Starcross

Chapter Eight - Whole

Frederick Senior High School

Frederick, Colorado

            “Alright guys,” John Crosby, one of the math teachers at the high school in the little town in the middle of nowhere in Colorado, said as he clapped his hands together. “I know that today is the last day of the year which I why…” He paused dramatically. “Pop Quiz time!”

            A chorus of groans, and a few muttered curses, sounded out in protest only to be silenced by Crosby’s deep laughter. “C’mon guys, you’ve been with me for an entire year and you should all know me better than that.” He flicked off the lights and powered on the large work board that replaced chalk boards a few years ago. “What I really wanted to say was: most of you will be returning to me for your final dose of math next year and if you do please try to remember all you can from this year. Now, let’s watch a movie to round out the last period of the last day.”

            Cheers replaced the groans and Crosby selected Treasure Planet from the list of approved movies and it began to play. For the most part few of the students paid attention to the animated film, most saw it as a chance to converse with their friends or exchange text messages with someone else whose teacher decided to turn off the cellular disrupter that stopped cell phones from working. James reached down into his pocket to check and see if he had his Cello-phone. A couple of years ago a branch of his parent’s tech company came out with a new type of technology: a thick piece of clear cellophane that acted as a normal microprocessor, could display images, and send and receive signals. Since they worked on the project and needed live field testing, James was one of the people chosen to try it out and see what he thought about it; he often got new gadgets months before they were released that way.

            The familiar three inch square piece of plastic was still there and he felt reassured, especially since people had tried to steal it before. James had told them time and again that unless they had his fingerprints than it wouldn’t work, but no one really listened. For a moment he couldn’t wait to get home and tell his dad that he owed James money due to the bet the two of them made at the beginning of the school year, he bet James would either lose it or break it. Sadness creped in and replaced the fuzzy feeling that he got when he forgot that he wouldn’t see them again.

            Instead of watching the movie he crossed his arms on his desk and put his head down. It’s not that he was purposely wallowing in sorrow and hoping for pity but he couldn’t help but feel alone even after three months. The first couple of weeks he was strong and emotionless, acting like it didn’t matter, then all the walls came down when he accidentally went to his parents’ house after school one day; the bank had foreclosed on it even though it was supposed to be his and he couldn’t get in so he just sat on the porch and felt numb. Nick found him that way a few hours later and brought him home. James didn’t actually let anything out until a few days ago when he pulled the weeds out. Candace Burnside had washed his clothes the next day but thankfully didn’t say anything about it.

            “Hey James, what are you doing this weekend?” A voice whispered in the darkness.

            He lifted his head and turned toward the speaker, when he saw it was his friend Breanne he smiled. “Probably just vegging out on the couch. You?”

            She shrugged, with her shoulder length blonde hair ruffling at the edges. “Not sure, I know that I’m working next week though.”

            “Boo,” James whispered back. “We should do something fun.”

            “That’s what Nick was saying. Something like ‘this is the last summer we’ll have before we’re expected to be adults’.”