Chapter 1

I’d been attending Porter-Gaud since kindergarten. I knew every classroom, office, hallway, nook, and cranny. I knew most of the teachers and all of the staff. There was nothing new at Porter-Gaud, except this was my last first day. I wasn’t quite sure what to think about that. I guessed that after that day, I’d still have one hundred seventy nine school days to figure it out. A lot of the teachers were in front of the school to greet us, just like they had for the last eleven years. Just like they probably would long after I was gone.

“Last time, huh, Baby?” I asked.

“Last time for what? Oh, yeah, I guess it is, in a way. Don’t get sad on me.”

“No. Just thinking.”

Mr. McClusky motioned to us, and we walked over to him. “Hi, Doc,” I said cheerfully.

“No. Please don’t,” he sighed, not wanting to be called doctor, even though he’d earned it. “Good to have you both back. Sit with me at lunch today, please. I’ll ask Alice and Jay to join us as well.”

“Oh, oh,” Kim said, but she knew there was nothing bad about it.

“Relax. I just want to talk with the four of you for a couple of minutes. Won’t take long. Welcome back, Aquaman, Frontier Woman.”

“Haven’t heard that in a while,” Kim said. We smiled, shook his hand, and continued in.

We made our way to Mrs. Middleton’s classroom and grabbed a couple of seats in back. “Oh, no you don’t,” she said before we could get comfortable. “I want you two up front where I can keep an eye on you.” Perfect.

She looked around the room, checked the class roster a couple of times, and settled on a face in one of the seats we’d just vacated. “William Wallace. Is that your real name? I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Yes, ma’am. My friends call me Bill.”

“Uh-huh. Mr. Wallace, it says that you transferred to us from Butler Academy in Alabama. Is that correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You didn’t initiate any rebellions in Alabama, did you?” I was sure everyone knew that William Wallace, the Scottish knight, led a war of independence against England.

“No ma’am. The rebellion had already started when I got there.”

“Mrs. Nichols is from Alabama. You don’t sound much like her.”

“No, ma’am. My father is Air Force. We’ve moved around a bit.”

“Ah, ha. Well, welcome to the Lowcountry and Porter-Gaud. I hope this is one stop you look back on with fond memories.”

“Thank you. Looking forward to it.”

She nodded and looked back at her roster. “Drama is an interesting class for several reasons. Aside from the course itself, we have sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It seems appropriate that we introduce ourselves.”

We went around the room, giving our names, how long we’d been at Porter-Gaud, and our favorite play. I knew most of the people in the class. It was a little strange because it was the first time I’d been in a class where half the students were younger than me.

“Miss McTighe?”

“Kim, twelve years, Much Ado about Nothing.”

“Not surprising, Beatrice. Mr. Pierce?” Kim had been Beatrice in our English class’s dramatic reading the previous year.

“Jack, eleven years, Pericles.”

“Right. That’s a first. What’s your real favorite drama?”

“Is that a riddle?” I asked. Shakespeare’s play, Pericles, revolves around a riddle. It was his least popular play. She rolled her eyes out loud. “The Taming of the Shrew.” Kim smacked me.

“Perhaps moving you to the front was a bad idea,” she laughed. “Let’s talk about what you’ll be learning in this class. We’ll start with an overview of structure, varieties, and history of drama, performance techniques, and then move into textual and technical aspects of theater. Your first graded performances will be monologue and duet performances, followed by a section on playwriting. We finish with preparation, rehearsal, and performance. We’ll perform two plays for the general audience. I have two in mind, but I can be persuaded.”

She passed out books, previewed each section in greater detail, and then told us how we’d be graded. When class was over, Kim left for Psychology, and I kept my seat for Advanced Composition.

“We didn’t see much of you this summer, Mr. Pierce. Did you have an enjoyable time off?”

“Yes, ma’am. Kim and I toured the state, or at least the beaches, I bought a horse and did a triathlon. That’s about it.”

“I heard about your horse. I rode when I was a little girl. To be honest, I’m not sure why I quit. Ready for your senior year?”

“Yes, ma’am. I was thinking about that this morning. This has been great for me. I’ve learned a lot and made good friends. I know the whole year is ahead of me, but I already know I’ll be sad to leave.”

“I know what you mean. I came back.”

“You attended Porter-Gaud?”

“No, no. I simply meant that I enjoyed high school so much, I came back to it. I’m having fun, and if you can find a career you enjoy...”

