Wacko Academy (2 page)

“Um…Dustin, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked timidly.

One of the giggly girls mumbled that I should get in line.  Dustin stared at me quizzically for a minute, a hint of a snide smirk starting to show.  “Sure.” He stood up and followed me away from the now-angry bunch of girls.

“So what did you wanna talk to me about?  Didn’t you want, like, nothing to do with me?” he asked.

“Did it really seem that way?” I asked, eyebrows slightly scrunched.

He nodded.

“Oh.” I shoved my hands in my pockets.  “Well, sorry if I made you feel that way.  Guess I was being kind of a jerk.  I’d like to have a fresh start, if that’s okay with you?”

Dustin studied me, as if he was making sure I was truly sorry.  He must have decided that I was, because a wide grin spread across his face.  This grin was playful and sweet.  It made him look even better than before.  I fought back a smile, still not fully trusting him.

“Yeah, you were kind of being a jerk,” he agreed.

I gave him a little shove.  He laughed.  I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

“I think a fresh start would be nice,” he continued.  “My name’s Dustin.  And yours is…?” He held out his hand as if to give me a handshake.

I glanced down at his waiting hand and back at him.  With a smile I accepted his handshake, finding his hand to be quite firm.

“Lilith Mason, but you can call me Lily, or Lil.  Whatever you prefer.”

So I spent the rest of recess getting to know him better.  This was unusually easy to do.  I had only just met him, yet it was like we were already friends.  I ended up forgetting every cautious feeling I’d had about him.  When recess was over, I surprised myself by feeling sorry.

“Time to go back to class.” Dustin said solemnly.

He looked sorry too.  I nodded and hurried to get inside.  

Watched

As the weeks progressed, Dustin and I became pretty good friends.  He turned out to be kind and intelligent.  He loved music almost as much as I did.  In addition to that, he was a bookworm like me.  The boy seemed to be perfect.  
Too perfect
, a voice said in my head.  I ignored it, pushing it to the back of my mind.  However, a part of me was determined to find a flaw.

“So, Dustin, what are you not good at?” I asked at recess one October day.

He turned his head toward me with his eyebrows raised.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, you seem to be good at a lot of things, and I was just wondering if there was anything that you couldn’t do that well,” I said quickly, suddenly embarrassed.  

He frowned in thought.  “Let me think .  .  .” he said slowly.  “I was never good at baseball.  Or anything having to do with a ball and a bat, for that matter.”

I smiled.  It was the same for me too.

“Any more questions?” he teased.

Actually, yes there were.  I let out a flood of questions, asking why he had moved from Florida, if he had any brothers or sisters, and why he wore such expensive clothes.  The minute I said those words, I wished that I hadn’t.  A dark shadow clouded his face.  

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” I said quietly.

He shook his head, admitting that he just hadn’t talked to anyone about his family before.  He went on to tell me that he had moved here from Florida because of his dad’s new job.  No, he didn’t have any biological siblings, although he had adopted brothers and sisters that dropped in from time to time.  As for the stylish attire, his dad’s job was paying him well, so his father insisted that he wear good-quality clothing.  Dustin hadn’t really wanted to wear it.

“Anything else you want to know?” he asked sincerely.

I apologized before I told him that yes, I did have one last thing to ask.  What about his mom?  Not once in this whole conversation had he mentioned her.

“My mom…passed away when I was seven,” he said sadly.

Oh.  I didn’t know what to say.  

“It might seem kind of stupid, but I keep a picture of her in my pocket.  To remember her.”

I looked up.  “Really?”

He nodded.  “Stupid, right?”

I shook my head.  “Not at all.  May I see it?”

He reached into his jacket pocket and carefully took out a small photo.  With slightly hesitant hands, he gave it to me.

“She’s so pretty.”

And she was.  She had the same shining eyes as Dustin.  Her smile was so bright and full of life; it could make even the saddest person happy.  Her dark wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders.  Around her neck, she wore a beautiful diamond necklace with a shiny gold horse pendant dangling from the middle.  She held a blossoming flower in her hands.  Her rich brown skin seemed to shine in the sunlight.

