His Thorns (History of Us)

6.

(Writes SAT and goes home, maybe talk about how her weekend went)

The thing about tests is that they will always be underwhelming. You spend hours studying, scared for any trick questions that might come your way but in the end everything is as you expected it. There were no surprise deferential equations in the math section or contemporary Russian literature in the English section. It was all terribly underwhelming. Joy decided it was for the best, though. She walked into the hall took the exam as though it was any other practice test and left. Her mom picked her up, bombarding her with a hundred questions about how hard it was and her timing. She didn't have much to say in response. Once she had left the hall it was like she left all knowledge of what she had done at her seat. 

For the rest of the day she accompanied her mother on various errands. Their first stop was a shopping plaza. Mrs. Enzi had to return a dress to a seamstress who had used the wrong fabric to line her dress for an event that was fast approaching. Joy had thought the lining looked just fine but Mrs. Enzi had an eye for small imperfections. Leaving it the way it was would only bother her for as long as she had the dress. Joy considered waiting in the car but the August heat was unbearable at this point. The seamstress greeted them at the door, she was a little eccentric but polite. It was the first time Mrs. Enzi had worked with her and she was desperately trying to hold onto the new customer. 

Joy sat on the little stool by the reception desk. It made an awfully loud sound every time she moved on it so she did her best to be perfectly still. The shop was much cooler than outside. The air conditioning was on full blast and an old fan was on in the corner. Joy waited as her mom and the seamstress discussed alternative colors and fabrics for the lining. Every time she came to an alteration shop Joy was reminded of when she wanted to be a fashion designer. The sound of a sewing machine whirring in the background and the random threads stuck in the door and underneath surfaces were all little reminders of who she once wanted to be. Joy was soon taken out of her daydream as her mother called her to leave the shop. 

They went grocery shopping and collected Joy's allergy prescription from their local pharmacy before returning home. It was only 3'oclock but Joy felt as though the day had been spent. She stayed in her room the remainder of the day watching movies and sleeping. The best thing about finishing her exam was that she would be left alone for the remainder of the day. It was the silence before the storm of senior year began to kick in. 

By Monday she had to go back to school. Joy wore her favorite black shorts and t-shirt. She had the tendency to be obsessed with a single item in her wardrobe and  wear it over and over. The black shorts had been picked from the men's section and were soft and comfortable. The black top had been a gift, it was the perfect oversized top. She grabbed her school bag and went to the kitchen. There was already a slice of toast waiting for her at the table. She made a cup of tea and ate her breakfast. 

Her mom dropped her of at school, as usual. Mornings were always cool and dull at this time of year. It was a stark contrast from the sweltering heat that would arrive by midday. Joy made her way to her homeroom. Her teacher had not yet arrived so the classroom door was still locked. She considered sitting by the stairs and waiting but didn't want to be the victim of a middle schooler bounding down the steps. Joy made her way to the library. In middle school it was her favorite place. She could hide behind the books and spend break after break leafing through them. As she grew older, her time was given to other things and the joys of the library were a distant memory.

She walked through the shelves, reading the titles and picking up a book to check the blurb once in a while. By the time she had made it to the end of a row she realized that she had spent too much time in the library, reminiscing. She was almost late for roll call. Though attendance didn't mean much she did not want to explain to her mother how her perfect attendance was  ruined by a trip to the library. 

Joy made it back just in time. She swung the door open, calling all eyes to her. Her classmates were in their seats and her homeroom teacher stood at the front, accompanied by an unfamiliar face. He was tall, his shoulders were broad. He wore a basic hoodie, athletic shorts and Jordans. Joy made eye contact with the stranger, he seemed familiar but she was sure she had never seen his face before. She looked away, embarrassed and ran to sit by her friends. 

"Quite and entrance you had there," Tabitha snickered under her breathe. Joy hid her face in her hands and pretended she did not exist to hide her shame. 

"Right, where were we?" Mr. Zeva said, "Ah, yes. Class, this is your newest classmate. I'll let him introduce himself." The new student looked round the class. He did not have a hint of shyness like most new students did. It was almost as if he was perfectly comfortable in this new environment. It made Joy uneasy, especially when he held his gaze on her a little longer as he scanned the class.

"Hey guys, my name is Micah, I was born here but spent most of my live moving from country to country,  and I do a little bit of mixed martial arts," He nodded and sat down as soon as Mr Zeva said he could. Once again, Joy was overwhelmed by the feeling of familiarity, she wondered why her brain tried to desperately to remember who he was. However, her attention was soon diverted as Mr Zeva started roll call. She was grateful she hadn't missed it.

Once he was done, everyone started getting ready for first class. Joy went out to the lockers to get the textbooks she needed. She was not the best at keeping a tidy locker but was doing her best as it was still the beginning of the year. As she rummaged through her locker, she felt the presence of someone behind her, opening the locker above hers. She was going to ignore it but her memory kicked in as she smelled the familiar scent that pieced together the identity of the new student. 

His build, his eyes, his voice and now his scent, it had been so obvious but only now did she realize she was face to face with the same guy from the convenience store. Before she could stop herself she swiveled round and pointed at him.

"You!"

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Hello my lovlies,

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