11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lou

“Nico fell on top of him?! I cannot believe I missed this.” Stella throws a piece of popcorn into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “A fair reaction to your lack of HSM awareness, though. Those movies were like the foundation of our generation.” I steal some of her popcorn and she scoots the bowl closer to me.

“You sound just like Wes. What’s so important about these movies anyways?”

“It’s not so much the movies themselves, it’s the message within them. Our parents grew up in a time where everyone fell into a stereotypical category: if you liked sports, you were a jock. If you liked theatre, you were a drama geek. It was a more judgemental time but also much simpler. The group that matched your vibe became your friends and vice versa.” Taking a quick popcorn break, Stella continues, “Technology was a factor, but for some reason our generation wanted to branch out. We didn’t want to be stuck on one setting anymore. The issue is, when you get used to being one thing, it makes it so much harder to try something new because it means leaving the protective bubble we build around ourselves.” Stella’s words hit home as she takes another popcorn break.

“So, long story not-so short, High School Musical is about putting yourself out there to pursue interests that go beyond your comfort zone.” I shift uneasily on the couch, feeling oddly exposed.

“Throw in some teenage angst, spontaneous singing, a young Zac Efron, and you’ve got yourself a hit series that is the very essence of Generation Z.” Stella finishes her monologue with a loud kernel crunch.

“Wow.” I take a moment to let it sink in. “And here I thought Nico collapsing on top of Wes was dramatic.” With an indignant shriek, Stella starts throwing popcorn at me.

I laugh, trying to bat away her offensive measures, “Ease off the rapid fire, soldier! Target has been eliminated. I repeat, the target has been eliminated.”

Finally putting her kernel ammunition back onto the ground, Stella gives me a salute and we fall over laughing.

The perks of having my psychology paper done is my weekend feels so much longer. It’s an illusion of course, my weekend is still only two days long and there are five course readings I haven’t even thought about (Monday morning’s problem), but I can see why Wes promotes the whole proactive student thing. My stress levels have easily reduced 75% and my day already feels so much more enjoyable.

Instead of using my free time to work on readings, I decide to head to the courtyard to sort through my thoughts. Back in high school, whenever life felt tougher than usual, my go-to haven was always Brooks’ plant oasis.

Priding itself on promoting eco-friendly applications, Brooks Academy was one of the first Canadian high schools to host a fully functioning greenhouse on school grounds. With solar panels on the roof and a geothermal system underneath, Brooks’ renowned garden centre was the school’s leading source of energy. Solar power fuelled the school’s electricity, while geothermal supplied heat for long winters. Their environmentally conscious efforts went as far as limiting the cafeteria menu to only offering food grown by the garden club. It was every vegan’s dream, and as an ecologist’s daughter, it held a soft spot for me as well.

It wasn’t until a particularly bad lunch hour that I discovered non-garden club students were allowed in the greenhouse. I stumbled into it by accident, tears blurring my vision as I ran from the girl’s locker room to the first unlocked door I could find. Streaks of sadness ran down my cheeks as I suddenly found myself surrounded by every fruit and vegetable imaginable. There was something about being in a room full of life, without a person in sight, that made me feel at home. My tears were soon forgotten and from that day forward, anytime I found myself in need of refuge, my feet would carry me back to that special place.

Taber’s courtyard reminds me of my old sanctuary. The scenery is completely different, but the tranquility feels the same.

Watching fallen leaves flutter in the breeze, I think back on Stella’s monologue from last night. Somewhere between the background context and the film breakdown, Stella’s words began to feel personal. Whether that was Stella purposefully hinting at the necessity of watching these films or sheer coincidence, I do not know. But what I do know is that by the end, it felt as though she had found the cord tying all my insecurities together and tugged them to the surface.

My train of thought leads me to a clump of yellow daisies sitting a few feet from the bench. Plucking one from the grass, the chain of flowers appears untouched, as though the missing one never belonged in the first place. A wave of sadness crashes over me as I stare at the plucked flower resting in my palm.

When I graduated from Brooks, my departure didn’t make one mark of an impact. Unlike the professors and students handing out heartfelt goodbyes left and right; I had no one. My only friends were the petals attached to my own stem.

When I left, there was no break in the chain. It was just me.

I want Taber to be different. I want to be different. I’m tired of being the girl who gets nervous about social outings, the girl who is terrified of leaving her protective bubble. The last few weeks have been better than my entire high school career, but I’m still… well, me.

Folding the daisy carefully in my palm, I look at the remaining cluster. How does one go from being the social outcast to the social butterfly? Stella and Wes make it look so easy. Heck, they make it feel so easy. I swear the only time I don’t second guess myself is when I’m with those two. Somehow, they make me feel as if every misshapen piece of me fits perfectly.

I stand up and throw the stray flower back onto the grass. The lone daisy instantly gets swallowed by a wave of yellow, its return completely indifferent to the patch. I turn and start walking back to my dorm, making a silent vow to myself along the way.

When it comes time to leave Taber, I’m breaking the chain on my way out.

