August 28th, Tuesday - Casey Silpetti
Casey makes sure to wake up early, so she can leave by the patio door and avoid Cadence or her mother. She heads over to the student center for breakfast. Luckily the scholarship also came with a meal card, though it only covers the weekdays since she’s a local student. She grabs her breakfast and heads over to one of the overstuffed sofas to relax and eat. She finishes her bagel and sits there watching everyone milling around as she picks at her nails. It’s almost time to repaint them. She sees Aiden say hi to Veronica and watches as she lights up from the attention. They chat for a while and Casey is glad to see Veronica opening up to someone. May sidles up to Aiden, dragging Chance Mors with her.
“How that girl can flirt with 1 guy, while she’s hanging on another is beyond me,” Casey thinks, noticing that Veronica has snuck away from the table. Aiden brushes off May and heads off towards the lockers. Casey grabs her trash and throws it away as she goes to her locker and then to homeroom. She runs into her best friend, Harmony Roberts, on the way.
“Harmony! Where were you yesterday? How could you miss the first day of school?”
Harmony hugs Casey. “We had flight issues coming back from Italy…as in, way overbooked and we got bumped. I was so bummed! What’s the scoop?”
“Well, I’ve got Advanced Chem with Aiden and Veronica. New girl is Cadence…her mom’s the drama teach. They both seem ok. Otherwise, same ol’ same ol’. Oh, and May seems to have her claws in Chance already. How’s your artwork coming on that comic you were working on?” Casey asks.
“It’s great,” answers Harmony. The bell rings for homeroom. “I’ll show you at lunch?”
“You bet.” They hug and Casey heads to homeroom, while Harmony runs to her locker first, and then to homeroom.
Morning announcements are kind of intense. There is a new school policy forbidding outside guests from coming on campus without permission. No students are allowed off campus during school hours, and no one is allowed off campus unless they are on public transportation, or they have private transportation with a note from their parents. It’s also recommended that no student walk campus by themselves, that a buddy system be used.
Classes start off as though summer break were just a weekend. This year is going to be tough, Casey can already tell. But it’s senior year, and the cachet she will get from graduating this school will be worth all of the hard work.
Professor Z’s class follows the same format as the others. After a thirty minutes lecture on covalent bonds, everyone is broken up into lab partners to start work on a project that will take the rest of the week.
Aiden smiles at her from across the room, and she hopes again that they can continue their partnership from last year. Unfortunately, as Professor Z calls out the partners he says, “Connor, Dennison.” Aiden shrugs over at Casey before he gives Cadence an appraising look, as they move to sit at the same lab table.
“Kane, Silpetti.” Casey sighs inwardly. At least it’s someone she gets along with, some of the few remaining students would not have led to a good class this year. Not only that, but between her and Veronica, class projects this year should be a cinch!
Veronica sits next to Casey, and gives her a soft smile. “Sorry about this.”
Casey glances over. “Sorry for what?”
Veronica’s smile grows a little wider. “Well, I bet I wasn’t the first choice in partners.” She glances over at Aiden, who’s talking intently with Cadence, who’s pouring through her book. “Not that anyone would blame you, I’m thinking every girl in here was hoping to work with Aiden this year. Well, most all of them I guess,” she corrects as she glances at Cadence. Casey laughs. “I guess, but you’re definitely who I’d choose above anyone else in here.”
Towards the end of class, a shadow falls over the table. Casey looks up to see Aiden standing sheepishly next to her. He gives his million dollar smile to her and Veronica. “Hey guys… I was wondering, I mean, we were wondering if we might get the two smartest people in here to take pity on us?”
Cadence walks up and sits next to Veronica, across from Aiden. She smiles hesitantly at the two of them. “Aiden was telling me that ya’ll are both really good at Chem, and well, we could use some help.”
Veronica smiles widely, and it feels as though a beam of sunlight warms the room. “Well, I don’t mind if Casey doesn’t.” Just as she thought. The younger girl is way too sweet and soft-hearted to turn down any plea for help.
“Awesome!” Aiden says. “Well Case, if you don’t mind, maybe we can all get together Friday night? Have a little study party? I think I can swing some company at my place, if no one else has a better spot?”
Veronica frowns. “Oh, I wouldn’t be able to do anything Friday night. My mom is going to announcing tonight a meeting on Friday at the University Theater, about trying to form a Citizen’s Watch to try and help keep any more children from going missing.” A shadow crosses Veronica’s face. “We went to that girl from King’s Row, Mercedes Dawson’s memorial this weekend. It was so sad, the whole neighborhood was there. So my mom is getting together some people and we’re going to try and do something, me and Binks are going to go with her. There’s supposed to be a lot of people going: my dad, the Mayor, Chance’s dad Mr. Mors, Father Piccoli, and a whole bunch more. wondering…” he motions over to Cadence and sits down beside Casey, “…if maybe we could kinda join forces here, make a little study group?”
“I don’t think we’re doing anything Saturday night, though.”
“I’m up for Saturday, if you guys are?” Casey replies.
They agree on Saturday night for a study party at Aiden’s house.
Lunchtime comes around and Casey looks for Harmony. They grab lunch and find a table. Harmony gets out her drawings to show Casey when Aiden sits down.
“Mind if I sit here?” he asks.
“Umm..ok,” Casey answers, blushing a little. As soon as he sits down, May wanders over. She says hi to Aiden, ignoring Casey and Harmony…almost. She dumps her Diet Coke all over Harmony’s drawings and Casey’s lap. Casey jumps up, and Harmony grabs her drawings, trying to save them. Aiden stands up protectively between Casey and May.
Casey pushes Aiden out of the middle. “What the hell was that for?” Casey demands of May.
“It was an accident,” May answers sarcastically. “Sor-ry.”
Harmony mutters, “Bitch,” while she pats at her drawings with napkins.
“Accident my ass. You opened the can on the way over here and hadn’t even had a drink yet! You could’ve pretended to trip or take a drink or something…we MIGHT have believed it was an accident then. Maybe you should keep that tip in mind for next time…k?”
“Well…I did trip…you just didn’t see it,” stammers May.
“Over what? The flat, smooth cement? The nonexistent obstacle out here in the middle of the lunchroom? Give it up and just go back over to where people actually want to converse with you.” Casey turns away from May and helps Harmony dab at her drawings. “I think we can save a couple of these, Harm.”
Aiden and May just stare at each other awkwardly for a moment before Aiden turns to help dry off the drawings. May gapes at him for another moment before haughtily walking off toward the bathroom.
“I’m sorry guys, I had no idea May was going to do that.” He reaches out and touches Harmony’s arm as he says it.
Harmony glares up at him for a moment, before her look softens. “Don’t apologize for that waste of skin. She’s not your baggage, you know.”
Aiden glances over at Casey, “I am sorry, though.” He gives his patented ‘melt your socks right off’ look at Harmony. “Let me get you some dessert, to make up for it?”
She tries to withstand it, but Casey can see her buckle. “Ok, whatever,” she mutters as she throws her hands in the air dramatically. Aiden smiles at the two of them as he stands, then walks back to the line.
Harmony waits until he’s out of earshot to explode. “That bitch! I swear, we should’ve stomped her so hard they’d have to make an After School Special out of it. You know she’s just jealous of you, right?”
She falls quiet and they sit there and stare at each other for a moment. It doesn’t take long before they both start chuckling at the rant she just exploded into, and it’s even quicker for those chuckles to turn into full out laughter.
Aiden walks up with two plates of chocolate cake. “What’s so funny?”
