WYATT
(Seventh Grade)
Wyatt and Kareem walked out of
their first/second period block of English and Social Studies on the way to the
lunch area for nutrition break. It was strange to go to whole new classrooms
with different teachers for most subjects. He had done it in elementary school
for Reading and Math, but now, in junior high, it seemed so much more grown up.
Kareem confirmed he felt the same way, even if they hadn't actually switched
classes yet. They would for the remaining five periods of the day.
He and Kareem became friends over
the past two summers at computer day camp. Both went because they wanted to
design games — Wyatt blockbuster RPG action games and Kareem physics-based
strategy games. Designing games was Wyatt's dream job, while Kareem wanted to
do it for fun. His goal was to become an astrophysicist like Neil deGrasse
Tyson.
Wyatt had been ecstatic when he
not only saw Kareem in Mr. York's class, but got to sit next to him. They had a
lot in common, and Wyatt figured they'd become even better friends then they
had during camp. Hopefully Mandy and Luci would like him, too.
As they headed towards the
cafeteria to get a snack, Kareem said, "My brother says they have honey
buns that they heat up. They're the kind you buy at the mini-marts, but they're
totally worth getting."
"Okay," Wyatt said.
"First I want to find a couple of friends to see how their day is
going."
"Cool. Who are they? Not
computer campers, I take it."
"No. Mandy plays soccer in
the summer. Well, actually, she pretty much plays all year. And Luci is into
Taekwondo. Neither cares much about computers other than Facebook and things
like that."
Kareem stopped in his tracks.
"Wait, girls? We can't hang out with girls. The only guys that hang out
with girls are those that have game. And, dude, neither of us has game."
"No, you'll see. They don't
care about that. They're awesome. Mandy's been my best friend since before
elementary school, and Luci since first grade."
At that moment, Mandy and Luci
rounded a corner ahead. Wyatt waved, and Mandy waved back, while Luci gave a
half-hearted one and looked embarrassed. There were a couple of other girls
with them, too, but he didn't know them.
"No way," Kareem said.
"Your friends are way too hot for us to hang out with. Even talk to. And
those girls with them are Simone and Haylee. Light years out of our
league."
"I just want to say
hi." Wyatt started towards them, but Kareem grabbed his arm. He looked up
and saw the other girls had stopped Mandy from coming any closer. She argued,
but the two girls, Simone and Haylee, like Kareem, wouldn't relent. Luci gave
him a shrug and turned around. Mandy stopped struggling, gave him another wave,
this one sad, and turned with her friends. He slumped his shoulders and let
Kareem lead him towards the lunch area.
"Sorry, dude, but this is
junior high. You need to learn the rules."
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