Chapter 2 Equations

As we left the same way we snuck into the house, we made sure to remain as quiet as possible. After twenty minutes of hiking through the forest, we approached the car, keeping a careful eye on our surroundings.

“Let’s go, keep quiet,” I whisper to Milo as we sneak our way to the car. After loading everything into the back seat, we left, not even looking in the rearview mirror.

“So where did you pick?” I ask as I concentrate on the road.

“Windmere, it is about three hours southeast, A little seaside town. I saw a sign for it once when Mom was delivering her art project. The picture looked nice, and as you told the police officer that we were headed to Mesa, which was north, I thought that they wouldn’t look southeast for a while. Plus, who knows how long we are going to be here?”

“That’s great, buddy, nice job.”

Windmere was not what I was expecting. While Milo described it as a little beach town, this place had one main street, a diner, a post office, and a school that looked as if it hadn’t seen a lick of paint since the early 80s. I found a rental online when we stopped to get gas and paid for six months. The house was a small one-bedroom, but we didn’t need much, plus the bonus was that it was on the outskirts of town. Plus, cash on arrival certainly made the landlord look the other way quickly. Though he was nice, he didn’t ask questions and didn’t look too closely at us both. As we got settled in, Milo curled up in the bed and went straight to sleep. I, on the other hand, sat out back staring at the stars that lit the night sky and quietly cried for the mother that I had just lost.

“I’m sorry, Mom, but I couldn’t risk us burying you. I told the funeral home to cremate you and to post the ashes to a P.O. Box in Mesa.”

Just as day was breaking over the horizon, I gathered the courage to walk back inside and get on with our lives.

“Milo, wake up, we need to get ready for school,” I call as I walk into the bathroom and take a hot shower.  As I emerge from a steam-filled bathroom, I smell the coffee that Milo had brewed, and we trade places.

Standing in the principal’s office, we go through the enrolment process. I lie again and tell them that my aunt is working at the moment, as she had a big meeting, and that I will get her to sign the forms tonight when we see her, as she is headed overseas for work for a few weeks tomorrow.

Sure, they gave us funny looks, but didn’t question anything.

“Heads down and don’t make waves,” I whisper to Milo.

“Roger that, sister,” Milo mutters back before turning off and heading to his classes.

Walking through the school was like what I imagine walking through a movie set where everyone knew their lines. Everyone whispered and muttered about the new girl, but I kept my head down and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

“Oh, my god, did you see her eyes?” I heard someone say as I walked into my first class.

Sure, I am looking less than perfect, I mean, I have been up all-night crying, so I am sure I have bags under my swollen and puffy eyes. But my clothes are clean and I don’t stink.

But secrets have weight, and it felt like with every step that I took, the invisible world that was sitting on my shoulders was trying its hardest to push me down to the ground. My ribs felt like they were squashing my heart, making every breath difficult. But the one thing that I had, I had mastered invisibility.

That was until I met the four boys in Math class.

I hesitated as I made my way to the back corner of the room; it felt like their eyes followed me and clocked my every movement. Sliding into the back corner seat, I pulled my hoodie further forward to hide more of my face and took out my textbook. Then, I folded my arms and lay my head on them while watching out the window.

“Hi”

Turning my head towards the voice, I see one of the four boys standing beside my desk.

Raising one eyebrow, I watched as the corner of his mouth kicked up in a slight smirk.

“Hi,  he says again.

“Mm,” I respond I don’t want to talk to people, and I don’t want to talk to the guys in class. Placing my head back on my folded arms and turning my face back to the sun streaming through the window, I ignore the guy and the others who have moved to stand with him.

“Alright, class, take your seats,” The teacher calls as she walks into the class.

“This ain’t over, princess,” the boy whispers as he takes a sniff of my hair before moving back to his seat.

Sitting up, I jump slightly as I notice that the four boys are now practically surrounding me.  I have the talker to the left, growly on the right, and Beavis and butt head in front of me. Great! So much for invisibility.

As the teacher spends the next two hours droning on about formulas and algebra, my eyes keep flitting to the outside. It was the cheers and shouts from the kids on the oval that caught my attention as they raced about. As I see an amazing goal being kicked, I realise that the goalie who could have stopped that excellent shot let it go through. There were screams for joy for the team that scored and shouts of anger for the team that just lost. As the team walks off the field, I spot the goalie and watch as he walks behind everyone.

“Milo,” I whisper. As if he heard me, his head turns in my direction, and he gives me a sad smirk.