Wes

“If you boys don’t tighten up those passes, Silverwood is going to kick our ass next weekend.” We’re all lined up on the field, getting ripped into for the second time today. Cody slowly walks past each player, holding each of us accountable. He pauses when he gets to Hunter.

“Show up late to practice again and you’re off the team. Got it?” Hunter nods sullenly, shaggy hair flopping to one side.

“Well? Did you hear what I said or not. Use your words, rookie.”

“I got it, Cap. I won’t be late again.”

“Good.” With a dismissive nod, Cody lets us go. Hunter grabs his gear and boots it off the field like his ass is on fire. I almost feel bad for the guy. Hunter showed up late during our first week when he got lost trying to find the practice field. Today, he rolled in ten minutes late, completely missing warm-up and making us all do a field lap as punishment. Hence the almost sympathy.

Honestly, it’s not Hunter’s fault Cody is in a pissy mood. Not only is our season opener less than seven days from now, but it’s also against Taber’s biggest rival, the Silverwood Sabers. Next weekend will be Cody’s first official game as team captain, and if the school’s undefeated status wasn’t pressure enough, rumour is Mighty Mo might make an appearance. Add in the fact Cody’s still butt sore from Hunter tonguing his freshwoman crush and you’ve got yourself one uptight captain.

“Think Stella’s still giving him the silent treatment?” Nico murmurs the question as I help him pack up the nets. I check to make sure Cody isn’t within ear range before responding. I’d rather not be put on his terminal list before the season opener.

“Last I heard, she’s been spreading the nickname Caveman Cody among gym regulars.” Nico grins and I mentally applaud the update Trip texted me about the other day. We don’t message very often but when we do, it’s of the highest importance.

This particular update, or The Cody highlight as I like to call it, came in a few nights ago, while I was having wing night with the boys.

TRIP: I’ve got tea.

ME: I’ll bring the crumpets.

TRIP: Why are you like this?

Excusing myself from the table, I got up and wandered over to the men’s restroom. I could feel the grin forming on my face and didn’t want Nico to call me out in front of the team.

ME: Like what? Crumpets are a perfectly respectable tea treat. Ask the queen.

TRIP: Forget the tea and crumpets. Stella has started a revenge rumour among gym regulars.

I smirked to myself, leaning against a nearby wall. She didn’t have to tell me who the revenge strike was against.

ME: If my captain finds out I know about this scheme, he’ll make me run field laps until I die. SPILL.

TRIP: You sure you want to sacrifice yourself for this?

ME: Never been more certain of anything.

I stared impatiently at my screen, watching typing bubbles pop up only to disappear. I knew Trip was doing it on purpose but damn if it didn’t get under my skin.

ME: Speed it up, honey. My life is on the line here.

Two painful minutes dragged on until finally her response came through.

TRIP: Caveman Cody earned himself a new title.

ME: Worth the sacrifice.

My thoughts snap back to present at the sound of Nico’s voice. “Does this mean we get to call him Captain Caveman Cody?” I burst out laughing.

“That sounds like a bad pornstar name.” Swinging the equipment bag over my shoulder, I drop my voice to a low octave.

“Caveman Cody hungry. He see woman. He want woman.” Chuckling, Nico shakes his head at my spot-on impression.

“I’ll always be surprised you didn’t become a drama major.”

“Dude. How many drama majors do you know get laid?”

“Good point.” We start heading towards the changerooms when Cody comes running up behind us.

“Wes, can I talk to you for a moment?” Shit. I hope he didn’t overhear my imitation of his pre-historic self.

“Sure.” I slow down, already praying the punishment won’t be more than five laps. There’s got to be points for imagination, right?

“What are you doing tonight?” The question takes me by surprise, and it takes me a moment not to blurt out Wes party. Wes meet woman. Wes want woman.

“Well, a girl in my finance class was throwing a party that I was thinking of… I mean, it was a pretty loose invitation, so if you want to hang tonight, I’m cool.” Cody does not realize the sacrifice I just made.

The party is being hosted by a bombshell blonde with the nicest ass. She already told me where I could meet her for the privateparty, if you know what I mean. But hey, if my captain is feeling lonely, then I am happy to keep the guy company.

“Er, thank you for the offer but I was going to ask if you were attending the Punk Rockers event tonight.” Huh. So, not the lonely vibes I thought.

“Punk Rockers event. You mean like a club?” My earlier caveman impression has come back to haunt me. My brain feels dense as a rock.

No wonder Darwin’s theory worked so well.

“Ya, the club Punk Rockers is hosting their first event tonight. I’m not a member but both Stella and Trip are going, so I was just thinking if you were planning on going as well, then I would be happy to keep you company.”

My neurons are starting to fire again, and I’m detecting a strategic conversation technique going on here. My captain needs a wingman but doesn’t want to ask out loud.

“Cap, I got you. You don’t need to worry about anything, okay? I’ll be right by your side the whole time.” I throw him a wink Will Ferrell style, so he knows I’m on his radar.

Giving me a confused look, Cody nods, “Right. I’ll let Stella know you agreed to tag along then.” Feeling like a proud dad, I clap my hand on his shoulder.

“This is going to be great, Cap. I can feel it.”