That One Moment...

Chapter 5

Day 26 - Consequences

Sarah was trying to go unnoticed today. Wearing a baggy sweatshirt and some old jeans, she snuck into school after locking her bike on the rack towards the side of the senior wing. What was her problem? It wasn't like anyone would be looking for her and she couldn't ignore Chris. They had their first two classes together. That meant she would probably need to talk about what went down in gym yesterday. Too bad it had only been a Wednesday. If only the weekend had stood between her and seeing people again. Plus, she was meeting Chris after school to work on their assignment. Ugh.

Trying to get to her locker unnoticed to switch out materials, Sarah was confronted by a pair of green eyes watching her movements. He was standing with his two friends, Leo and Dylan, that were also in chemistry and gym with her. Dylan, who looked darker and brooding but seemed to be the happiest of the three, might also be in her pre-calculus class. Two of the three had jerseys on. As she was watching, Chris also came up to the group and started chatting. He was also wearing a jersey, so it must be a soccer game today. 

Turning her attention back to her locker, Sarah didn't notice as the Greek God with green eyes approached.

"Hey. Sarah, right?"

Slightly startled, Sarah jumped a bit and lost her balance. The Greek God reached out to stabilize her, as Sarah responded "Yes. Don't sneak up on me like that."

He removed his hand from her waist as Sarah stepped backwards. "Sorry. I just wanted to apologize again. I was thinking about what you said yesterday and you made a good point. I don't really step in when Leo gets all confrontational with people and I should. I thought I was being a good friend, but really I think I might be part of the problem. So, thanks for pointing that out."

"Oh. Wow. Um. OK." Sarah wasn't really sure what to say. Looking around, she noticed that most of the people in the hallway were looking at them, including his friends. "Well. You're welcome, but I have to run to class. It's over in the junior wing."

"No problem. Just wanted to say that before I forget. Keep me honest if you see me being a silent bystander, would you?"

Sarah nodded, not knowing what to say. What was he doing even talking to her? She was a loner nobody. As she shut her locker and turned to go.

"By the way, I'm Ryan." Sarah heard him say as she hurried away. Her nerves were high and she did not know what was going on in her quiet school existence. 

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"Hey. Saved you a seat when I saw Ryan was chatting you up."

"What?" Sarah questioned as she quickly sat down next to Chris as the first bell rang.

"He mentioned that he wanted to thank you for something you told him yesterday, something about perspectives and needing to think about Leo's actions differently. He can be a real jerk and I don't like hanging out with him."

"Ryan?"

"No. Leo. Ryan and Dylan are both on the soccer team with me, but Leo plays football during the fall."

"Oh. So you like Ryan and Dylan, but not Leo?"

"Sort of. They are teammates, not really friends. We are in the same friend group though. Leo used to be my friend back in junior high, but he has gotten more aggressive and I didn't really keep up. I think it is tied to his dad. He was always pretty mean, but I have heard that he is physically and emotionally abusive now."

"Yeah. Ryan mentioned that when he was trying to apologize for him."

"Class. Can we please calm down?" Sarah heard Mrs. Romero ask from the front of the room. "I have a few announcements. First, we need to work more on the online literacy requirements next week, so I am passing out a reading tied to developing our skill set. In addition, I will be passing back your papers and giving you a chance to revise. Remember that your partner will need to do a peer review of your next analysis for next week as well. Second, we have a soccer game tonight and a home football game Friday. Do come and cheer on the teams. Actually, I think we have a few home games in a row before the seasons end. Let's support our teams."