149 Mrs. Golladay 1 (1/2)

The next day was a Thursday, and it started off normal like always: breakfast, Zeke takes us to school, Mr. Miller drives us up to the building, and then we stop by Noah's locker before class.

When we sat in our seats, it felt like Monday all over again. The other kids crowded us and congratulated us on winning the game. But this time, they were able to see Noah in action and gave him the attention he deserved. He laughed with them and shared his thoughts on playing with juniors and seniors.

A few of them also tried talking to me, but I shied away. I'm still at the 'talk to a different teammate a day' stage. I don't think I could communicate with my classmates just yet. Most of our classes followed the same pattern where we would be complimented and then Noah would answer their questions.

It wasn't until math with the twins, did I get a break from all the hovering. The twins and I shared a table in the back corner and no one approached us to ask about the game. A few guys walked by and exchanged weird handshakes or simple greetings, but no one stayed for too long.

I sighed with relief as class started.

Kyle looked down at me, eyebrows raised. ”Long day?”

I nodded.

”Let me guess: the freshman are all excited about you and Noah playing varsity?”

I nodded again.

He laughed. ”Yea, it'll be like that all year for you. It's not often that freshmen make any varsity team so it's a rare accomplishment. It's natural for others wanting to know what it's like. But then there are others who get jealous. Anyone from JV or the freshman team bug you?”

I shook my head slowly. No one really talks to me directly. And if they do, Noah tries to intercept them.

”He's got Noah to watch out for him.” Dave jumped in and turned to me. ”Noah had a problem with some of them last semester right after the rosters were decided for varsity, junior varsity, and freshman levels. He knows what to watch out for.”

”A problem?” I mumbled.

Dave and Kyle nodded together, and Dave answered first. ”Since he plays with the varsity team, the other freshmen kind of exclude him from their group. Think about it...there's twenty plus freshmen on the low leveled team so why doesn't Noah hang out with them? Or better yet, introduce them to you and vice versa? It's because they don't get along; Noah knows it would make you uncomfortable, because they would probably be just as jealous of you as they are of him. As for the junior varsity team...he just beat them all out for a spot on the varsity roster. It's not a good feeling to be beaten by someone younger than you. So they don't really acknowledge him either.”

I started to understand why Noah only hung out with me. He knew a lot of people, but wasn't necessarily close to them

”Just imagine a bunch of kids like Chris.” Kyle added. ”Like him, they can't accept that they're not as good as they thought.”

The classroom door opening interrupted the class and everyone got quiet, including the twins. The class watched as another student walked in and handed the old teacher a note.

He read it and then immediately looked at me. ”Jake Hollander. It's for you. Pack your backpack just in case it goes on for awhile.” He passed the piece of paper to the person in front of our row and they passed the note back. The student who had delivered the note was already leaving, apparently done with his job.