Cloudy
The metal detector went off suddenly. The school’s alarm bells began to ring sharply. Guards wearing blue-grey uniforms rushed to the spot. Cloudy cocked her head sideways, not looking directly at the commotion, but obviously listening intently. It would have been difficult to see through her dark sunglasses anyway.
Barely controlled laughter drifted to her ears. It was her best friend, Elise, her wheezy laugh mingling with the laughs of other students. Elise sidled up to Cloudy, still giggling.
“That boy in, in the,” Elise sputtered, trying to gain control. “That boy in the wheelchair set off the metal detector!” She burst out. A new wave of irrepressible laughter engulfed her yet again.
“What?” Cloudy cried in dismay. “Why would you laugh at him?” Elise’s face became somber in an instant.
“Man Cloudy don’t have a heart attack. It’s only laughter. Besides laughter is the best medicine and he needs tons of that!” As Elise succumbed to the laughter brought on by the cruel quip, Cloudy strode purposefully over to the boy and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. Everyone became silent and serious. Why was the most popular girl in the school standing by such a loser? And why was her hand on his shoulder? Did she know him? Was she going to embarrass him even more? These questions and others drifted through the minds of the assembled students.
“Come on,” Cloudy said quietly as she wheeled him away from the entrance.
Elise strolled over, not bothering to conceal her sneer that was etched into her next words. “Hey, Cloudy, what are we going to do with him?” Cloudy gave her a blank look. “I mean we’re not just going to hang out with Wheels are we?”
Cloudy turned on her faster than a tiger. “Just because he’s in a wheelchair he’s a loser? Would you call me a loser if I was disabled?”
“No, but come on, Cloudy. You’re not disabled. And I mean just look at him. He’s so weird and creepy. I don’t think we can hang out if you’re going to be by him.” Elise paused for a moment, obviously expecting a reply. “You’re not seriously thinking about choosing him over me are you?”
Cloudy stared sullenly at the floor. “Why do you keep saying him like him? It’s so whiny.”
“You’re avoiding the question, Cloudy. Who’s it going to be: me or him?”
“Elise, come on. We’ve known each other since second grade. You’re not just going to walk away from all that because of this are you?” Cloudy’s voice was pleading.
“I’m not the one walking away. You’re choosing. Right here, right now. Choose.” Elise’s voice was as hard as steel and her face was as unreadable, and impassive as granite.
“I can’t. I’m sorry,” Cloudy whispered miserably.
“Don’t be sorry. And don’t come to me when something gets tough. You have your new friend to comfort you.” Elise walked away, not turning back.
“I’m sorry.” The boy said quietly.
“Shut up, Wheels!” Elise yelled back, her voice cracking. She kept walking and soon she was out of sight.
“Nice shades.” The boy said to Cloudy after a long moment, his voice soft.
“Whatever.” She paused. “Do you have a name?”
“Yes,” He stared up at her.
Cloudy looked at him questioningly.
“Oh, err, Jason.”
“Oh…” There was an awkward silence. “Oh,” the monosyllable was repeated. “Well, Jason pleased to meet you. Could you please excuse me while I go to class?” Cloudy didn’t wait for a reply, just turned and headed to Algebra.
The rest of the day was monotonous, each second drawn out, every hour an eternity, and, in every class, right in front of her, sat Elise. Our schedules just have to be the same, she thought to herself. And of course every seating chart is alphabetical. Tamel comes before Tinch every, single time. In the past, she had always enjoyed this arrangement; Elise and she were able to whisper quietly, help each other out on difficult questions, and otherwise fool around. Now it was torture. She wanted things back to the way it used to be. She wished Jason had never come to her school, wished he had never set off the metal detector, wished Elise hadn’t laughed. But it had happened and no amount of wishing was ever going to change that sad, grim fact.
Cloudy looked at her shirt, thinking about the irony of the two clouds on it. One was grey and the other a fluffy white. It said in big, puffy, cloud letters “Be Optimistic! Don’t Let Rainy Days Get You Down! ”. It was exactly like the shirt she had worn when she had first met Elise. From that year on she always made replicas of it; remembering the good times. Soon, it became her namesake. When she felt she was going to have a wonderful day, she would wear it. Today, with the ironic sun shining brightly, had felt like a great day. Apparently she was not anywhere near fortune teller status.
For the rest go to "Is this story any good? (part 2)
It’s alright it could be a little bit thorugh, but it has great potential.
You’ll get more of a answer if you type specific questions you want to know. I’d answer, just don’t know what you want to know!
haha, they blurred out the word "cocked" haha
jesus, they did it to me to! wtf, c o c k e d is not a bad word!