Blog & Blood

Lessons

    "Hey Olivia, how was your summer?" Sarah Frens asked just as I walked onto school property.
    "Great!" I answered. Quickly putting my phone in my pocket, I noticed that she wore her peachy blonde hair down, which was sort of odd since she always had it in a bun. "Ahhhh," I said, noticing the local news van parked in front of the school.
    "Yeah," she said blushing, tucking a strand of hair behind her as the cameraman panned from the school to our direction. "Maybe it'll get picked up again by FOX or something, that'd be pretty cool. Right?"
    "Oh for sure," I answered cheerily. Everyone knew that Sarah wanted to be an actress and any press is good press. She was peeved for a good twenty minutes the last time when the local newscast picked up a story at our school last year and it went national. Although she was pretty good natured and her anger had quickly subsided. One of the football players had gotten early scholarships to over twenty major schools, Tori had been on the news that night being dropped off by Tom. I think the caught a glimpse of my hand turning around a corner but not even Tori believed me about that. "But I'm pretty sure they're just here because it's the first day of school. Must be a pretty slow news day here in Kittredge."
"O.M.G!" Sarah exclaims clutching my wrist and startling me, her dark brown eyes widen. "Did you read all the Cereno interviews this summer? He practically did one every few days!"
"She!" We heard someone shout and turned to see our classmate Jacob jogging towards us with a grin. Wether Cereno was a man or a woman was always a topic of debate, anywhere. Literally, I once seen some guys get into a fist fight over it. Grown men. When their wives finally broke up the fight they then started arguing about it, hair was pulled, earring taken out. It was a scene that played out throughout the world quite a bit in the beginning.
   I couldn't help noticing that a few people glared at him as he ran towards us. Sarah smiles and waves to them, always the optimist.
"I don't think it matters wether or not Cereno is a man or a woman it's about the good advice given." She said loudly.
"Still a woman," Jacob said stoutly, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Well it's so obvious," he said smiling a little too brightly for the first day back in school and I laughed again.
"Your in a good mood today Jacob," I said. Sort of wondering why.
"Yeah well it's nice to be back, all I did was work at my grandparents farm this summer. They're getting a bit too old to be do everything themselves and my parents are getting a bit too overbearing to handle. I might move out there if Gramps give me his old Chevy. Life would be good," he said grinning from ear to ear. "Course I might have to switch schools. Ridgedales closer." He said causally.
Sarah and I looked at each other but didn't say anything. Everyone knew kids from Ridgdale didn't like newcomers as much as people from Kittredge did. Two opposite towns if there ever were one.
That's when I seen that the cameraman was focused on us and I flash him the peace sign and a silly face. Jacob notices and pulls me and Sarah close together under his arms and shouts "SMILE YOUR ON CANDID CAMERA," which makes Sarah go beet red as I can't help but notice the swell of his hardened-from-days-on-the-farm biceps and the smell of his Hummer cologne.