Lost - By Nadia Simonenko Page 0,4

not as easy as she’s making it sound. She knows that, though. She knows all about what happened.

Tina suddenly closes the distance between us and wraps her arms tightly around me.

“I care a lot about you, Maria,” she whispers. “I mean it. I want to see you be happy for once.”

I hug her back and try to smile. She’s so short that she could almost pass for my little sister. In a way, I really am her sister. I'm the only family she has left.

“You okay?” she asks, finally letting go of me. I nod back.

“I’m fine. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“You mean at Stella’s, right?” she asks, still not willing to let me retreat inside my shell.

I sigh and nod dejectedly. Her face lights up at my answer.

“Good! Seriously, you’ll do fine, Maria. I’ll see you tonight!”

She waves to me as our paths diverge at the base of the clock tower, and I wave back to her as she continues the long walk to her chemistry class. As I walk the last block to my stats class, I am so lost in my thoughts that I don’t even notice the tower bells as they play the school song.

––––––––

“Easiest test ever,” I think, grinning with satisfaction as I check to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid like skip a question or accidentally forget a page. I expected far worse than this, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how easy the test was.

It’s only 11:45 AM. I didn’t even take a full hour to finish it, and the professor gave us two and half.

I feel my skin flush as I realize nobody else is done yet. I’m the first one finished, and I hate standing up in front of people. It feels as if every eye in the room is watching me as I rise from my desk. My pulse quickens, and it’s all I can do not to retreat to my chair and hide inside my coat.

The TA looks up at me as I approach his desk. He’s a blond-haired boy, just about my height and maybe a little bit older than I am. I am suddenly incredibly uncomfortable as his gray eyes focus on me, and I feel like I’m moving in slow motion as I walk toward him.

“You can do this, Maria,” I think, urging myself to keep moving forward. “Just hand him the paper and get out of the room. Be normal!”

“Hmm... pretty quick,” he says quietly, holding out his hand to take my paper. “How do you think you did?”

My hand trembles as I place my test in his hand. The paper rustles and rattles against his palm from how much I’m shaking.

“I... I think I did oka... okay... I think,” I stammer awkwardly. The only way I can even get the words out is by avoiding his eyes and focusing the long white scar running along his jaw.

“You sure? You’re done really early,” he says, staring at me curiously.

I hate that he’s staring. He’s looking at me the same way Darren used to. I have to get out of here. I need air.

My voice catches in my throat as I try to answer him, and instead I make a horribly awkward and embarrassing gurgle. I need to escape. I can’t be around him while he looks at me like that.

I don’t want his attention—I don’t want any attention!

Panic takes control of me. I slap the paper into his hand as my face turns bright red, and I race for the side door.

Friday, February 15 – 11:45 AM

Owen

God, tests are so damned boring. Nobody mentioned this part to me when I signed up to be a teaching assistant. Ooh, free credits! Organized homework time! A pretty pathetic paycheck! Sure, they tell you about those parts, but nobody ever mentions the part where you get to stare in silence at a bunch of students for two and a half hours.

To make it even worse, I reviewed Professor Meador’s exam before I handed it out to everyone. It’s stupidly hard, and at least one student is going to burn me in effigy tonight. Whatever. I can deal.

Oh man, I’m so bored. This is the worst!

The clock ticks deafeningly above my head, and I crane my neck and look up at it. Only forty minutes have passed. I am in Hell.

“Bullshit. No I’m not,” I think, and I shake my head in shame. I’ve been to Hell before. I grew up there.

I grind my teeth and force myself to