Talented (rewrite): And You're Supposed to Be...? {chap. 3}

Thankfully, the school day had finally come to a close, and I was now standing at the front entrance of the school, trying to stay clear of all the kids bursting out from the front doors. I sighed, pulling more on the strap of my bag and looking out into the parking lot.1

The sky was overcast and gray, making me a little worried that it was going to rain. I didn’t mind the rain so much, it’s just that Mom would be mad if I tracked mud in the house. Or maybe Salem was always cloudy…2

A hand was suddenly placed on my shoulder, and I turned to see a girl, Rachel, smiling back. Nerves began to rack through my spine at the contact, but I stayed perfectly quiet.3

“Are you walking home?” She asked quietly.4

“Uh… Yeah.” I replied, wondering how I was going to get out. Or where I should, for that matter.5

“Where do you live?” she pressed politely, “You should walk with us.” 6

I realized a couple of other kids were waiting. Melina, Rodger, Tyson and another boy I didn’t know. “Sure.” I said slowly, calculating what exactly to say, “I moved into that new house on Mason Street.”7

“That’s you?” The stranger boy asked, and I nodded weakly. It was as if I couldn’t do anything else. I felt so useless in this place, so nervous. Edgy would be the appropriate term. Edgy…8

“Well, you should come with us.” Melina decided, taking my arm. I had a feeling she wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. That was fine by me; I hadn’t the faintest idea of where to go. The group began to walk, leaving me to trail at Melina’s side as we crossed the parking lot. Knots twisted in my stomach, and I had no idea why. This strange sense of anxiety was so weird, but at the same time I couldn’t exactly pinpoint its reason, though the feeling was eating me up inside.9

I turned my head, trying to push the hair out of my face, noticing something I wasn’t quite sure I liked and at the same time could do nothing about.10

There was a blond boy, leaning against what was probably his tan jeep. He had his arm circled around another blond girl, both of them definitely in the heat of the moment. They were kissing like no one was around, and it made me a little nauseous. I turned again for some reason, as if I were tracking things by instinct. 11

A boy with bronze skin and a skater style haircut of jet black hair was walking with a girl who had pale skin and a round face, framed by straight dark hair. Her dark eyes seemed to sweep the crowd, the boy who was obviously her boyfriend putting his arm around her shoulders and saying something in her ear. Whatever it was, it helped her relax.12

The whole world seemed to slow down as I took these calculations, for these three people seemed to stand out compared to the others. The blond and his girlfriend stopped kissing, the boy pushing her away and saying something that looked a little harsh by the way his eyes were, girl shaking her head. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, slinging his backpack in the car. The girl stomped off, looking a little deflated than anything else. What could have caused that…?13

“See you noticed him. Most freshman do on their first day.” Melina hissed in my ear. I knew that tone quite well. It was the gossip-girl tone. Sometimes it was an asset, and at others a curse. Today, I would try and make it an asset.14

“Who?” I asked innocently, just to draw it out. Maybe we were talking about two different people. Of course, Melina rolled her eyes at my cute response.15

“You know perfectly well. That blond in the jeep.”16

“Oh, yeah? What about him? Why does he catch every girl’s eye?” I walked a little bit faster, trying to put as much distance between that boy and me.17

“That’s Virgil Parker, this school’s biggest player.” She rolled her eyes. “All the girls want to go out with him, but he’d probably only go on one date with them. There are a lot of stories about him having sex with them. But the odd thing is he won’t say anything about it. Either it’s because it’s all true, or he’s a gentleman and lets girls talk trash because he just wants them to feel good about themselves. But most people think the stories are true.”18

I nodded slowly, trying to process the words. The way he was so rough with that girl… maybe the stories were true. “Who was that girl he was with?”19

“Probably Missy Hollins, head cheerleader. It’s an on-and-off thing with them. The odd thing is you never know when their hooking up, but you always know when they break up.”20

“How?” My curiosity was becoming less mild now.21

“Missy is constantly crying for a whole day with her friends all around her, while Virgil won’t even take a second glance. Everyone thinks that she needs him way more than he needs her.”22

“All of this over him?” I couldn’t help but smile. “Why?”23

“Because,” she seemed exasperated, “Every girl wants him as their boyfriend, and there have been a couple of fights about him, near as I could tell. They always say that he flirted with them first, when it’s probably the other way around.”24

“Hmm…” I pondered idly, “What grade is he in?”25

“Senior.” Rachel stated promptly and I had a feeling she was listening to the whole thing. “But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. He only dates juniors and seniors.”26

“Rach is an expert on Virgil.” Melina translated.27

“I see you guys are already drooling over the pop star wannabe.” The stranger boy said as he rolled his eyes.28

“No we weren’t,” Rachel amended, “We were just informing Jessie about him. Jessie, this is Jason.”29

“Hey!” He smiled.30

“Hi.” I replied, suddenly cursing myself about it. I wished I could come up with a better greeting than the timid and doe-like ‘hi’ that always seemed to escape me. Maybe a cool and collected ‘sup’ or a perky ‘hiya!’. 31

My mind froze at that. Hiya? Now that was a little too extreme. Hi was easier. It was something I could manage, and pull off.32

“So, how are you liking Salem?” He pressed.33

“I haven’t really seen that much of it, actually.” I said innocently, a small smile crossing my face. He at least seemed a little nice.34

“How long have you been here?”35

“I just moved in my house yesterday.”36

“No way. That’s cool.” He shrugged indifferently, and our conversation ended there. 37

Of course, when walking home with such a large crowd of students, I was a little bored. No one was talking to me, and I was beginning to search the houses to see if I could find mine.38