“You’ll never work a day in your life,” I finished.

“Exactly. Last year was a very good year for a lot of people. It’s hard to rank them, but last year would be right up there. I will be sad to see you and Kim leave.”

“And Mel?” Mel Middleton was her daughter and a senior as well.

“I have every confidence that I will see her again,” she laughed as students filed in. “She’ll probably go to CofC, but no matter where she goes, she’ll have to come home.”

“To do laundry?” I joked.

“And to watch one of her unappreciated movies. You don’t think I’m going to let her take her collection with her, do you?” Mel had a collection of movies that were so bad, they were entertaining. I didn’t think Mrs. Middleton would shed a tear if Mel took Plan 9 From Outer Space with her.

Advanced Composition seemed like it would be really useful in preparation for college, and I knew Mrs. Middleton would be teaching it with that in mind. Physics seemed like it would be interesting, challenging, and fun. I was probably the only one in the class who thought it would be fun. Economics looked like it was going to be a breeze. For one thing, I’d already read the textbook, and it seemed like most of it was common sense.

I stood in line for lunch, knowing that Mrs. Wetzel would make a great meal for our first day back. I wasn’t disappointed to see chicken bog and corn bread on the menu. It didn’t matter what else was on the menu. Mom never made chicken bog. I guess she thought it was too plain, or too simple maybe, but I loved it.

I found the same table I’d sat at for much of the previous year, already filled. Lori Newsome, a drop-dead gorgeous cheerleader, sat at one end of the table. Kim sat at the other, for what I thought was an obvious reason. She knew I thought Lori was gorgeous. Mel sat next to me, across from Kim, who was next to Annie and Allie. We’d lost Jan, Marty, Bobby, Lisa, and Marci.

“We have two new varsity cheerleaders,” Kim said.

“Cassidy and Amanda. Where are they?” Mel asked.

“I don’t know where they are, Baby, but we’re supposed to see Mr. McClusky,” I said, quietly to Kim.

“Oh-oh. In trouble on the first day,” Mel said, laughing.

I looked across the room and saw Mr. McClusky with Alice Littleton. Jay wasn’t there yet. “Do we take our lunches with us?” I asked.

“They’re eating. Let’s go.” We grabbed our lunches and made our way across the cafeteria. We waited until Mr. McClusky nodded for us to sit, then sat across from him. We’d just gotten settled when Jay found a spot on the end. Jay had been the starting quarterback the previous season and had started to turn the team around when he was injured. I’d missed my first baseball season when I broke my foot. I knew how he felt.

“I suppose you wondered why I asked to meet with you today,” Mr. McClusky began, taking a bite of his chicken bog. He knew a good thing. “I figure one or more of the five of us is most likely to something-or-other this year. I’d prefer it would be one of you.”

“Something-or-other is my middle name, sir,” Jay said.

“Well, I guess the other three of you can leave,” Mr. McClusky joked. “We had a good year last year. One way or the other, each of you were involved in that. Two years ago, we lost Vince, who, as you all know, was a bit bigger than life. Now, we’ve lost Lani, but not without Vince putting his stamp on it, even after he’d gone.

“Everyone is wondering, at least the seniors are, who is going to step in to fill that gap. Jay, you had a nice start to the football season, and I’m proud of you for stepping up. Let’s hope you can stay healthy. The quarterback is a spotlight position at any school. You have an opportunity to make a difference. Keep your grades up. You can do better. I know what you’re going to say. Save it. Bring them up.”

“Kim, you might not have been the cheer team captain in name, but everyone knows you’re the impetus behind the change. Lani made sure of that in her speech. Going to run this year?”

“I think so. Not sure yet.”

“I hope you do. Last year, ah, last year could have been better, with the proper motivation. Alice? Key Club? It seems that you would be the obvious choice for club president if you want it. In the past, that position has been very influential. It’s also a position that has been almost invisible. It’s pretty much up to the individual. Between that and performing arts, you have a chance to make an impact.

“Jack, thanks for bringing your fiancée.”

“Thanks, Mr. McClusky. It’s nice to be appreciated.”

“I understand you have been accepted by your college of choice. Congratulations on that. Our enrollment is up by a considerable amount this year. Many of those enrolling for the first time saw either your interview with Ms. Dare, or the performance of our team at It’s Academic. By the way, Coach Miller said he has an unprecedented number of freshmen interested in joining the swim team.”

“Someone has to fill Bobby’s big flippers,” I said.

