Chapter 3

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child."
- George S.

I awoke a couple minutes before 6:00, my internal clock back on schedule. Morning Sedition was just ending and Unfiltered was about to start, so I did my morning ablutions, sans cigarette. I decided that I would try to adhere to the Athletic Code. Perhaps I would still have a cigarette or two on the weekend, but not on school days. Already, I was coming up with ideas on when it would be okay to smoke. Next, it will be okay to have a cigarette when I am in front of the computer. Then it will be okay to have one after sex.

I paused while I brushed my teeth when I thought about that. Yesterday, I would have attended a sex workshop back at the Compound if I were still there. Each month, we would cover different aspects of sexuality so that it could be used as a tool in our arsenal. Sex was a weapon that was used with precision, but we were taught to approach it with personal detachment. Perhaps because it was sometimes used as an assassination technique, like the ones I was taught, or to gain favors with the other person involved, but there was no personal connection with the act itself. Do not get me wrong, I enjoyed the feelings of it, especially when it involved members of the opposite sex, but it was nothing special. I would sometimes get more enjoyment watching a new anime episode than sex. Perhaps I should see what it felt like in the outside world rather than what I experienced in the Compound or on training missions.

I decided on jeans, a tee shirt, and Birkenstocks for my school apparel. It was not chilly enough for a jacket yet. I grabbed a beach towel and two pairs of Speedos, then tossed these in my backpack along with a school binder and a few pens. I had to search around for the flute and found it in the walk-in closet. I doubled-checked it to make sure it did not contain any "surprises" and added it to my backpack.

After I ate a bowl of cereal with soymilk for breakfast, I grabbed a protein bar and a banana just in case the lunch at school was not appealing. I met Traci and Lori at Lori's car, and she drove Traci and me to school.

When we arrived at school, we separated to get our class schedules and locker assignments. Traci was waiting for me after I received mine and wanted to compare it to hers. As we walked towards our lockers, Traci explained that she had taken English during summer school, so she was able to have two electives, Band and Dance, during her first semester. We did end up having those two classes together. When she saw that I was enrolled in Advanced Placement Calculus, she said, "You might be in the same class as Lori." Lori had gone off with some of her cheerleader friends and Traci had not seen what her class schedule had looked like. She then handed my schedule back to me and we had to part, since her lockers were further into the school in the freshman section.

As I approached my locker, I noticed a rather tall girl squatting down, trying to open her locker. She finally stood up and gave the locker a kick while cursing at it. She was six foot, four inches tall and had blue eyes and long, straight, platinum blonde hair. Even with the baggy clothes that covered her milky white skin, it was not difficult to see that she had a very athletic body. Her breasts were between an A and a B cup, but they fitted her frame nicely.

"Hey, do you need any help?" I asked her.

She turned to look down at me and shook her head. "I'm just frustrated. This is the fourth year in a row that I've ended up with a bottom locker. Even in Junior High, I was rather tall and always got stuck with the bottom one."

"Ah, I see. Do you do drugs?"

A wave of confusion washed across her face. "No, why do you ask?"

"Well, since my locker is on the top row, I thought I would suggest swapping, that is unless you plan on keeping drugs in the locker. Since it would still be under my name, I would be the one that would get in trouble when they brought in the drug-sniffing dog, which I am sure that this school does," I explained.

"That would be totally awesome. You don't mind swapping? I promise not to keep anything in there that would get you into trouble," she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

I chuckled and said, "Sure, no prob."

We swapped locker combinations, and I was able to find out from the paper she traded with me that her name was Francine Johnson. As I was transferring some of my stuff into the locker, I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey Sis, whatcha doing with a locker above me this time?"

"There was somebody who was courteous enough to swap with me, Bro," replied Francine. She glanced down to me and said, "This is my twin brother, Chuck."

I closed my locker, stood up and turned around to meet Francine's "twin". He was a foot shorter than Francine, had dreadlocks, and weighed about two hundred and thirty pounds. He was also very black.

