Conditioning The Heart

C h a p t e r 20: Friends and Fixing Broken Things 👯‍♀️🔨

I wake up the next morning, excited to start the day. Last night has left me in a state of perpetual like, happiness.

I'm not one of the people that detest school. I don't always love it, but the majority of the time I'm happy to make my way to school in the morning. I have my friends, my basketball team, and I like my classes.

But today, I'm more than happy to be walking to class.

I stop off at my locker and drop off my math textbook before continuing to my french class. I pull out my binder and pencil case, flipping through the notes from the last class to refresh my brain from whatever I forgot over the weekend. I only know Maria in the class. She was in French Immersion in elementary, but our school only offers Core French so she's taking Grade 10 french instead.

Our seating chart places her 2 rows behind me, so we don't really talk in class but she's useful if I need help or to borrow her notes when I can't read my writing.

Mademoiselle Alarie beckons for us to stand as the national anthem and aboriginal treaty plays over the PA. Announcements start as we clatter and sit in our seats, only half of us paying attention.

"Bonjour, mes pupils. Today we'll be doing a quick refresher on passé composé. There are handouts at the front so come get them and we'll get started" She explains.

I retrieve the handouts and Mme. starts explaining the lesson.

"Dr and Mrs Vandertramp, I assume you all vaguely remember this from last year-" Mme. starts off with.

The lesson ended up pretty good, my brain magically remembering what I learned last year. The review lesson goes by pretty seamlessly and soon enough I'm heading to my history class. I walk in and wave to Sam.

"Hello dear friend, how are you doing on this fine morning?" I eloquently ask, but almost fall off my chair in a not so eloquent way.

Sam snickers at my almost fall and I shoot her a quick glare. " I am doing splendidly, thank you for asking mi'lady"

I hear a loud bang at the front of the classroom and turn to see two of our classmates in the middle of a whisper-argument. I lean forward trying to stay a little conspicuous in my actions. Sam notices and leans forward with me so I don't look as weird.

True friendship, eh.

Their voices start raising and the class watches on as the teacher steps in to intervene. That's pretty much the only noteworthy thing that happened all period.

Period 2 comes to a close and me and Sam chit-chat as we pack up and head to lunch. We split up cause I have to grab my lunch bag from my locker. I grab it and head to the cafeteria. I head inside, scanning around until I see their heads.

I find Clarke and Sam sitting at a table near the middle of the cafeteria before walking over and sitting beside Clarke with a huff.

Clarke doesn't bat an eyelash at my dramatics "Well good morning to you too, sunshine"

I whine "My legs hurt from walking up the stairs". Sam and Clarke just nod, knowing how I feel.

Being an athlete is weird in these situations. I can survive a really tough, hard-fought, 2OT basketball game, but sometimes walking up the stairs feels impossible.

I just shake my head and reach into my bag to take out my food, I'm so hungry today. I feel somebody heat show up behind me and I lean back, hoping it's Zeke or that's kinda embarrassing.

"Hey, Linnie" He wraps his arms around me and I lean back into him.

"Ugh I wish I didn't ship you so hard, the PDA is making me feel too single" Clarke gripes.