uncool, stanley barber

16

16 - being ambushed is the last thing anyone wants

i didn't 'study' with stan. in fact, after i'd calmed down a bit, he drove me home. the slowest he's ever driven. he offered to stay, but i told him i wanted to be alone. i needed space to think.

sunday was quiet. i didn't go on my phone once. winnie wanted to play hide and seek for the majority of the day, so it was good to get my mind off of things.

except that whenever i look at winnie, i see mum. i see the spitting image that i never got. winnie got the ringlets and brown eyes. she got everything.

when monday rolled around again, i was quick to get ready and walk to school. it was warmer today, so i wore a short sleeve t-shirt and mum jeans. mum's necklace swaying on my neck.

before first period, stan found me at my locker and walked up cautiously. i liked his cardigan and his top, he looked nice. he stood waiting for me to notice, so i did.

"hi, stan" i gave him a half smile as i was busying myself with textbooks.

"hey, els" he replies in the same tone. "how are you?"

not great. not fucking fantastic.

"still a bit shaken up."

"is that why you walked to school?" he asks, scratching the back of his neck. i nodded sheepishly as i close my locker.

his left eye was a tiny bit swollen with a tint of a red soreness. a cut was presented on his eyebrow. "stan, what-"

"it's nothing" he automatically says, but then he realises who i am and that i know. "just my dad."

"oh, stanley" i sigh, pulling him into a hug. "i'm sorry."

"i'm so sorry for doing that to you" he replies. he's meaning the crash.

"it wasn't your fault-"

"i could've been more careful. i wasn't focused-"

"stan" i stop him rambling. "it's okay." he looks at me and sighs. he's tired and worn out, i suppose from dealing with his dad all weekend.

suddenly from the corner of my eye, i see syd. all the memories come flooding back of what she did. she's walking the halls, trying to be normal as she spots dina but continues to walk on. stan catches me staring as an idea sparks in his mind.

"let's go over to her. we need to ask her what the fuck happened" stanley says.

"no, she definitely doesn't want that now-" but he runs off anyway, leaving me leaning against my locker watching the car crash unfold.

"syd! i know you don't really wanna talk since, you know, the.." but syd ignores him and makes a bee line for the girl's toilets. "uh, cool, okay, i'll just be, cool."

he's left standing as i walk over, arching my brow. "how'd that go, stanny?"

he sighs, "why don't you talk to her? i can't go in there" he points to the girl's toilets. i shake my head.

"syd obviously doesn't wanna be ambushed right now" i defend her. if i was in whatever situation she's in, the last thing i'd want is questioning.

"fine" stanley shrugs. "but i'm asking her in biology."

"shoot, have we got biology now?" i ask him, checking my planner.

"yep" he smiles before seeing my fallen face. "don't worry, it's a practical. and i'll help you." i hug him before we exit the hallway and go into our classroom.

the class drones on and on. our teacher's enthusiastic as always, i feel bad as we only groan in boredom. i'm trying to concentrate with the practical, but all i can focus on is how twitchy stan is. he keeps tapping his pen and clicking it in sync.

"hey, would you stop?" i say, trying to get him to zone back in. he was about to mix the wrong chemicals, before i clap in his face.

"huh, yeah?" he's back as he looks at me confused. "what's up?"

i spot his goggles sat on top of his dark curls. "they're just like sunglasses, stan. in fact, even cooler" i smirk as i bring them down on his face, trying not to hurt his eye. he leans against my hand as i hold his cheek briefly.

"sorry, we just need to talk to syd" his leg starts to bounce up and down, making the test tubes on the table shake. "i'm so baffled by it. i spent most of the weekend trying to figure it out, just replaying what happened."

"yeah, i agree. it was fucking insane" i say, writing observations of the different coloured acids in the test tubes.

i'm not really paying attention to what he's saying as i'm trying to pass biology cause i suck. i know he'd be insisting on helping me and checking my spellings, helicopter parenting. but he's too fascinated and occupied with syd.

"now please, nobody burn down the school" i hear from the teacher. well, looks like i'm doing this assignment alone. so no promises, sir.

stanley turns around, trying his best to keep his voice shushed, but i can still hear him trying to get through to sydney.

"look, i know that we said that that thing is a secret. and it is, it's totally safe with us. but we have to talk about it" he says before syd stands up and walks to the other side of her lab bench.

stanley taps my arm, making me put down the test tube. but before i can ask what he wants, he's grabbing my hand and making us move opposite to syd. i stand with my arms folded as syd looks annoyed, focussing on her notes rather than us. which is understandable.

"okay, can you say something? please" stanley tries again.

"yeah, i can. why don't you just shut up?" she snaps at him. i know he deserves it, bugging her when she doesn't want to be bothered, but i still feel defensive of him.

"look, i-i've been doing some research and i think-syd, i think we should test your powers" he whispers extra quiet. i kinda agree with him as i unfold my arms and rest my chin on my hands.

"what're you even talking about?" she criticises, her eyes squinted. we've struck a nerve and so i'm thinking maybe letting her have space is a better option for now. i mean, we've seen what she can do.

"just hear me out" stan insists anyway. he starts to talk about something in ancient mayan culture, when i spot syd's face get angrier and angrier.

she shuts her eyes and tries to take a deep breath, but then the test tubes start to rattle against each other. she's doing it, she's doing it with her mind.

they start to steam up as i move them towards me, trying to stop it. but instead, the tubes spill over me. syd looks guilty as i know she caused that. but from her storming out of the classroom, i know it was an accident.

"fuck" i say, looking at my stained clothes. stan looks back at me and notices.

"aw, els. you're so clumsy" he comments.

"no, no. sydney did it" i whisper. he was obviously too infatuated with his sun god story to notice her abilities.

"holy shit!" he exclaims, his mouth agape as he spots the smashed test tubes on the floor.

"LANGUAGE!"