High School Life

Carla Santoni was headed to English. Her last hour of the day. And she couldn’t be more relieved.

As she walked into room 101 on the first floor, she saw that she had this class with Chris. So, she decided to sit behind him, since both seats behind him were full.

“Hey,” Carla said as she passed him.

“Hey,” Chris responded. “Did you ever find out what was wrong with Shauna?”

“Yeah.” As Carla said this, she drew the word out and said it hesitantly.

“Well…” Chris said when she didn’t say anything else.

“It’s kind of private. And I promised her I wouldn’t tell.”

“Of course you did.” Chris sounded upset.

“But,” Carla started, trying to bring his hopes up, “I bet if you ask her, she’d have no problem telling you.

After she said this, Chris turned around and put his head down. “I need more guy friends,” Carla head him mutter. His mood had been like this practically all summer.

“What is you’re problem?” Carla asked in a nasty tone.

“What’s my problem?” Chris answered, angrily. “What’s my problem? How about what’s your problem? You and Shauna have been going around keeping secrets. And you know what? I’m sick of it. You guys just go and have all your stupid little girl fun while you leave me hanging. And I don’t like it. Not one bit. It’s really starting to get on my last nerve.”

Carla didn’t really like the tone he was having. She didn’t like it at all. So, she sat for a second before thinking of something to say while he stared at her, fuming.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize.” Chris just stared at her for a moment.

“It’s okay,” he finally said. “I’m sorry. It’s just been bugging me. We cool?” He held out his fist. She bumped it.

“Like the other side of the pillow,” she said. And they laughed like old friends should until the bell rang to start English I.

They sat and listen to their teacher drone on and on and on and on and. For what felt like, to them, forever. Until the bell finally rang.

“Goodness,” Carla said. “That took forever.”

“Tell me about it,” Chris replied. They walked outside, only to find it raining.

“Oh, great!” Carla said.

“You want my mom to give you a ride?” Chris asked her.

“Nah,” she said. “I’ll catch a ride with Shauna. It’s cool.” And, with that, Chris got into his mother’s car, and sped off.

Since Carla was outside, and school was over, she decided to check her phone. She had one text message. And it was from Shauna.

hey gurly its shauna. i left skool early so dont wait 4 me afterwards. luv ya chika. xoxo.

“Fantastic,” Carla muttered to herself. So, to pass a little time to see if the rain would let up, she decided to text Shauna back.

Hey, doofus. Learn how to spell!!!

And, to waste more time, she waited for Shauna to text back.

lol. srry im not as gramaticly corect as u r smrty pnts

Well, you need to learn to be. Lol.

hey, do u hav a ride home. chris txted n said it wuz rainin

Nah. But I’ll be fine. I don’t live too far.

wut do u mean u dont live 2 far? u live lik 12 bloks awy

I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get home. Love ya!

xoxo

Carla smiled to herself. Until she looked at the sky, that is. Instead of trying to waste time and waiting for the rain to let up, it only got harder.

“Great!” she exclaimed to herself.

“Hey!” Carla jumped, hearing the voice behind her, causing her to drop her cell phone into a puddle of water.

She quickly picked it up and turned around to see Scott.

“Hey,” she said.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh. No. It’s fine. Really.”

“So,” Scott started. “Still not up for that ride.” He held out his keys.

After school, Tyler takes the bus home. Bus number twenty-four. So, when it stopped, he got on it.

He went to the back to sit beside some blonde girl he didn’t know, since it was the only seat in the back. The high school kids had to sit in the back because it made it easier for the elementary school kids to find a seat up front.

He looked out the window, but was also looking a little bit at the blonde girl because he had an aisle seat. He thought he knew her from somewhere. Then, it struck him. This was Staci. Rachael’s friend.

“Hey,” he said, trying to strike up a conversation.

“Hey,” Staci replied, sounding bored. Then she looked back up at him. “Oh! Hey!” She had obviously heard from Rachael that they were going to Homecoming together.

“I’m Tyler,” Tyler said.

“I know. Staci.”

“I know. So, Rachael must have told you about us.”

“Oh, yeah. She did. I thought, at first, that it was pretty crazy for a sophomore to be going to Homecoming with a junior. But, then she told me of the plan, and I got it!”

“I’m sorry,” Tyler started. “Plan?”

“Yeah,” Staci said. “The one about using you to make Scott jealous so he’ll want her more.”

“What?” Tyler said, astonished. “So, she’s using me?”

“Pretty much,” Staci said, with a big smile on her face. Then, she got a look of understanding and she slowly looked at Tyler. “Oops.”

Tyler was pissed. Beyond pissed. But, then he thought about it. So what if she’s using me? Tyler thought. I’ll just sweep her off her feet with my charm. Of course! Then, she won’t want to make Scott jealous. Man, this is perfect.

A little while later, Tyler got off at his stop and walked into his house.

“Mom!” Tyler screamed. “Dad! Macy! I have something to tell you!” His mother, father, and little sister came into the living room.

“What is it sweetheart?” his mother asked.

“I’m going to Homecoming!” Tyler said.

“Oh, that’s wonderful dear,” his mom said. “We’ll take you shopping in a few weeks for your suit.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Tyler said. And, with that, Tyler went up to his room.

A few minutes later, there was a knocking on his door.

“Come in,” Tyler said, being lazy. The door opened, and in walked Macy.

Macy was Tyler’s younger sister. She was a freshman. And, when she wanted to be, and she wanted to be most of the time, Tyler’s best friend.

“Hey, Mace,” Tyler said. “’Sup?”

“Nothing,” she said. “So who’s the girl you’re going to Homecoming with?”

“Her name’s Rachael Bertacheli.”

“That’s a weird name.”

