My Share of Sand (A Calabasas Fable)

23-Stealin'

Monday, October 2

A morning without sunshine feels so hollow. And empty. Everything seems out of place. Nothing seems right with the world. It's a quiet, but, cruel punishment.

The weather in Calabasas was actually warm and sunny this morning, but once the 7:30 bell rang and class began, Colinda and Darius both had this feeling. 

Seeing Templynn's empty desk was the same as clouds blocking out the sun.

Where was she?

They didn't know it, but Templynn being gone was the one thing preventing them from a messy head-on collision. Because, around the same time the previous night, they had each reached the same decision: they would make their move for Templynn. Partly to push Jaxon out of the way, and partly because they felt like they had a golden opportunity they absolutely must not waste.

The plan that Darius concocted went like this: when she sat down at her desk, he would walk up and tell her he had a present for her, then hand her a small, realistic kangaroo figurine, which he would then explain was a souvenir he got when he visited Australia when he was nine years old, and he thought she'd like it. Simple. Kind of dumb, even. But it would show her that he wasn't shy. That he could take the lead and assert himself.

Colinda, who had the advatage of having the ice between her and Templynn long ago cracked, would be more direct. She'd simply text Templynn at the start of lunch and say that there was something they needed to talk about really quick. Templynn would assume it was about the assignment. Instead, Colinda would make a confession along these lines:

I'm in love with you, Templynn. I've been in love with you since seventh grade. I know you're probably not into girls, but I can't live a lie anymore. I can't let you think we're just project partners, or friends, when it goes deeper than that. And I can't stand to watch your heart get broken anymore. I don't even expect you to answer me about any of this, I just want to let you know that you're loved, by someone who would do anything for you.

So Templynn as a no-show had thrown them both for a loss. Especially Colinda. She'd just seen her yesterday, and she seemed perfectly healthy and sane.

As Ms. Stranahan was finishing some typing at her desk after the bell, Holden Fickler turned to Darius. "Do you know where Templynn is?"

"No, I don't talk to her that much."

"Just strange that she's not here." Holden shook his head with a fornlorn frown. An outsider in Templynn's life now.

None of them could concentrate. It was like Templynn's empty desk put forth some sort of radioactive glow, taunting them with her absence.

Forward to about 8:30. Everyone was taking notes as Ms. Stranahan lectured. "So, around 449 BCE, the Roman Empire drew up the Twelve Tables, which became the basis of Roman law for the next thousand years. The very first table said that if a plaintiff summoned someone to appear in court, they were obligated to appear. If they didn't, the plaintiff had the right to capture them..."

Just then the classroom door swung open. Princpal Cashdollar walked in, flanked by two police officers and a forensic investigator. Noticing the one empty desk, the investigator pointed to it. "Is that Templynn Treat's desk?" Stranahan nodded. The investigator took a picture as Cashdollar read from her clipboard. "Holden Fickler, Colinda Quarles, Darius Purveyor, we need you to come down to my office immediately."

It took them a while to stand up at their desks. They were too shocked to move.

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