"Hi. Name's Charles Johnson, but people call me Chuck. Fran and I have been going to school together since kindergarten, and since we both had the same last name and birthday, we started to call ourselves the Johnson Twins."

I shook his hand and introduced myself. "Chad Johnson. I just moved down here from San Jose."

"Cool, another Johnson. I think with you, we'll be up to eight Johnsons on campus," Chuck told me.

"Six," Francine corrected Chuck. "Martha and Eddie graduated."

"Yeah, but JJ and Madeira are freshmen this year, so they replace them. Plus, we don't know if there were any Johnsons from Paulding or additional transfers like Chad," Chuck retorted.

From research I had done, I knew that Paulding was one of two middle schools that fed into the high school. From what Chuck had just said, I gathered that he and Francine had attended the other one, Judkins.

Letting out a small snort, Francine told me, "Chuck is obsessed with the size of our 'Johnson'."

I smiled in response to the weak pun. While I had only had my last name for a few days, the slang term was not lost on me. It would not be too far out of line to guess that whoever had assigned my name had some fun with coming up with it; a common name that could also refer to male genitalia. It could have been far worse: 'Chad Bush' was horrifying on so many levels.

Chuck ignored Francine's dig and asked me, "You like anime?"

I figured that my Witch Hunter Robin tee shirt had provoked the inquiry. As I nodded my head, a large grin erupted across his face, his bright white teeth contrasting greatly with his dark skin.

Francine rolled her eyes and said, "Don't let him get started on that stuff. He goes on and on about it."

"So can I," I informed her.

"Well, thanks again for swapping with me. I don't know how I can repay you," Francine said.

"Well, maybe you could wear a mini-skirt so I could check out your sexy legs and have a nice view when I have to open my locker," I said winking at her.

Her shocked expression caused Chuck and me to laugh; before too long she started to chuckle, as well.

"I should be upset at you, Chad. The only time I am ever taller than Fran is when her locker is below mine and she has to squat down to open it. However, you seem to be alright."

We bid farewell to each other and headed to our classes. First period was ten minutes longer than the rest of the periods so that the teacher could read the school bulletins and take care of any special tasks. My first class was Honors English and the teacher was Mrs. Todd, an older woman in her mid-fifties with grey hair. It turned out that there had been some summer reading assigned to last year's freshman Honors class, and they were to turn in their reports and discuss what they had read. It turned out that I was the only one who had not had a chance to do the assignment, but since I had already read two of the three books she had assigned, she gave me a library pass so I could go there and work on it for the rest of the period.

The library was mostly empty when I got there. After I gave the librarian my pass, I decided that I could spend my time a little bit more wisely. I found the school yearbook for last year and went about memorizing everybody's name and face. I did that for about fifteen minutes before I was positive that I would be able to recognize everybody. After I put away the yearbook, I asked the librarian if they had the local paper on microfilm. She said that they did not, but I could access previous editions via the Internet, pointing to one of the terminals. I thanked her and returned to my seat to read the book that I had not read yet.

I was able to speed-read the book quickly, so when I finished, I started to think about the Caspars. Lori's junior picture was in the yearbook, and both she and Traci knew other students in the school. I had just about ruled them out as being agents, but I wanted to check the paper's obituaries from two and a half years ago to see if they listed John Caspar's death. I did not trust the computer, since it would be rather simple to insert false information into an electronic file. Even the yearbook could have been altered, since it was one the few copies I could easily get my hands on. I could almost rule out the Caspars unless they were deep cover, set up in this community whose sole purpose was to monitor the safe house, no matter who was living in there. I then decided that, even if they were monitoring me, I would behave just as I had planned.

