Saving Me

ELEVEN

                          

“Relax, you’re gonna be okay” Mikayla calms me down as we walk to class. Mid-terms start today and I’m a bit nervous. I know that I’ve been working very hard and studied most of the time,but the fact that my first exam is maths is not helping at all.

I take a deep breath and get into class, sit on my allocated seat and take out my required stationary. Mr Cramer’s voice comes on the intercom when everyone is settled and he addresses the whole school, “Good luck everyone and remember...no cheating”. I roll my eyes and Mr Morgan, the invigilator hands out the exam and the answer sheet. “You have three hours, use them wisely”. He then sits at his desk.

I send a silent prayer upward and start writing. I cruise through the first half of the paper until I struggle with the last three questions. I look at the clock in front and an hour is left. I close my eyes and try to remember what I studied and practised at home. All I can hear is the tapping of fingers on calculators and the occasional sigh from someone at the back.

I open my eyes and relax my brain then start writing again. When Mr Morgan calls for pens down I had already finished (I guess miracles do exist).

Mikayla and I walk to my car. Her phone rings and she answers “Hey Kate” she smiles and I open the door and get in the car. She gets in and we put our bags in the backseat. She looks over to me “Hey do you wanna have lunch with Kate?” I nod and she tells Kate that we’re coming.

“She’s at the McDonald’s near the beach” I nod and pull out of the school lot. She connects my phone to the radio and starts going through my playlist “Wow...how old are you?” she laughs.

“Don’t laugh at my music” I smile.

“You listen to choral music and jazz... what teenager does that?” she shakes her head at me. “At least there’s some Snow Patrol and Coldplay” she plays In the End by Snow Patrol and she sings along.

“ Hey, aren’t Christians not supposed to listen to world music?” I ask her.

She pauses the song “Yeah, but for me I think it depends on the type of music you listen to. I have Christian rock and hip-hop but I do listen to bands like Coldplay and the like”. She then goes back to singing.

We arrive at the McDonald’s and walk in. I thought we were just meeting with Kate not her, three other guys, a girl I recognise from youth group and of course Tyler. I drag my feet until I reach them.

Kate jumps up and pulls both Mikayla and I in a hug. We greet the others and sit down. The guys get up to order our food, “Uhm..just don’t get a burger for me, I would like the chicken foldover medium meal” I tell them before they go to the front. 

“So how was your exam, Kate asks” I bury my head in my hands and Mikayla laughs.

“It was okay... Melissa here is just being dramatic”. I turn and look at her “I’m not dramatic.. I’m just nervous” she pats my back.

“You’ll be okay”. I bury my face back in my hands.

The guys come back with our food and we have a conversation while eating. They introduce themselves as Kevin, Sebastian and Chase. The girl is Courtney. We talk about plain old stuff like exams and music.

We finish and Sebastian suggests that we head to the beach and relax there. We walk and seat on the benches in the sand.

I get to find out about them. Apparently Kevin is Chase’s older brother, Sebastian is Courtney’s older brother.

Kate, Kevin and Sebastian are seniors in high school just like my brother Seth. Tyler is an only child raised by a single mom and we’re in the same grade.

“It was nice spending time with you and getting to know you guys” I say before we get into our separate cars and go.

“The feeling is mutual, we should hang out more” Tyler says and the others look at him in a funny way. I let it slide and wave goodbye before I drive off.

I drop Mikayla at her house and drive home. It was really good getting to know them as people. I really needed that form of normalcy that they brought into my life. I really like their energy and the good vibes that they give off.