OCTOBER 5TH, 8:54 AM
Walking through the hallways, Evan’s mind became packed with many thoughts, and Robert’s frequent questioning and doubts about everything they had experienced took the center of his attention. Dad seemed so sure, and Kyleigh did too, and maybe even Nahas and Akina, that they had all just witnessed the Savior, and their loved ones. And Heaven.
But should they be so sure?
Then again, he was one to doubt. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sirah. And she could have been just a detailed image placed in his mind.
But regardless, one thing was sure. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself passing by each dude and girl in the hallway. You have no idea what I just went through, and what I saw. Made him feel proud, and special, and far less concerned with anything negative they might think of or do to him.
An attractive girl in tenth grade, someone he’d seen a few times but who he wasn’t aware of by name, passed near him in the hallway. She had pretty eyes and long, sandy blond hair. And she was about his current twelve-year-old height, or a little taller, which was probably the same height – as Sirah.
No. Keep focused. This has to stop.
Yet his mind was not really letting him.
But darn. If he only had his cell phone. Later, when home, he was definitely checking out everything he could, online, about Sirah, to prove once and for all if she really did exist, if not anywhere else, at least on Earth.
Unfortunately another memory invaded his thoughts – Nahas asking that time if he had a girlfriend or not. Would be nice, for sure, to have popular Heidi Kircher for his girlfriend, with her fun, cheerful personality and pretty looks. Problem now, was, even though Heidi too had wavy blond hair, and even longer than Sirah’s, she wasn’t as pretty as Sirah.
No girl was as pretty as Sirah.
After dropping off most of his stuff in his locker, but keeping his notebook, book, and pencil, he headed down to his science class.
He walked in the room and saw some kids leaning against other kids’ desks, talking, no one seeming to care that class had already started.
Strange.
He looked around. Well, that explains it. Mrs. Lindele wasn’t in the room.
Heidi was over there, sitting in a seat a few rows back from near Mrs. Lindele’s desk, on the hallway side of the room. But she was talking to several other girls and didn’t even give Evan a glance, as usual.
He kept walking straight, heading for one of the desks in the room’s back right corner, and a disturbing thought crossed his mind. Even though the Savior explained that the copy universe was actually another timeline, that was never meant to occur, and everyone inside that universe was dream state, not real existence, could that honestly be true? He wondered about all these boys and girls he’d known since kindergarten, and Heidi, and Mrs. Lindele – so they hadn’t been actually real, but just copies that exploded away? Even the Christian ones?
Again, stuff that just didn’t make sense. And that was even if it all truly happened. He would have to talk to Dad and the others about this later.
But it didn’t matter much now. Jake and Peter were rushing over to him, mischievousness and destructive-loving glee all over their faces and behavior.
“Have you seen Freddy’s clothes?” Jake tilted his head back a bit, signaling to look to the front of the room, where Freddy usually sat.
Peter elbowed Evan. “Thinks he’s pimped-out with the goofy plaid shirt and gray pants. But he looks like a total geek.”
Jake laughed. “Yeah. What an idiot.”
Evan smiled, happy they were alive and well, but at the same time crushed by their behavior. “It’s really great to see you guys.”
Peter scrunched his brows together. “What are you talking about? We just saw you yesterday.”
“He’s being sarcastic,” Jake said. He stared at Evan, his face showing some hurt. “Not in the mood to hear about it?”
Evan looked around and between both guys, to see the front of the room. He didn’t see Freddy anywhere. “He’s not even here.”
“Yeah, he is,” Peter said. “He went to the crapper, I think.”
Mrs. Lindele walked into the room and headed for her desk near the blackboard. Oddly, she didn’t tell everyone to take their seats. She seemed preoccupied. She looked down at some papers on her desk, shuffled through them, and kept staring at one or two.
Evan was about to sit in the next to the last seat, when from his left side vision he could see Freddy walk in the room. His gaze followed Freddy’s path. Yeah, Peter and Jake were right. His outfit did look ridiculous. His pants were too short. And his buttoned-up shirt was too baggy. Geesh. Like someone pasted to his back – ‘Mess with me. I beg of you. I’m a total loser’.
And that swagger – like he felt he was better than others, but couldn’t back it up.
But those words, the words from the Parent: “Because my colleagues and I influence you, though yes, you can function well without us.”
Ouch.
Regardless of whether the Causalitors really existed or not, those words hit as a definite harsh reminder.
But still, the way Freddy looked, and how he moved, just shouted for someone to mess with him.
Yet then he recalled the Savior’s image of Earth, and those green, red, orange, and dark red dots. And Freddy, so close, yet so far away.
Darn it. Change. Things really needed to be changed, and now.
Besides, Freddy could be interesting, at least sometimes.
Evan sat in his seat.
Jake dropped down in the empty seat in front of Evan and flashed his devious stare. “We’re counting on you. You’ve got the mouth that has the clout.”
“Ha, ha, yeah,” Evan said, smiling. “Good rhyme.”
Peter sunk into the seat behind Evan. Peter leaned forward. “Go ask him how many ho’s he’s got from wearing those rags.”
Evan smiled and sat back cross-wise in the seat, so he had a view of both of them, to his left and right. “No, man.” He picked up his pencil and started scribbling on his notebook. “We should just leave him alone. The kid has enough problems.”
Peter gave Evan a perplexed stare. “What?”
Evan stared back. “You heard me.” Somehow, he didn’t just see Peter, but something else behind those annoying, intense blue eyes. “We should just leave him alone.”
“Whoa, dude.” Jake leaned slightly closer. “You going all Christian on us? Or did Daddy scold you out?”
“My dad has nothing to do with this,” Evan said. “And you know I’m a Christian. And you guys are too.”
