Beheaded In Biology, Kennedy Harkins [children's books read aloud .TXT] 📗

“Jeez, Nay, keep your panties on. I’m almost there.” I huffed into the phone, as I hurried down the dimly lit street. My penny colored locks flew into my mint green eyes, undoing all the work I had done with her brush not fifteen minutes before. Clicking the end button when Kole Derosa’s home came into view, I cut Nathan “Nay” Thine off mid-rant.
The house was a suburban classic, the first floor decorated with brick while the second harbored elegant white paneling. It meshed with every other house on the Cul-De-Sac perfectly.
Stepping up the stairs to the porch, I rang the bell and waited for Mr. or Mrs. Derosa to answer. The last night before school starts. Where did the summer go? In exactly fourteen hours, Kole, Simon, Nay, and me would all be starting their sophomore year.
The door swung open to reveal six feet of pure annoyed male. “You hung up on me!” Nathan grunted at me, blocking the way inside with his body. I tried to keep the amusement out of my voice.
“Sorry. Bad connection.” That earned me a narrow glance, but he moved to let me pass. I walked with him down the stairs to the basement where the four of us usually liked to hang out. His charcoal hair was cut just above his eyebrows, and even though he hadn’t used a comb, it still managed to look better than mine. His face was all harsh angles and high cheekbones, and his eyes were the color of melted gold.
Most of the time I was afraid he was prettier than me.
Entering the den, I took in the shabby furniture and the well-used TV. This was home. Kole was already taking up most of the room on the blue couch, which left Nay and me to the red one.
“Hey, Tardy Tina. You kept us waiting.” Kole complained. His bright red hair glowed under the florescent lights. Kole’s glasses hid the prettiest part about him, his chocolate brown eyes. I always thought that they fit him, not flashy, but sweet all the same.
“Because, I’m sure you had better things to do.” I quipped back, earning me a grin from both guys.
Kole turned to Nate, his partner in crime. “I think she’s insulting us.”
“I feel insulted.”
“What are we watching tonight?” I laughed.
“It’s a tie between Transformers and The Dark Knight Returns.” Nathan said. Hoping silently for Batman, I turned to watch Kole slip a movie into the DVD player. Just my luck, it was Transformers.
Smiling, at the jokes coming from the other couch, I settled in for a long night.

