It was an early Wednesday morning; the birds were tweeting and the morning dew dripped from the leaves.
*RING* *RING* *RING*
"ELI! Put that damn alarm off," shouted an annoyed Luke. After switching it off, Elijah sat up, trying to stay awake. Once his thoughts were gathered, Eli took a short shower and dressed for school. After packing his bag, Elijah headed downstairs to his mother making breakfast. "Good Morning Honey, did you choose your after-school activity?" she asked.
"I decided on drama," he replied.
"Really. I never would've expected you to do drama. It has a lot of people in it and you're going to need to perform in front of other people. Are you sure this was a good idea?" doubted Monique.
"I see this as a test. If I can't do this then how am I going to survive the rest of my time at school?" he said, eating.
"Look at you getting out of your comfort zone," said Monique.
"Anyway, I have some plans for what I want to do this year and that starts with this drama club," said Elijah, explaining his roadmap for Cape Coast High.
"Can you go wake up your brother, I don't want you guys to be late?" asked Monique. Elijah ran to his brother's room, knocking obnoxiously.
"WHAT!" shouted Luke.
"Mom says you need to wake up otherwise you'll be late," informed Elijah.
"Fine."
Luke finally woke up before getting cleaned up and dressed. "What were you doing that you were able to oversleep?" asked Monique, sliding his bowl with his porridge.
"Nothing important, the holidays had a toll on me," he replied, wiping his eyes.
"Well, I refilled all your school credits because I don't want what happened yesterday to happen again. Also, I ordered the things you wanted, they should arrive this weekend," mentioned Monique.
"Great, these pimples are really not that good-looking," said Elijah, pointing at one of them.
"Luke told me that you're trying to impress Ally, I'm so glad. High School romance is always such an adventure."
Elijah looked confused and then looked at Luke snickering to himself. "I don't know what Luke told you, but he is just flat-out lying to you. Ally is just a friend, well, more like the sister I never had."
"Aww, I think it would've been so cute. You guys have been together through the good and the bad, it wouldn't be shocking if you two ended up together in the future," said Monique, eating.
"Well, it's not going to happen. I'm not trying to date anyone when I don't even know myself," replied Elijah, flipping his arms.
"But honey, that's why you're in high school. I remember on my first day of high school, I was super shy but still tried engaging with everyone. I didn't want to look small and pathetic in the senior's eyes," she said, moving the spoon as she spoke.
"To be honest, I don't really care about my reputation. I don't see myself speaking with a senior in a long time."
"You never know."
When done, Elijah and Luke continued the streak of keeping the Stein Residence as clean as possible. To save some extra time, Elijah took out all of Monique's kitchen appliances, and the meat and vegetables for dinner and set the sprinkler on to a certain time. Soon, the driver came and the Stein brothers were on their way to school. Elijah was welcomed by Ally, Dustin, Thandi, and Rohan standing by the gate, chatting with each other. "Good Morning, did you sleep well?" asked Ally.
"Very well, how are you guys doing?" asked Elijah.
"Well, I didn't do my homework so I going to need to borrow your Maths book," said Dustin, poking his arm.
"Sure," he replied, taking his Mathematics book out.
"Thanks."
Elijah and the group walked into the school, filled with students walking to lockers, and chatting. Elijah took out his tablet and checked the GOSSIP, it was busier than he thought. "Who knew people would've adapted so quickly?"
"Look at us, we had a friend group on the first day so I wouldn't say it is out of the question," mentioned Thandi.
"Where would we be without me?" said Ally, laughing with herself.
"You're not wrong," said Elijah.
As they walked around, Ally kept on Elijah's arm, swinging and pulling it. "Eli, I was wondering if you would like to come to my house tomorrow. I feel like we've been separated for too long," she said as she dramatically fell into his arms.
Catching her, he replied, "I know right? If I have nothing planned then I'd love to come over. Do you still have those charades cards?"
"I don't know but I'll look for them."
When the bell rang, the group dispersed as Dustin and Elijah left for registration. "So, are you and Ally a thing?" asked Dustin suddenly.
"No, why would you think that?" asked Elijah, caught off guard.
"You seem so close and the way she acts around you, it looks like you and Ally are in love."
Elijah considered it, going through his memory of his relationship with Ally. He never really saw him and Ally as a couple and just took it as their way of communication. The way Ally spoke to him and her clinging to him just passed as part of their friendship. Did he know how Ally actually felt about him? No, but he did know he didn't see her like that. "Ally has been my best friend since I was young. She was like a protective sister to me. I don't know how I feel as I never experienced romance but I'm not going to say that I like her differently," he said.
"Damn, you do know you could've just said no," said Dustin before they reached their destination.
"Oh sorry."
They entered the class and sat by their seats before Mr. Johnson checked for absentees. Once they were done, Mr. Johnson spoke with some of the students. "Good Morning, today is P.E (Physical Education) and that will be given to you by Coach Swarts. Training Clothes will be given to you before Lunch. You will be assigned to dress or you will not be able to participate. Any questions?" he announced.
"Sir, I don't want to do P.E," asked Leah Curtis, a fellow student in Class 8-A.
"Why not? Do you have a reason or...?" She walked up to him before they left the class. The class started chatting, speculating why they left the class.
"So, what club did you join?" asked Dustin.
"I joined the drama club," he replied.
"Hmm, very unexpected. I joined the Art club but depending on how it goes, I might just change."