I had eight minutes from when first period ended to the start of second period. I already planned ahead and had my flute in my backpack, so I was able to walk from the library to the band room instead of trying to rush to my locker for it. We spent most of period playing scales and playing a simple piece of music. The music teacher, Mr. Foley, would have individuals solo certain sections to figure out what chair they should be. If woodwinds were my weak point, the flute was one of my weakest. I ended up being last chair in the flute section. The upside was I was sitting next to the first chair of the piccolo section, Traci.

After band was over, there was a ten-minute break -- actually, eighteen if you included the usual eight-minutes they gave us between periods -- between second and third periods. The snack bar was open so that students could buy some food. Traci and I walked around the Quad, looking at all the people gather and hang out in groups. We talked about her day for a little bit until she spotted some friends and went over to say hi to them. Before she left me, she asked if I wanted to eat lunch with her. I said sure, then stopped by my locker to stash my flute and some books that I had acquired in English. A warning bell rang, telling everybody they had eight minutes to get to class, so I headed off to AP Physics. Miss Austin was the teacher, and she handed out a textbook and syllabus. She was attractive for a woman in her forties. I found myself thinking I might enjoy having her as a teacher. Most of the period was spent explaining what was expected from us and what type of questions we could expect on the Advanced Placement test. It seemed like time had flown by when the bell later rang, marking the end of the period.

When I arrived at AP Calculus, I saw that Lori was already in the room. She was surprised to see me there, but gestured to an unoccupied desk next to her. I joined her, and we were able to talk for a minute before the bell rang, marking the start of the class. The Math teacher's name was Mrs. Hart, and we went through the same routine of receiving textbooks and the class syllabus. After she went over the syllabus with us, she started her lesson. I kept notes, even though I already knew how to do what she was explaining. I figured that I should at least keep up the appearance that I needed to learn what she was teaching.

When fourth period ended, Lori and I walked back to the Quad together. I asked her, "How's the lunch here?"

She shrugged and answered, "The only good thing that they serve at the snack bar is pizza, but the line can be long if you don't get there early. They do have a killer salad bar in the cafeteria that most students overlook. They used to charge $1.50 for a plate, but too many people were stacking their plates like a foot high, so they now charge by the ounce. I can't remember exactly how much they charge, but I think it's still is a good deal."

"Guess I'll be eating salad, then. Thanks for the info."

She smiled and nodded and, when I reached my locker, I told her that I would see her after school, and she continued on to her locker. I stashed my backpack in my locker and went over to the cafeteria to get a salad. After I got my salad, I looked around the Quad until I saw Traci waving at me from a table with three other girls at it. I joined them.

"Chad, this is Rose, Pollyanna, and Michelle. They are my best friends from Junior High. Gals, this is my next-door neighbor Chad."

I smiled and said hello to each of them. As I ate my salad, I only paid a little attention to the conversation while I watched the interaction between the four girls. After I observed Rose and Pollyanna for about five minutes, I was pretty positive that they were lovers. From the subtle body language, the way that they looked at each other, and slight brushes of hands, I had little doubt about it. I did not think that Michelle and Traci knew, either. I also could detect Michelle having more than just friendship on her mind when she would look at Traci, but Traci seemed to be unaware of it. While all four girls were quite pretty, for some reason, I found myself thinking that Traci was the most beautiful. It slowly dawned on me that I might actually be attracted to Traci. I started to think more about that when I heard Traci mention that I lived by myself.

I smiled weakly and said, "Traci, I hope you didn't tell too many people about that. I don't think it would be a good idea if that information got around. I am sure that I can trust everyone at this table, but if word got out, I might be pestered to have parties or use my house for dates and whatnot because it would be devoid of parental supervision."

"Oh, Chad, I'm sorry! I didn't think about that. I won't tell anybody else about it. I promise," said Traci, who sounded sincerely remorseful.

Yup, this feeling must be attraction. Instead of getting upset at how my security had been compromised, I felt guilty because I had made Traci feel sad. I touched her shoulder lightly and told her, "It's alright, it's my fault, because I didn't tell you not to tell people about my living situation."

