A Different Kind of Superman

1.02 | these endless possiblities

Chemistry was not as big of a disaster as I thought it would be, and it passed by in a flash with every other class leading up to lunch being even more sleep-worthy than Mr. Brailles's class. Last year and every year before that, I had always eaten lunch with Bree or Liv although all three of us never ate lunch all together. Only this year, all of us had different lunch times, so I didn't know who else I could sit with.

On the bright side, eating lunch alone would give me the opportunity to recollect my thoughts and think about what lay ahead for me. So with my backpack over my shoulders and my old lunch box in hand, I made my way to the little café in the school's library where I ate lunch with Bree last year.

The café was just as I remembered it last year, and it was refreshing. The smell of coffee hit me, waking me up from my morning slump. It was dimly lit, which gave it that quaint feeling. Not too crowded, good, I thought. Sitting down a small round table, I pulled out my lunch and stared at the food. The food stared back. My stomach growled, but I wasn't too hungry; nevertheless, I swallowed every bite of my typical sandwich. Finishing my food early gave me the chance to wander around in my thoughts.

Could this possibly my final year at Eastland? I told a few close friends that I was leaving for sure, but even I don't know if I would truly be leaving. Am I lying to myself as an excuse for my actions? If I wouldn't be here next year, I figured I wouldn't have to face the consequences of any risky actions that are still legal. I may be alone for lunch, but I wasn't lonely. The feeling of loneliness is what I would experience if I was certain this was the end of the road.

When lunch ended, I dragged my exhausted self up the stairs and past Mr. Brailles's room where Bree was sitting in class listening to the same thing I heard a couple hours ago. She saw me through the open door, and we waved to each other. In those few seconds, I felt pure joy all because of one small wave.

Once again with music in my ears and a smile now on my face, I trekked down the longest hallway towards my fourth class of the day: the principles of biomedical sciences, or as Bree and other have called PBS. I was thoroughly confused whenever I heard them say this because whenever I heard PBS, I immediately thought of the tv channel where I used to watch all my childhood shows.

After walking through the door, I picked a seat near the wall and towards the back of the classroom, my favorite kind of seats. Within the following minute, two boys walked in, and I recognized them since Thomas was a mutual friend of ours. Bree told me this class required plenty of partner work, and if I could squeeze into that group and work as a group of three with them, life would be amazing.

Like my other classes, this one was also equally as boring but all that I could think about was how I could ask them if I could partner up with them. Variations of the same words consumed my thoughts for nearly an hour. By the time there were five minutes left of class, I was ready. With no hesitation, I made my way to their desks which were the last desks in the row in the center of the room. Not my favorite spot to be in, but I had no say in where they sat.

"Hey Todd." I smiled at the blond haired, blue eyed boy, then turning towards the boy sitting next to him. "Hi Lucas."

Simultaneously, they said, "Hi Elisa!"

"So I've heard you do lots of partner work during labs in this class, and I was wondering if it was possible for us to work as a group of three?" I inquired without trying to sound desperate.

Todd nodded, and Lucas did the same, but it was Todd who spoke. "Yeah, I'd really like that. I need a smart person to help me out with this class."

I scoffed at his remark, and with my hands on my hips, I asked, "Oh, is it because I'm Asian that you assume I'm smart?"

"No, no Elisa. It's because you're smart that we assume you're Asian." Lucas chimed in as he crunched on his chips.

I was thoroughly confused. Again. "That makes zero sense, but maybe one day I'll understand what that means."

As much as I wanted to continue the conversation, the bell rang, and it was on to the final class of the day. Sometimes we're saved by the bell, and sometimes the bell ruins opportunities for us.

Only one class left of the day; only seventy minutes of English class. I loved reading and hated writing as a child. As I grew up, those two switched although I don't hate reading too much. English classes were a breeze, so I hoped this year would be the same. Lucky for me, the last class of the day was back on the other side of school. So essentially I was a human ping pong ball with all my classes, running back and forth all day. I didn't have this issue last year, but that was then.

As I got closer to the classroom, I saw another familiar face. Jonathan Wilkinson sat in the corner with his nose buried in a book, his curly brown hair covering his eyes. I wasn't sure what he was reading, but perhaps I could befriend him as Thomas was also a mutual friend of ours.

A small smile on my face soon faded and that was dream of having Jonathan as a friend came crashing down once I stepped foot in the room because next to him was the one person I so badly wanted to avoid. My heart was palpitating, my mind flooded with past memories. All I wished for was to forget about the boy next to Jonathan. His name was Zack Ellis, and I would bet my life that he wanted to forget about me as much as I did for him. Forgetting about his stupid blue eyes and how I used to laugh at his joke was the only thing I wished for. Of all the forces driving me away, Zack Ellis wins the top spot on my reasons to leave list.

I hated him for what he did or lack thereof. I hated him for letting everything go downhill. He didn't appear to be a villain, but I needed someone to save me from falling into another one of his traps again.

A dark cloud loomed overhead; history was doomed to repeat itself unless I changed my ways. Now more than ever, the strong, independent woman inside me needed to come alive. My knees were weak, my hands trembling.

Please don't make this any more complicated than it already is, I pleaded. So close to finally letting go and you come back to ruin all my progress.

Zack Ellis: my worst enemy even if he's oblivious to it.

The past may be in the past, but I was going to regret what I promised to do next.