher bent a little and mock-whispered, “I’m a Kaiju, too.”

Everyone broke into laughter, even I, who had been practically squirming in anticipation for Armand to get into trouble. But like he always does, Armand got away with it, saved by some losers’ comments.

“Mr. Sanders,” one of the aforementioned losers called out with a hand raised and a finger pointed at my direction. “I think we have another Japanese monster there sitting by the window.”

“Oooohhh,” the class chorused.

I kept my face blank, no matter how much I wanted to roll my eyes.

“A Kaiju sitting by the window…”

I gripped my pencil hard. It snapped and broke, the sound seemingly so loud in the class.

“The hideous Asian monster, the destroyer of…a pencil.” I turned to glare at the boy who had just spoken, Trenton Wellington. I had once thought he was cute, albeit a bit of a bully. But then there was an incident, and he appeared out to be one of those racists in the town who kept picking up on me. He held his hands up. “Oh, she bites, too!”

The class broke into another fit of laughter.

I turned my glare to Mr. Zimmerman. He, too, had a small smile on his face that vanished just as soon as I glared at him.

“Alright, class. Alright. Now, let’s just continue our lesson. Open your books at the page 8, the section below Theories of Electrodynamics…”

Taking a deep breath, I opened my book and stared at the blurred words as my eyes clouded. It wasn’t like they even knew if I was Japanese or not. All Asians are the same in their eyes. And here I thought they might actually have matured over the summer.

When the bell rang, I hadn’t written a single note on my book. That was fine. I could lend the notes from Jamie later. She took Mr. Zimmerman’s Physics, too, but with different schedule.

My sole destination after Physics was the library. The snobs rarely ever went up there at the first break. Heck, even the geeks like me rarely ever went there unless there was an exam coming and we needed an extra high-concentration hang out place. Occasionally, some freshmen study groups would hang around the library, but they usually grew out of it once they hit sophomore year.

Yes, our school’s library was that unpopular.

Though I wouldn’t say so for some jocks. It was rare, but it happened. One of the jocks would use the secluded shelves on the back section as a rendezvous with his current fling.

It’d been a huge scandal last year when Mark O’ Neill, a quite popular senior quarterback, got caught making out with Callie Sheridan. The problem was that Callie’s best friend was Remy Lynde, and Remy was the girlfriend, not Callie.