I looked over at Dustin staring at the picture.  He and his mother were so alike it was startling.  He had her hair, eyes, and dazzling smile.  When he stood in the sunlight, his skin seemed to shine just like hers.  

“You look so much like her,” I told him.

“My dad tells me that a lot,” he said softly.  He cleared his throat.  “This picture was taken about a year before she died.”

“Do you want to tell me about her?” I asked, still staring at the picture.  

“Well, I don’t really remember much,” he said slowly.  “But I do remember her stories.  They were about parallel worlds and time travel.  You know, science fiction stuff.  Nobody could tell a story like she could.” He stopped.  “That’s all I can remember, really.  That and her smile.”

I didn’t know what to say.  His mom sounded awesome.  I knew he didn’t want my pity, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the guy.  Dustin seemed to have been close to his mom.  I tried to imagine life without my own mom and grimaced at the thought.  That would be terrible.  There was no way I could truly understand what he was going through, but I did understand that his life couldn’t be that easy without one of his parents.

Before he could say any more, the bell rang.  I gave the picture back to him.  We walked back inside in silence.  

I was still thinking about him when I got off the bus that afternoon.  Normally, I would be making the short trek home with my neighbor Chase, but he had not been in school.  He’s one of those kids who skip school just to skip school.  

Suddenly the little hairs on the back of my neck rose.  I stopped walking for a second.  Something in the air had changed.  I got the strange feeling that someone else was there with me.  But the bus was long gone and there was nobody in sight.  I glanced around.  Nothing.  Just an empty road lined with silent houses.  

Clutching my backpack a little tighter, I started to walk again.  Ignoring the chills rolling down my spine, I kept a brisk pace.  My house was only a block away, but now it seemed way farther.  I thought I heard another pair of feet moving behind me.  I whirled around, thinking that maybe I could catch them by surprise.  Nothing.  

Frustrated now, I began to trot down the street.  Maybe I was going crazy.  Maybe not.  Either way, I had to get home.  Now.  

By the time I finally reached the front door of my house, I was out of breath.  I had broken into a sprint once I caught sight of the house.  I turned one last time, but I still didn’t see anything.  With a relieved sigh, I took my copy of our house key out of my pocket, unlocked the door, and went inside.

An Unexpected Visitor

The next day, Saturday, I was still a little shaken by what had happened at the bus stop.  Had my instincts been right, or was I just being paranoid?  I decided to shake it off and listen to some music in my bedroom before even looking at my homework.  I kicked off my worn sneakers and cranked up the tunes.  I started to dance.  There was no one to see me make a fool out of myself, so why not?  Besides, I love to dance.  I kept time with the beat, moving my hips to the music.

Suddenly it came again.  The strange feeling that I was being watched.  Oh no.  From behind me, someone laughed.  I jumped nearly three feet off the ground.  Slowly I turned to face the source of laughter.

There, on the windowsill looking comfortable and amused, sat Dustin.  I stared at him with wide eyes, utterly speechless.

He smirked.  “Don’t stop on my account.  You’re an awesome dancer.”

I felt my face get hot.  He had seen me dance.  However, that wasn’t the big issue at the moment.

“H-how did you get in here?” I was finally able to stammer, after a full minute of simply staring in bewilderment.  

Dustin shrugged.  “It was easy.  You really shouldn’t leave your window open.”

Excuse me?  I was sure the window had been closed, and I told him so.  Again I received a nonchalant shrug, which was beginning to seriously tick me off.  The pity I had been feeling for him the day before was gone.  All I felt now was annoyance that was quickly turning into anger.  

“What are you doing here?” I asked as calmly as I could.  My fingers curled into tight fists behind my back.  If he shrugged again, I was sure I would slug him.

“I was bored, so I decided to come over to see what you were doing.” He paused to tilt his head and smile.  “I’m glad I did.”

That beatific grin wasn’t going to distract me.  Not this time.  “And how did you get up here?” I raised an eyebrow.  “You’re not some kind of vampire or anything freaky like that, are you?  ‘Cause I really do not need you bringing the whole Cullen clan into my bedroom.”

“Nope.  Completely human, I promise.”

“In that case, you could have rung the doorbell like a normal human being.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” he countered.

“How did you even get my address?”

“You gave it to me.”