“That kid had some of the biggest feet,” Mr. McClusky said.

“You know what they say about big feet.”

“No, Mr. Spencer. What do they say?” Mr. McClusky asked. This could get weird, I thought.

“That it’s hard to find shoes that fit.”

“Ah. I suppose it is. Nice recovery. Let’s have a good school year. If the four of you have the kind of year you did last year, I think it will be a fine example for others. Please don’t lose sight of the fact that just as students are watching right now, they will continue to watch for the rest of the year.”

“I hope you noticed that I didn’t get arrested last year,” I said with my best poker face.

“I noticed,” he answered with an equally straight face. “Let that be an example to you all. First things first. Don’t get arrested this year.” They all nodded solemnly.

“I’m proud of each of you. People are watching. Do your best. Oh, and just because I’m talking to you four, doesn’t mean there aren’t others that can or will make a big impact. Encourage them.”

“Got it,” Kim said. “Thanks, Mr. McClusky. Jack and I will,” Kim said. Jay and Alice nodded.

“This is pretty good chicken bog. I need a refill. Thank you for your time,” he said, and we left.

On our way back to our table, Kim spotted Cherry Davis sitting with a new student. We walked over and sat down. “Hello, Egui,” Mei said, with a smile. Egui was the Chinese word for ghost.

“You sure about that?” I asked with a big grin.

“Yes. You blew on us somehow.” Mei, pronounced ‘may’, was so dainty and so pretty, and always with a smile, especially if she was with Cherry.

“Are you just visiting, or...?” Kim asked.

“No. I transferred.” She was happy about that.

“Her parents took some convincing. I’m not sure that my promise to watch out for her carried much weight.”

“Come with us. You came here to be with new people,” Kim said.

“I thought it was because of me,” Cherry said, sounding hurt. The four of us trooped over to our table and squeezed in.

“Hey, everybody, you already know Cherry. This is his sweetheart, Mei,” Kim said. She waved a shy wave, and everyone greeted her.

They wanted to know everything. Cherry told the story. He knew Mei, and she would be happy to let Cherry do the talking for her. I totally understood that. Anytime I could let Kim do the talking, I was happy. He told everyone that Mei moved here from Hawaii when she was seven, but her parents came from Hong Kong. She came from Ashley Hall. Tā yīzhí zài jiào wǒ shuō yuèyǔ.” They all gave him the startled look Kim and I knew was coming. “She’s been teaching me to speak Cantonese.” And then, the questions. Boy, did they have questions.

Kim and I knew the answers to most of them and simply enjoyed watching. Mei must have felt a little like a rock star. She was the center of attention. She smiled and answered. Everyone leaned forward to hear her soft answers. Cherry beamed. Most, but not all, of the people at the table were girls, but still, it was a different environment than Ashley Hall.

The bell rang much too soon. “What do you have next?” I asked.

“English, history, then cheer.” I gave her a quick kiss and we parted for class.

I had Mrs. Haggerty for Calculus. It was a small class and everyone in it was a senior. She knew us, and we knew her, and there was no need for introductions. She handed out books and gave us an outline of the course. She didn’t even need to explain how she graded. We all knew. I didn’t think there would be much goofing around in calculus.

Computer Science seemed like it could be fun. Most of us had Mrs. Durand for keyboarding, and we all knew each other. There were a couple of juniors, but it was mostly seniors. We would be learning a couple of computer languages, so we could all learn about what made the engine go. She explained hardware, firmware, and software. We would be learning hardware basics, a bit about firmware, then spend a good chunk of our time learning Basic and C, two of the many computer software languages.

In PE, we were going to play soccer, but first, we started with the Presidential Fitness Test. We’d all done it before and knew it would take all day. Anything to keep me out of soccer was a good thing. We had six tests, including sit-ups, pull-ups, and a one-mile run. There were a couple of other weird tests, like the shuttle run, but they were easy. I didn’t have Bobby to compete against, but I did have Cherry, Aaron, and Zip, and that was pretty good. Zip was great at anything to do with agility, like the shuttle run. Aaron was pretty athletic and gave me the most competition.

I knocked out seventy sit-ups in a minute and twenty pull-ups, which were both above the eighty-fifth percentile. I was right on that line for the weird tests. We finished with the one-mile run. I knew I could beat six minutes for the mile. I could probably have beaten five, but didn’t need to. Cherry wasn’t so sure. I ran with him. Coach lined us up, told us what our splits would need to be, and blew his whistle.