“Yeah, kinda. I think it’s Irish or something. I don’t know.”

“Well, what’s she like?”

“She’s pretty,” Tyler said, with that sound in his voice, as if he were daydreaming. At the moment, he didn’t care if Rachael was using him. He’d get through it. Because he thought he could win her. “She’s so pretty that I can’t even explain it. You’ll see her at one of the football games. She’s head cheerleader.”

“Oh,” Macy said. “Okay. So, you really like her, huh?”

“I really do like her.” After he said this, Tyler opened his new Geometry book to the first chapter they would be studying that school year. “Oh my God,” he said.

“What?” Macy asked.

“Geometry,” he said simply. “I’m not going to understand anything this year.”

“I’m sorry,” Macy said apologetically. “You know I’d help, but I barely maintained a C in math last year. And I’m only in Algebra I.”

“Thanks, Mace,” Tyler said. “But I think I’ll just have Carla come by or something when we start and help me with it.”

“Who’s Carla?”

“Just this girl in my geometry class. She’s, like, the only freshman, so that’s got to mean she’s wicked smart. At leat, I hope it does. Well, anyway, she said she’d help me if I ever needed it.”

“You sure you didn’t just ask her because you like her?”

“What?” Tyler said, astonished. “Of course not! I don’t even know her.”

“Well,” Macy said. “Do you think she’s pretty?”

“I don’t know,” Tyler said. “I’ve never really paid attention.”

“Well,” Macy started. “Pay attention, and tell me tomorrow.” She laughed a little.

“Ha ha,” Tyler laughed. “Will do, Mace.”

With that, Macy left, closing Tyler’s door, leaving him to his geometry book.

“You what?!” Rachael was on the phone, screaming at Staci.

“I’m sorry,” Staci said. “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to tell him.”

“You are such an idiot!” Rachael yelled. “I can’t believe you told Tyler I was using him to make Scott jealous.

“Well,” Staci started, “but you are.”

“But you’re not supposed to tell him that,” Rachael said. “Okay. No big deal. I’ll just make up something to tell him tomorrow if he says anything.”

“What are you going to say?” Staci asked.

“I don’t know,” Rachael started. “But if he doesn’t go with me because of this, you’re going to with you had never been born.”

“I’m sorry,” Staci said again.

“Just shut up, Staci,” Rachael said. “Look. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.” With that, she hung up the phone.

Rachael laid back on her bed, rubbing her temples. My friends are idiots, Rachael thought to herself. She heard the phone ring downstairs.

“Hello?” she heard her father’s voice say as he answered. “Yes, she is. One moment. Rachael! Phone!”

Rachael picked up the phone she had in her bedroom and talked into the reviever. “I got it,” she said to her father.

“Okay, hun,” her dad said to her. And she heard him hang up the phone on the other end.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Rachael?” she heard the voice on the phone ask.

“Yes?” she said, not knowing who it is.

“Hey,” the voice said. “It’s Scott.”

“Oh!” Rachael beamed. “Hey!”

“Hey,” Scott said. “Listen, I was wondering, you know that freshman, Carla?”

“Yeah.” Rachael didn’t know where this was going, but she knew she didn’t like it.

“Well, I heard you talking to her earlier today,” he said, “and I was wondering if you had her number.”

“Oh,” Rachael said in an upset voice. “No. Sorry.”

“Okay,” Scott said. “Sorry to bother you, then. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school?”

“Yeah,” Rachael said. “See you tomorrow.” And the phone line went dead.

Scott hung up the phone with Rachael. He started thinking back to all the things that happened earlier that day.

Study Hall.

Giving Carla his shirt.

Being partnered up in Parenting.

Asking her out on a date.

Carla refusing the date.

Asking her, twice, if she wanted a ride home.

To both offers, she refused, even though it was rainging.

Man, Scott thought. What is wrong with this chick. Doesn’t she know who I am? Of course she doesn’t. She’s a freshman.

Scott decided to resort to looking up her number in the phone book. And there were more Santoni’s in Miami than you thought there would be. So, he tried the number that would seem most likely.

“Olah?” Scott heard someone answer.

“Yes,” Scott started. “Is Carla there?”

“Un momento,” the man said. “Carla!”

There was a shuffling of the phone being handed on, and then a girl’s voice.

“Gracias, Papa,” Tyler heard her say. “Hello?”

“Carla?” Scott said. “It’s Scott. From school.”

“Oh,” Carla said. “Hey.”

“Listen,” Scott started. “I was wandering if, maybe, we could go do something Friday night. Like, a movie or something.”

“I already told you. My father doesn’t let me date.”

“Well, couldn’t you convince him or something?”

“Why do you want to date me anyway.”

“Because I like you.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I do know you. You’re Carla Santoni. Freshman at Miami Beach High School.”

“Okay, okay. Listen, I can’t talk here. My father’s listening.”

“¿Quién es?” Tyler heard her father say in the background.

“Nadie,” Carla said to her father. “Sólo un amigo de la escuela.”

“Usted necesita para bajarse de,” her father said. “Es tiempo para la cama.”

“Si, Papa,” Carla said. Then, she turned her attention back to Tyler. “I need to go.”

“Can I at least get your cell phone number?” Tyler asked.

“Get it tomorrow,” Carla started, “in study hall.”

“Okay,” Tyler said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Scott said. “Bye.”

“Bye,” said Carla.

Scott hung up the phone. He laid down on his bed, fully clothed. He looked at his clock. It’s only nine o’ clock, he thought. Why does she have to get off this early? Oh well.

Scott got onto his computer, went to search engines, and tried to learn at least some Spanish. He thought that if he could learn at least a little bit, he might be able to win Carla’s father over into letting his daughter date. Who knew? It might even make him lucky for Carla.