The other three girls promised not mention it to anybody, and I thanked them. The rest of lunch continued, and we talked about our classes, and what we thought about the school. When lunch was over, I said goodbye to the girls and headed back to my locker to grab my backpack and clothes I would need for dance and water polo.

Honor's World History had many of the same students as my English class, but luckily the instructor had not assigned any summer homework. Mr. Turner, the history teacher, seemed to get great joy in teaching. After handing out the syllabus and textbook, he explained that, since this was an Honor's class, that it would be more intense than a regular class. He would expect more from us, and our work would be held at a higher standard. After class was over, he asked me to stay behind for a moment.

"Mr. Johnson, I understand that you are interested in trying out for the water polo team?"

"Yes, Mr. Turner, I am," I replied.

"Well, I am the Junior Varsity coach, so I was wondering how much experience you had."

"Well, I know the rules and that I'm a good swimmer, but I have not actually played any water polo before."

He nodded and told me, "I'll see you at practice after school."

I had to hurry to the dance class, since it was on the other side of the campus. I made it there just before the bell rang. There were about two dozen girls and only three other guys in the dance studio. I had just walked over to Traci when a middle-aged woman strolled in.

"Greetings, dancers. My name is Ms. McCann, and I shall be your dance instructor. If you did not bring anything to dance in, don't worry. For the first week, we shall be going over the history of dance. If you will grab your stuff and follow me, we will go to an empty classroom that we shall be using for the remainder of the week."

We followed Ms. McCann to the empty classroom and grabbed seats. Traci made sure to grab a seat next to mine. Ms. McCann handed out her syllabus, as well as some handouts that would cover what we would be studying for the week.

"We will be covering a different style of dance every three weeks. At the end of each course, there will be a written and demonstration test that will cover what we have learned."

She then launched into a lecture about dance through the ages. She suggested strongly that we take notes, since the handouts she gave us did not cover everything that would be on the quiz she would be giving on Friday.

After class, Traci and I walked together to the P.E. department. She went into the girls' locker room while I went into the boys'. Since I was not in P.E., I did not have a locker there, so after I changed into my Speedos and wrapped my towel around my waist, I threw my clothes into my backpack and took it with me to the pool.

The swimming pool was in an "L" shape. It was twenty-five meters long and ten meters wide. It had eight lanes and went from three feet at one end to five feet at the other. At the five-foot end, it made a right angle and stretched twenty meters. After ten meters, it dropped from five feet to twelve feet. There was a low and high diving board at the end of the deep section.

I tossed my backpack along the fence that surrounded the pool and did some stretching before Mr. Turner arrived. He asked those who had signed up for J.V. water polo to gather around him. He introduced himself as Coach Jack Turner and that he would respond to either Coach Jack or Coach Turner. I recognized six sophomores, one of them being Francine Johnson. There were five faces that I did not recognize who I guessed were freshman, one of them being a girl.

We were told to dive in and to swim some warm-up laps in the first four lanes. When I removed my towel, I noticed Traci glancing at my groin. I think she was rather surprised, but she quickly dove in before I could fully gauge her reaction. I dove in, and since Coach Turner did not say how long we would be swimming, I started a slow-paced freestyle. After a few laps, he asked us to swim with our heads-up. I did not find it difficult at all, since I had trained to do that before. After a few more laps, he wanted us to swim all out with our heads down for five strokes, then to roll onto our backs and backstroke for five strokes, then to roll back onto our fronts and swim the rest of the lap heads-up. We did that a few times before he stopped us. We moved down to the deep end, and he went over the practice of "egg beating", treading water without using our arms. We did that for a while before he tossed in a half-dozen balls, caps with ear protectors for all of us, and then covered ball handling. We split into two lines and practiced passing to each other. We did that for about fifteen minutes before swapping with the varsity squad and returning to the five-foot section of the pool, where a couple of players got out and set up the goal cage.