There it was, thank God. I bid my acquaintances farewell, somewhat dreading the next day already. They seemed nice, but just a little too… tame for my likes. The people in California were a little more wild, a little more fun. Oh well, each place was different. I knew all about that. 39

I crossed the street quickly, reaching the safety of my new house. I just lightly touched the latch of the front gate, when I heard a bark.40

Bark!41

Of course, I jumped in surprise. Because this bark wasn’t a little pathetic bark of a Chihuahua. No, it was a forceful bark. In the middle of big and small. I looked down, ready to find the culprit of my surprise.42

It was a Beagle. The happy little mutt was sitting on his haunches, looking up at me with happy eyes and a tail that was moving a mile a minute. A panty smile crossed his face, making him look a little dopey. “Um… Hey.”43

The dog barked in reply. I smiled, kneeling down and holding my hand out. Of course, he trotted up, and I rustled his ears. “Hey, what are you doing here buddy?”44

He only looked back with sparkling brown eyes, still as happy as ever. Naturally, he wouldn’t answer my question. He was just a dog.45

I straightened up, opening the gate and walking inside. I turned around, the dog looking at me with a question in his eyes. His tail slowed, and he was sniffing the air nonchalantly.46

“You might as well come in.” I replied, and the dog looked at me. Somehow, it looked like he gave a shrug, and trotted past me like he owned the place. He walked up the steps to the porch, waiting promptly at the door.47

I looked around, no one seemed to be in eyesight and the neighborhood seemed absurdly quiet. My attention focused on the dog, who was looking at me with completely calm eyes. Surely, no one would see… right?48

“Wanna see something cool?” I asked, the daring smile seemed to creep into my voice.49

The dog wagged his tail exuberantly, panting heavily as if that’s what he was waiting for all along. That was stupid, how could he? He didn’t even know what I could do.50

Wind. Glorious wind only coming from speed, flew through my hair. I smiled, charging forward to the door. I stopped only inches away, my hand grasping the knob. If I had gone any further, the door would probably have been broken down, or I would get a broken nose. “Whoops,” I mumbled, fishing through my pockets for the keys to the house. 51

The dog looked very impressed. His tail had slowed to a stop, his jaw hanging open with his tongue lolled out. “Cool, right?” I smirked at his reaction. The dog had quickly regained his composure, his tail moving lightning fast.52

I heard the satisfying chink as the lock turned in my favor, and pushed the door open. The dog, with his funny confidence, strode in and sniffed the air daintily like he was a grand duke or duchess invited to a party. In his eyes, he seemed to have the same crudeness as he inspected the empty house, the only seating in one of the rooms was a futon. 53

“Well…” I sighed, “We move a lot.”54

I walked past him, letting him feel at home as I entered the kitchen, looking for my parents. “Mom? Dad?” There was a note taped to the fridge. I peeled the tape off to see what it said:55

Jodi, 56

Went out shopping. Food’s in the fridge. Take care.57

Mom and Dad58

Sighing, I crumpled up the note and threw it in the garbage. My attention was turned back on the dog. “They went out for groceries… and maybe some other stuff like more furniture because we move so much.”59

He inclined his head. 60

“I don’t know why, we just do. I don’t know really. Every time a gym teacher would notice that… little blip of speed, they’d ask me to join the track team. But when I’d ask my parents… well, we’d end up moving soon. Now I just don’t do gym anymore. I don’t wanna screw up again, you know?”61

The dog seemed to understand.62

“But shouldn’t my parents accept who I am, though?” I asked as I walked up the stairs, the dog at my heels, “It seems like all they want to do is hold me back. Sometimes I want to know how fast I can really go… I bet it could be faster than a car!” 63

I flopped down on my bed, staring at the ceiling, huffing at the thought. The dog laid down beside my bed, letting out a deep breath of his own. 64

My eyelids slowly drooped, exhaustion creeping in. I knew this would happen. 65

My parents seemed to come home soon after. I could hear their laughter from the second floor, but I didn’t make a move to them. The dog’s ears perked up, of course, and he looked at me with concerned eyes. 66

“Don’t worry, I’ll just tell them.” I said groggily, rubbing my eyes. I looked at my alarm clock, and I realized it was five. “Already?” I grumbled, standing up. The dog followed me as I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. 67

My parents were happy and smiling, putting bags on the counter. 68

“Hey guys,” I smiled, helping them put away stuff.69

“Hey kiddo,” My dad replied. 70

When the dog followed me in, both parents stared at him.71

“Um… Yeah,” I said nervously, “I found this dog and I was wondering if we could take care of him until the proper owner came.”72

“Sure…” Mom said skeptically.73

“What’s his name?” Dad quickly changed the subject.74

“I didn’t really think of that…” I replied, looking down at the dog.75

“Maybe Spot.” He volunteered.76

“Wow,” I smirked, “For an author, you sure pick the cliché names.”77

“The cliché names are the most original.” He joked.78

“What do you think of Spot, boy?” I looked at the Beagle. 79

He looked back with glazed eyes.80

“I don’t think he likes that.” I translated.81

“Rover?” Mom asked.82

The dog didn’t seem pleased.83

“Nope.”84

“Jamie sounds good.” Dad mused.85

The dog looked like he was weighing his options.86

“That’s a good possibility.” I smiled.87

“Oscar?”88

I could swear I saw the dog roll his eyes.89

“No.” I laughed aloud.90

“Dallas!” Mom decided.91

The dog looked happy. He barked, that panty smile on his face and tail wagging a mile a minute. 92

“He likes that one!” I agreed.93

We got back into our regular routine. With Dallas here it seemed like we were a normal family living a normal life. At dinner, he slept by my chair under the table and when I went upstairs to sleep, he’d decided his spot was at the foot of my bed. Maybe a dog was all we needed to make our life complete.94