Before I knew it, someone was shaking me awake. Opening my eyes, I blinked against the suddenly harsh light. “You awake, Gabi?” Nay’s voice was slightly husky, telling me he’d been asleep not long ago.
“No, I just mastered the art of sleeping with my eyes open. What time is it?” I groaned.
“Five a.m.” He reported. That got me attention. Sitting up with a jolt, I checked my watch for confirmation. Crap, 5:07 a.m. Gran’s gonna bury me in the backyard next to Fluffy the hamster. The only saving grace of the situation was that I lived not five minutes from Kole’s house. Plenty of time to shower, get dressed, and drag my ass to class. “Yeah, guess we drifted off.”
Stretching, I was surprised that I wasn’t all that stiff. Nothing like I would have expected from sleeping sitting up all night. Glancing over at Nay, I realized his right sleeve was severely wrinkled, and his cheek was slightly red, like it’d been pressed up against something…
A horrible thought popped into her mind. “Please, tell me I didn’t sleep on you.” I blushed.
“Fine. You didn’t sleep on me,” but she caught the mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Are you kidding? You two were cuddled up so close, I thought we’d need a crowbar by morning.” Kole chuckled as he reentered the den; his hair was slightly wet from the shower.
I threw a pillow at him, “Jealous much, Kole?” Not waiting for an answer, I started up the stairs. “I’ll see you guys at school. I desperately need to shower,” I called back to them.
“I’d recommend it!” Kole shouted back.
“Yeah, you smell like the inside of a stable.” Nathan chimed in.
“You’d know, Nay!” I said before closing the front door on my way out. Moving quickly down the path and then the street, I tried to make good time getting back to my house. Pulling out my phone, I dialed my grandma’s number.
It rang, “Hey, Gran. It’s me. Sorry I didn’t call. I accidently fell asleep on Kole’s couch.”
“I know, it was in the cards,” her words were curt with an undertone of kindness. Mrs. Page was rumored by most of locals to be a witch. A fact she never denied to her granddaughter, or anybody who had the courage to ask, for that matter.
I groaned inwardly, I didn’t believe in the mystical like my grandmother, but I really didn’t want to have this argument again. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t sit up worrying.”
“Someday you’ll understand.” Was the only reply I got. Sensing the dismissal in the words, I put my cell back in her pocket, and turned onto Sunshine Boulevard.
My home was at the end of a street with no other houses on it. The whole property was surrounded by woods and looked more like a cottage than a house, which only served to fuel the witch rumor.
Locking the door behind me, I saw no sign of my grandmother. Probably for the best. I rushed into the bathroom, stripped down and started the shower. The hot water felt amazing on my skin.
Shutting off the water, I walked over to the mirror and started up the blow drier. A half hour later I had dry, brushed hair, make-up on, and my mouth no longer felt like something had died in it. Pulling on my clothes, I checked my watch again, 7:36 a.m.
“Just enough time to drive to school and beat the crowd.”
My grandma’s beat up red Bug was parked in the driveway. Gran didn’t leave the house much, so I didn’t mind sharing vehicles; it was almost like having my own. The inside smelled of incense and the slight whiff of tobacco smoke from Gran’s smoking days.
The engine purred to life with a little coaxing on my part. I pulled out and started for Jasmine High. The school was only a couple miles from my house, so it took me a matter of minutes to arrive and park. I thought I caught a glance of Nathan’s small black SUV in the parking lot, but there were too many cars blocking my view.
Locking the doors behind me, I grabbed my backpack and proceeded inside. Decor was the best from the 70’s, and had seen its fair share of use. Freshman huddled in their own groups, more than a little intimidated by the older students. To think that last year that was me.
Stepping into the office I cut in front of a few confused classmates with their noses buried in a schedule. Snooze you lose. Second in line to a short girl of Asian descent, I slipped out my phone and checked for missed texts.
“But I’ve already taken both Geometry and Algebra II, there were summer courses available.” The girl’s voice trembled slightly, obviously overstressed.
“I understand, but you’ll have to talk to the individual teachers. The school server crashed this morning, and we won’t have it back up for a few hours.” Mrs. Druence droned from the other side of the desk.
“I just moved here! I don’t know my way around.” I winced as the older woman’s eyebrows rose in annoyance. Her mouth opened to reply and I decided to intervene.
“I’d be happy to show her around Mrs. Druence. If I could just get my AP schedule first?” Using my best ‘respectful youth’ tone.
An impatient click of her tongue later, I was handed my classes. Flashing her a smile, I grabbed the young girl’s arm and tugged her away from the crowd.
Her ebony eyes met mine, “Look, you don’t have to do this. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
Taking her schedule from her hands, I eyed her classes before answering her. “But now you don’t have to!” Grinning at her doubtful expression, “I’m Gabi Page.”
“Kira Zhang.”
“Come on, I’ll take you to Pre-Calculus. Luckily, it’s Bring Your Freshman to Class Day.” Her lips twitched and I knew I had her convinced. Walking down the hall, I nodded at both Kole and Nathan, but didn’t bother to join them. Nathan was in Algebra II, due to his reluctance to double up on math courses, and Kole had finished most of his required classes over the summer.
Entering the Pre-Calc room, Kira and I picked a spot near the front; the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, so we had a little time to talk.
“So, when’d you move here?”
“Just a couple weeks ago.”
“Where from?”
“Chicago.” She smiled with a trace of sadness, “I really loved it there.”
I was about to answer when my books were knocked onto the floor, fighting the urge to groan. I slid out of my seat to pick them up, and got my hand stepped on for my trouble. I’d know those “Do Me” heels anywhere.
“In the way much, Dweeb?” Julianne Bonilla’s high-pitched voice frayed at my nerves like a cheese grater on cheddar.
“Hello-o-o, Julie. A pleasure as always.” Staring at her never-ending legs, graceful curves, and luscious blond hair, it was hard not to be jealous. I did my best to keep it from my face. Instead putting on a big dopey grin.
Her sapphire colored eyes narrowed, “Whatever.” Pushing her way past me, she took a seat in the back, where all the slackers frequent.
*cough* Bitch *cough*
Glancing up at Kira, I rolled my eyes, “Isn’t she cool?” I sighed dreamily, “Someday, I wanna be just like her.”

_____

“You’re sure your friends won’t mind me sitting with you guys?” Kira, asked uncertainly.
“Firstly, “friends” is a strong word to use when talking about Kole and Nathan… And I really don’t have a secondly.” We weaved through the crowded lunchroom, until I saw the bright orange top of Kole’s head. Knew I kept him around for something. That boy’s like a neon sign.
As Kira and I got closer, I heard Kole whisper to Nathan. “Quick, don’t make eye contact and maybe she’ll leave.”
“That hurts, baby. And here I thought we had a real connection.”
“That’s what he tells all the girls, sweetheart.” Nay grinned into his chili. Sliding next to him, I motioned Kira into the seat by Kole.
“Kira, these are the idiots, idiots this is Kira. Don’t worry; they came up with the name themselves. It’s an exclusive club.” I explained in between bites of sloppy Joe.
“On Wednesdays we wear pink.” Kole added.
The boys proceeded to make Kira feel at home, their infectious charm undeniable. From Kole’s goofy grin to Nay’s sparkling eyes and crooked smile, they’re lady-killers. When it was clear she was under their spell, I tuned out.
My next class was biology. I don’t really mind the subject, but Mr. Kerr is beyond weird. I went to him a lot last year with questions, since he was undoubtedly the smartest person in the building. He reminds me of a mad scientist with his disheveled appearance and his insane mannerisms. Like one day, I could walk in on him dissecting a student.
He’d probably just tell me