The Equivocators

Chapter 3: Book Bravery (Sadie)

"So I tell her that I don't want to take the pictures anymore, and she loses it!" Ms. Shell bursts into laughter from behind her desk. Her tiny office has always been like a second home to me, the only room in this entire building that I feel completely comfortable in. "Like total freak out! She's just standing there in front of me with her phone out, jaw on the floor."

       "She's your mom! Of course she's going to want to take her baby's picture!" Ms. Shell has a child of her own, an eight year old actually. She brings him into work every once in a while and I can tell that this is definitely the mom in her speaking to me right now rather than the teacher.

      "I understand that, like really understand it! But it becomes a bit ridiculous by the 100th picture! My teeth were clamped together for so long I thought my face was going to be stuck like that!" The ache in my jaw flares up while thinking about it, only driving the point further home. "So I'm like ' Mom, I actually have to get to school at some point today, if that's alright with you?' and that really sent her over the edge." The memory of her face flashes across my mind. "Like it suddenly hit her that I really was going to school and not just taking these pictures for her for fun. At this point Hadley is outside and she honks the horn, so now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place." Ms. Shells phone rings and she looks at me, waiting for me to finish. "You can take that! My story can wait."

"Nope, you go ahead honey! Who ever it is can wait," Ms. Shell sips her coffee waiting for me to continue.

"Well to top it all off: Sky and Bella got into it during lunch today," The phone stops ringing only to ring once again. "Long story short: I'm pretty sure senior year is going to be a crazy one if today has any indications about how the rest of the year will go."

     "You girls are in need of more excitement and risk anyway. Maybe a crazy year is exactly what you all need. This may just be what you have all been looking for!" The phone begins ringing once again and she rolls her eyes before picking it up.

      "Hello, Lafayette High School Library, Ms. Shell speaking... yes I did... no, I did not... well sir, I'm sorry but that was my money to spend and I did just that!" Whoever is on the other side of the line has clearly pissed her off, her eyes give me a look as she mouths "I'm sorry." I wave off her apology and leave the office heading to the front desk while she's on the phone. Her phone conversations can last hours if it's something she feels strongly about: and I have a feeling this is one of those occurrences.

         "Excuse me. Is there anyway you could check me out?" A younger girl, most likely a freshman, stands on the other side of the desk with a stack of books. Her slight blonde hair is pulled back into a messy bun and she is wearing large framed glasses that fit the shape of her face well.

       The girl slides her stack of books across the counter as I enter my four digits to open the checkout system. Very few of us are allowed to check out other students here in the library. Ms. Shell allows only those who she likes a lot to do so, as of this year there are only seven of us with access. Four of which are me and the girls.

     "Do you have your student ID?" My voice echos in the mostly empty library. The few kids that are in here are too busy chatting at tables to focus on our business at the counter. She nods her head and pulls it out, passing it over the counter. The picture on her ID is cute and simple, one of the better ones that I have seen for sure. Sundara, pretty name. "How's your first day been so far?"

      "Good. Finding the classrooms is the hardest part. That and lunch was a bit crazy. I didn't expect everyone to have the same lunch period, my sister didn't warn me about that."

    "Yeah, since we aren't a very large school, they manage to squeeze us all into one period to get it over faster. Your sister goes here? What's her name?"