“We just go ‘cause our parents do,” Jake said. “And that doesn’t mean I have to act like a boy scout all the time. It’s just fun.”
Evan sighed. “Yeah, but our fun is not his fun. He’s probably miserable when we do this.”
“So what?” Peter countered, a disgusted look on his face. “It’ll toughen up the stupid little MS prick.”
Fortunately, since they were sitting near the back of the room and lots of chatter was still going on with the other kids, Freddy probably couldn’t have heard that. “He really does have multiple sclerosis,” Evan said. “And it could kill him, you know.”
Jake let out a loud exhale of air. Some of the kids close by turned around and looked at Jake. And Heidi looked back too. “Oh, just forget it.” Jake stood up and stared at Peter. “You coming?”
Peter got up. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
Evan stared down, and then scribbled some more on his notebook’s cover. If he could only tell them what he just went through, even just some parts of it, like being by Jupiter, or on Titan, this would be so much easier. But they would probably never believe him.
But why did he let them go and do this? It couldn’t really be all Peter and Jake, could it?
Maybe it was just time to stop being a gutless jerk.
Evan stood up.
He walked carefully, though determinedly, around the desks and many of the kids yet standing, and headed for Freddy’s seat near the front row. Drawing closer, with the memory of the Causalitors still fresh, he envisioned that many of those ugly things could be around or inside Jake and Peter, encouraging hateful actions.
Whether true or not, he wasn’t going to let them.
Evan arrived behind Jake and Peter, wrapped his hands around their elbows, and pulled them back. He eyed both of them. “Don’t let them do this to you!” Jake and Peter’s faces erupted in wide-eyed confusion. Evan kept holding them, and looked around, his memories placing many of those ugly, faceless colleagues right in the room. “I’m not letting you do this to them, or me, any longer! You hear me?”
Jake yanked his arm away from Evan. “What’s wrong with you today?”
Peter tugged his arm back too, but didn’t say anything.
And then Evan noticed the dead silence in the room. Everyone had stopped talking. Mrs. Lindele was staring at him. He didn’t look around, but he could just feel everyone else’s eyes on him.
Yup. Must have said it way too loud.
They all think he’s totally lost it.
Mrs. Lindele walked over and stood near Freddy’s desk.
Jake, his face contorted in disgust, stared at Evan. “You sick or something? Damn, Evan.”
Peter actually looked more scared than disgusted, and was slowly backing away, heading down the aisle between the seats.
“Not so fast, Peter,” Mrs. Lindele said. “Come back here. I want to talk to you three.”
Evan looked down at Freddy in his seat. He didn’t move, only staring up at Evan. Fortunately, though his face showed confusion, he also seemed pleasantly surprised.
“Okay,” Mrs. Lindele said, “what’s going on here?”
Jake shrugged. “Nothing.”
“We were just talking to Freddy,” Peter said.
She looked at Freddy. “Is that true?”
Freddy shrugged, and gave a silly smirk. “Yeah.”
Typical Freddy. Never really stood up for himself. Yet then again, it would probably only make things worse.
Mrs. Lindele, her arms crossed, stared dead-on at Evan. “But why did you say you’re not letting them do this to you, or them, any longer. What did you mean by that?”
Oh, no. That awful, familiar, red burn sensation spread out across his face, especially on his cheeks. “I uh…I just meant that…uh…I don’t know.” There was no way he could say it. “I’m sorry. My dad wasn’t feeling so well today, and so I’m just not doing so good too, I guess. I’m sorry, really.”
She closed her eyes a moment, and nodded. “It’s all right, Evan. I understand.”
“Why didn’t you just say so?” Jake blurted out. “Damn it, Evan.”
“That’s enough,” she told Jake. “You and Peter need to take your seats now.” She looked around the room. “Everyone does. Let’s go.”
But no. There was more to do. “Could I…could I just talk to Freddy really quick?”
She blinked, staring at Evan, judging him. “Okay. But hurry.”
Evan slumped down into the empty seat in front of Freddy and gave him a friendly smile. “Hey.”
Freddy leaned forward, his eyes curious. “What was that all about?”
“Oh, nothing really. But look. I want to tell you. I’m sorry for all the times I messed with you.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I’m rather used to it.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to do it anymore.” Evan’s sightline gradually drifted to the right, until he caught Heidi in his view. She was staring right at him, her expression a little sad, though a weak smile lifted her cheeks. Really? She was actually happy with him for once? Evan nearly broke out in a wide, beaming smile, but hampered it down. He looked back at Freddy. “My dad knows this professor, from NDSU. He thinks you’re probably right, about the ten to the negative 23rd second stuff. Remember that?”
Freddy’s face lit up. “Oh yeah, I sure do. What’s his name?”
“Dr. Maplen.”
“I think I’ve heard of him before. But why were you just acting like that, saying those things?”
Evan stared into Freddy’s goofy, light brown eyes. It was definitely going to take some getting used-to, being friendly with this kid, but it could be done. And he felt strong determination to do so. But more than anything, he sensed he could tell Freddy what really happened, and this kid could handle it and even like it, somehow. But now wasn’t the time. “How about you come by sometime this week, after school? We could talk about it then.”
“Umm…okay. I’ll have to get permission. But yeah, I want to hear about it.”
Evan smiled and stood up. “And we can talk about some other things too.” He started heading back to his seat.
He walked past Heidi. She looked up at him and this time really smiled, and even batted her eyes a few times.
Though that awful discomfort from being embarrassed and getting an adrenaline kick yet remained, Evan felt himself walking high above the ground, strolling through the clouds. He kept his eyes focused straight ahead and smiled again, this time even wider.