Wintercrest Academy

The Great Depression

It would happen, just the way he had seen it happen in his head. He’s prepared for this since he got into high school and now it’s happening: The Metleys Junior Science Competition. Except there’s a little glitch in the system. You know the name. Kaia!

           “This year’s competition is different. It’s tagged the Dynamic Duo which is self-explanatory. Two representatives from each school. Think about the duos that gave name to science; Einstein and Arthur Eddington, Watson and Crick, the Curies.” Bren had cringed when Mr Ariel mentioned Marie and Pierre, the scientific couple. Couple and Kaia were immiscible words to him. Never going to happen. Kaia, on the other hand didn’t even notice the insinuation. She was glowing, like the freaking early morning sun. He snorted. Little brat.

           “Asking the both of you to represent Wintercrest is a no-brainer. I’d send emails to your parents with every detail you need to have while preparing, and then I’d send for you when I have information to share. 3 weeks is so close, scientists. Start working now. I’m excited already.”

           “Me too!” Kaia practically squealed and Bren rolled his eyes so hard, it hurt. Me too, he mimicked her in his head.

           Whether Kaia is a part of this or not, this is his moment. Sure, he’d have to work with her, but he’d shine either way. Outshine her if he could.

           He leaves Shira and Rosco at lunch and goes to look up past questions in the library. Kaia is seated in the corner close to the window when he arrives, all her attention soaked into the textbook she’s looking at and jotting from. There are 4 more textbooks asides the one she’s reading: two for biology, one for physics and the other, chemistry. It’s expected, since the competition touches all aspects of science. Damn, doesn’t life have a strange way of smacking you in the face with the things you try to avoid? She lifts her head and their eyes meet. Crap.

           Bren observes her reaction go from furrowed brows of focus to widened eyes of mild shock. He doesn’t look away; this stare down is kind of a thing between them now. She looks away first, yes! Victory.

           “Are you following me?” she whispers, the furrow between her thick brows returning.

           Bren grunts. “Again, you think highly of yourself. This is a library, and I have a competition to win.” He saunters to the shelf and picks out books, then drapes his jacket over the chair before taking the seat opposite Kaia.

           “Do you really have to sit here?”

           Bren stares at her, cold, hard and intimidating enough to turn her into a puddle of chocolate. “I can sit wherever the heck I want.”

           “Exactly. So sit there then.” She points to the middle row.

           “Shush!” goes the librarian.

           “You can’t tell me what to do, Kaia,” Bren says. They have their never-ending stare down again, and Kaia just shakes her head and returns to her reading. Brat. Bren does some reading and note taking too, and when the bell sounds fill the room, Kaia gathers her things and scurry out. Not before Adan comes to see her though. They smile like two-year olds and start chatting instantly.

           “What an eye sore,” Bren mutters as he gets up. His eyes follow her till she’s out of sight, and then he hurries over to her desk like a criminal to look at the book she was reading. This action is from a place of sheer insecurity, and he knows that. What is wrong with you, Bren?

                                                                       ****

           Kaia makes sure to keep her eyes on the projector and nowhere else. Because the number of times she’s traded glances with Bren is becoming really annoying. Shira sitting beside him doesn’t even help, so she focuses on Social Studies class, learning about the Great Depression that happened in the 1930s.

           “Must have been hard. I can’t even begin to imagine that happening to America in this century,” Shira says and some students murmur their agreement.

           “Yes, Shira. It would be a terrible thing to occur again,” Mr Smithson, the social studies teacher says.

           “I have a question.” Mr Smithson gestures for her to go ahead, so she does. “Is it possible that some families never recovered from the Great Depression. I mean, it happened over 60 years ago, way, way back, but it looks like some people still live in abject poverty. We have one of them around us and it’s pretty sad to see.”

           Kaia doesn’t need to look at Shira to catch the shade. Exhausting. That is exactly how statements like these always felt. Mr Smithson opens his mouth to speak, but the voice that resounds in the classroom isn’t his.

           “Do you ever think about what you want to say before actually saying it?” Whose voice is . . . Astrid? Kaia is forced to crane her neck towards Astrid and her glossy, black leather jacket. Huh?

           Shira shoots daggers at her. “What?”

           Astrid places her elbows on her desk and clasps her hands together into a praying position. “Normal people think first before speaking, but that’s not the case for you. You love the sound of your voice so much, that you just let trash spill out. We all know you’re referring to Kaia, are you obsessed with her?”

           “I wasn’t talking to you, Astrid. Stop being so angry. If you feel hot inside, take off your jacket. Maybe you’d feel calmer then.”

           “Why don’t you take your advice and bring your head out of your ass. Maybe you’d reason properly then.”

           Shira’s smug smile claims her face. “You suddenly want to take Kaia’s side? Are you that lonely? You want to kiss up to her so that you can finally have a friend here since no one wants you?”

           Ouch. That hurt Kaia. Astrid doesn’t have any friends? But that’s not­—

           “Miss Johns, Miss Gray, say one more word and the both of you are getting detention.”

           Kaia’s sees pain evident in Astrid’s expression. Astrid, the Astrid who drew ketchup on her the first day and told her she was at the bottom of the social status chain, who texted her nonstop on the day of the party, who she’s been actively ignoring, stood up for her? That doesn’t make sense. Does it?  So after class, Kaia does the obvious thing by going after her.

           “Astrid!” she hollers. Astrid did not wait one second and stormed out after class.

           “We’re not friends, Mahoe,” Astrid echoes Kaia’s text, still walking.

           “We’re not. So why did you do that?”

           Astrid stops abruptly and turns halfway. “Because I’m sick of Shira and her shit.”

           Oh. “Still, you could have attacked her any other time. It didn’t have to be the moment she was coming for me.” Astrid doesn’t say anything. “Well, thank you.”

           Astrid faces her wholly and stares her dead in the eye. Kaia still sees the pain though. “Sure.”

           “You don’t have to kiss up to me,” Kaia catches herself saying before Astrid can resume her storming off. “I mean—I know you’re upset with what Shira said. You’re not a pet that people should want or not want. You’re much more than that. Forget about her.”

           Astrid cracks her knuckles and for a minute, Kaia fears she’s going to get punched. But all Astrid says is, “You don’t know me.” and then she leaves. She’s right, Kaia doesn’t know her one bit, but she knows what it feels like to not have friends. How it hurts when nobody wants you and stings even deeper when you hear it out loud. She removes Astrid’s number from her blacklist and sends hey, it’s Kaia. Wanna talk?