Send My Love to Hogwarts

I talk with Addie before school. It's the day after our first "session" as I like to call them. Addie and I, being neighbors, always walk to school together. We could drive, but we don't have cars, I don't drive my parents’ car for the fear of wrecking, and she doesn't drive her parents’ car because they only have one car, and both her parents work.

They're environmentalists, so they "carpool" together. Her dad drives her mom to work at nine, and then he drives for an hour to his work. After work, he drives an hour to her work, picks her up, then they drive home together.

It's pretty odd, if you ask me. But I guess if they want to do it, they can.

"So I take it, you had fun?" she asks after I was done talking about my experience with her.

"Yeah, I had loads, actually. Isn't that weird?" I ask. I'm walking faster, so I turn around and walk backwards to see her, hoping I don't bump into anyone along the way.

"Not quite. Some people just hit it off. Both of your personalities might just....mesh," she says, with a worried glance over my shoulder, making there's no one behind me, or, in front of me, rather.

"Mesh?" I ask with a smile.

"You know, to combine," she says with a giggle.

"Why do you always do that?" I ask.

"Because you always ask. Mary, watch out there's a bike."

I step to the side and a few seconds later a bike goes whizzing past us.

"See," she says, "That's why you shouldn't walk backwards."

"I'll do what I want, thank you," I retort and settle on walking the right way.

"You're such a sass master." she says and sticks her tongue out at me.

"What the hell, Addie? Sass master? You are so weird." I laugh.

"I heard someone else say it, and I've been dying to say it since."

"Well, good for you for adding that into our conversation." I say, and pat her shoulder.

"You're welcome."

--

I was at my locker, getting my books for the day. I was conversing with Addie and Iliana. I had already told Iliana about Addie's "Sass master" comment, to which she gave Addie a tired look and a "Really?"

We start to talk about something else, but I tune them out, because I see Kyle across the hall with his friend, and he's laughing. Not the small chuckle that I usually get out of him, but truly laughing, his mouth was open and the sides of his eyes crinkled. He shook his head ran a hand through his hair. I wondered what his friend, whose name I still didn't know, said to him to make him laugh like that.

I secretly wanted him to laugh like that with me, from something I said. But I know that it'll probably never happen, because I'm not that funny. It takes a lot to get me to put humor in my stories, let alone in real life.

"Looks like someone has a crush on the poet," Iliana teases and shoves my shoulder softly.

"No, I don't, it's just... he's laughing. It's kinda... weird," I say.

They look back and study him for a few seconds, then turn back to me.

"Not weird," Addie starts, "A little out-of-place, maybe."

"Everybody laughs sometimes, Mary," says Iliana.

"Even anti-social poets," Addie chimed in, I chuckle and leave it at that.

I eventually have to leave them so I wouldn't be late for first period, which was English.

I walk into class and sit in my desk. Mr. Wolff looks up from his papers and gives me a knowing smile. I really wish he didn't do that, because a knot forms in my chest, and I become very anxious. I know he doesn't mean it, but the pressure is killing me. He should've picked someone else, someone more reliable than me.

I sit in my seat and about a minute later the bell rings. Mr. Wolff starts talking about the book we've been reading, which we were supposed to finish it yesterday on our own time, but I was up all night writing.

He is calling on people to ask their opinions on the ending, and I really hope he won't call on me.

My prayers are answered, and after five minutes of the discussion, he goes on to a different topic. The next lesson will be about poetry, he says. This reminds me of Kyle, so I look over to him, he's looking at his desk, with his hair in his face, but I can see a slight smile.

"You guys are gonna love this, we'll talk about the themes in poems, we're gonna read classics from Poets like Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe--" I look over to Kyle and see his head perk up, "We might even read some poems from our own classmates," Mr. Wolff stares at Kyle. Kyle shakes his head with wide eyes, Mr. Wolff chuckles and continued on about the new section.

Kyle looks over to me and mouths, "Never," which makes me giggle, and I receive odd looks from the people near me.

He talks more about poetry and whatnot and gives us an assignment about what we think about poetry and its meaning and such.

The bell rings and Kyle catches up with me. He asks me if we can meet at the park around four-thirty, because he has a doctors appointment and is getting out of school early. I say yes, and he reminds me to bring a notebook and writing utensils.

I smile, he walks away, and before I know it, the classes fly by and it’s lunchtime. Addie has already told Iliana everything about Kyle and mines session, and Iliana is convinced that we're made for each other.

"Please don't try to be a match-maker," I plead with her, she just gives me that mischievous smile and eats her food.

Iliana looks up, I look back and there’s Nolan, he's waving at Iliana and beckoning her to come with him. She smiles and announces that she's leaving. She throws away her food and takes her purse. Then she leaves us.

Addie has a disapproving look on her face as she stares at Nolan, at his extremely thin frame and stringy hair. He wraps his arm around her waste and they sneak out the lunchroom. Addie sighs, but I remind her that it's Iliana's life, and she'll learn through her own mistakes, and not because we tell her.

She sighs once more and nods.

"I just worry about her," she says softly as she plays with her food, not eating.

"I do, too. But we’ve got to let her do her own things and learn..." I trail off.

There's a silence, we're both thinking.

"So," Addie starts, changing the subject, "Are you and Kyle meeting up today?"

I tell her that we're meeting at the park, and ask if she wants to come.

"I can't," she says, "I have Dance."

Addie's a ballerina. She has recitals every other month. Iliana and I always come to them.

"When's your next recital?" I ask.

"In a few weeks."

I nod.

"You know," she starts, and by the tone of her voice I can tell I'm not going to like what she's about to say, "Kyle's a nice guy..." she gives me a look.

I roll my eyes, "I don't like Kyle. And I'm not going to start liking him because you gave him your seal of approval."

She raises her hands in defense, "I'm just saying that if your feelings for him develop, I'm perfectly fine with that."

I sigh.

"Just drop it."