I glared at him.  This boy was impossible.  First he breaks into my room and now he was insisting that I gave him my address.  Which I totally didn’t.  Though something distracted me from being angry with him.  If he could just appear on my windowsill, who’s to say he couldn’t follow me without my knowing?  Maybe there had been someone there the other day.  Maybe it was him.  I stared at him, incredulous.  

“What?” he demanded.

I mimicked his annoying shrug.  “Nothing.”

He cocked his head, trying to figure me out.  “You know, you’re kind of weird.”

This brought the anger back.  “
I’m
weird?  I’m not the one sneaking into people’s rooms.  I should be calling the police right now, or at least telling my mom that you’re here.” I was so mad, my whole body had started to lightly shake.  

Dustin just stared at me like a parent waiting for their child to get tired of having a temper tantrum.  “But you’re not going to,” he told me calmly.

“Oh yeah?  And how do you know that?” I snapped.  

“I know you,” he said simply.

What?  That was a laugh.  “Oh, please.  You barely know me.  It’s been what?  A few weeks?”

He didn’t answer.  He just stared at me with a smugness that made me want to scream.

I plopped down on my bed with my arms crossed, glowering at him.  The staring contest went on for several seconds.  Neither of us blinked.

“So when are you going to leave?” I asked finally.

Dustin leaned against the windowpane.  “When you want me to.”

“I want you to.”

He shook his head.  “No, you don’t.”

“Ugh!  You are insufferable!” I exclaimed.

I was so frustrated my head would surely explode if I didn’t calm down soon.  His eyes gleamed with amusement.  He was totally enjoying pushing my buttons.

“Couldn’t you have picked some other girl to bother?”

He shrugged.  “I’m interested in you.”

Oh, good grief!  Where had he gotten that line?  

“Fine, you win.  I give up.  Stay as long as you want.  I’m going downstairs for something to eat anyway.  Have fun by yourself,” I told him, heading for the door.

Dustin’s facial expression turned from amusement to disappointment.  He actually pouted.  “Aw, come on, Lil.  Don’t be like that.  If you want me to leave, I’ll leave.”

I froze.  “Really?”

He nodded, beginning to maneuver so that he could climb down.

Then I realized that I didn’t want him to go.  This was the first time a boy had pursued me like this, and I was kind of flattered.  Stupid, I know.  Besides, he was my friend.  He was annoying, not threatening.

“Dustin, wait.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you can stay if you want to.  I’ll get a snack for us, OK?”

He looked at me a little uncertainly.  “OK.” I don’t think he trusted that I would really come back.

When I returned, I was half expecting him not to be there.  Maybe I had dreamed the whole thing.  But there he was, sitting in the same exact position.  He was staring intently out the window, his expression sad.

“I’m back.  As promised.”

He looked up, all sadness erased.  A wide grin spread across his face.  How did he do that?  Completely change his facial expressions in an instant, leaving me to think that maybe I had imagined his sadness.  I tossed him a bag of pretzels as I sat down.  He opened it, immediately beginning to munch.

This whole time, the music had been playing.  I considered turning it off, but decided to keep it on.  Why not?

Dustin finished the bag in record time.  I tossed him another one.  My aim was off.  It went flying for the open window.  However, he caught it out of midair without even blinking.  Whoa.

“Nice reflexes,” I commented, impressed.

“Thanks.”

He opened the new bag and popped a pretzel in his mouth.

“So, what’s your story?” he asked after eating a few more.

“Come again?” I asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Well, I told you stuff about myself, so now it’s your turn,” he explained.

I sighed, figuring it was only fair.  “Well, my mom is a secretary at the
Times Herald Record
newspaper.  My dad fixes computers.  Not very interesting jobs.  Trust me.  I’ve visited both.” I pretended to yawn, emphasizing how boring they were.

Dustin laughed.  “Any brothers or sisters?”

“Two brothers and one sister.  I’m the oldest.  Aaron’s seven, Eric’s five, and Rose is eleven.”

“Wow.  Big family,” he commented.

I nodded.  That was true, although I had seen bigger.  My friend Asialie has five brothers and sisters.  Whenever I go to her house, there’s always shouting and the sound of something crashing to the floor.