Just as Dustin and Elijah were about to speak, Mr. Johnson, Leah, and another student entered. "Hi. I'm here to remind all the students who chose Drama needs to meet in the Auditorium after school. I will see you then," announced Matthew, leaving quickly after. Elijah looked around, seeing girls giggling and gossiping, having Matthew's name in their mouths.
"What's going on?" asked a confused Elijah.
"It's pretty obvious," replied Dustin, writing his homework quickly.
"What's obvious?"
"Ugh, Matthew seems to be that cliché character that every girl in school likes because he is super 'attractive'. Then again, maybe this time it's different but life sucks so." Elijah confused looked around and Dustin indeed was right.
Once the registration period was done, Class 8-A went for Grammar and Mathematics before receiving homework for both, much larger than the day before. When the Maths period concluded, P.E clothes were handed out, as P.E was the following period. The student then left for lunch which had a mince curry along with rice and apple juice. Soon, the group gathered in their seats. "So, I joined the Robotic club, and now I have to stay after school till five, every Tuesday and Thursday,"
"Me too, I'm kinda rethinking my choices," replied Rohan, giggling to himself.
"Are you going to change?" Elijah asked.
"No, but it's going to take a lot of time. Hopefully, I'm not overworked," she said before eating on.
"Ally, what club did you join?" asked Dustin. Ally moved closer and ate Elijah's food. Elijah took note of this but didn't know if this was their kind of relationship. This didn't just catch the attention of Elijah, but everyone in the group as well, sparking confusion.
With Lunch finally done, the group parted as Class 8-A got ready for their first session of P.E where they entered the locker room to get dressed. While Elijah started undressing into his P.E, Dustin was a bit hesitant. "Are you not going to dress?" asked Elijah, putting on his shirt.
"Nah, I'm just going to wait until everyone is gone," said Dustin, sitting down on one of the benches. Elijah didn't really understand why this was happening, but just trusted the process. Once everyone was done dressing, they formed in the Gym, excluding Dustin. The Gym filled with chatter until a loud shout was heard. "GET INTO A LINE. NOW!"
Filled with panic, the student fled in a straight line as Coach Swarts walked up and down, staring with a judging look. "Is this everyone?" he shouted as everyone looked around and nodded.
"Umm, there is still one student in the locker room," mentioned Elijah. Just as he said that Dustin walked in, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Joining the line, Dustin was approached by Coach Swarts, who looked very angry. "I see you took your own sweet time. WHY!" Dustin had chills up his spine, as he answered, startled. "I felt uncomfortable dressing in front of others." Elijah looked at Dustin, as it finally made sense. Coach Swarts moved along down the line, before giving a short speech.
"Here at Cape Coast High, it is my job to forge and create athletes. I will not take wusses or losers. I only want winners and champions in this school. If anyone has a problem, then GET OUT OF MY COURT!" Everyone was startled and scared to do anything wrong.
"Now, get into groups of two. We're going to play a short game of dodgeball but first, warm up," he said before setting out the balls. Dustin tied his shoes before Elijah approached him. "Are you okay? He seems a bit too harsh for my liking," said Elijah.
"I'm fine, I don't know why he has to be so rude though. I bet you that he is one of those alpha males," said Dustin, laughing to himself, leaving Elijah once again confused. Elijah lifted Dustin and the class got into the two groups. As they finished stretching, the Coach started shouting. "Time Up! One group goes to that side and the other goes that way. Now we all know the rules of dodgeball. The first one to get the ball has the privilege of throwing someone out unless they miss, on my mark you will start." With each team on a side, the Coach started counting. "3... 2... 1... GO!"
The intense game of dodgeball started as the students rushed to the ball. Although missing, Elijah did his best to dodge the ball. On the other hand, Dustin was able to get a ball and managed to not only dodge but hit some people. Soon, both teams were low on members. Dustin and Elijah remained. On the opposing team, students Kareem Adams and Leah Curtis remained on the other. It became a heated battle as the student started cheering for their team. "Why does he look like he wants to kill us?" asked Dustin, pointing at Kareem, triggering him. Elijah looked over and Kareem looked frustrated while Leah was just busy existing.
"Don't worry, we're going to—" Before Elijah could even finish his sentence, a ball was hurled by Kareem, hitting him right in the face. The crowd went silent as Elijah fell to the ground, bruised in the face. "OUT!" shouted Coach Swarts. Elijah stood up, holding his face. "Are you okay?" asked Dustin, concerned. Elijah simply just gave him a thumbs up before sitting on the benches.
Now alone, Dustin didn't know whether winning was even a possibility. He glanced at the opposing team, losing confidence. The balls were once again set out with Dustin competing with two other students. They started getting into position as the crowd started cheering again.
"On your marks," said Coach Swarts.
"Get set."
"GO!!!"
Dustin ran to the balls, picking up two as he dodged the flying dodgeballs they threw at him. While they tried getting their ammo, Dustin threw the ball right at Leah, knocking her out. Now, it was one vs one. As the balls flew and flew through the Gym, the crowd started getting tired as they watched Dustin and Kareem dodge and hurl. Dustin started getting tired but he didn't give up. "Haven't you had enough?" asked Dustin.
"I could do this all day," replied Kareen, panting.
Before running to fetch another ball, Kareem threw his only ball with as much force as he could, knocking Dustin to the floor, and out of the game. Kareem walked over to him, giving him a hand. "Good game, but you're still not better than me," he said, lifting him.
"Very cocky I see," Dustin replied, wiping himself off.
"I wouldn't say cocky, just speaking the truth," he said before leaving for his group. Elijah ran to Dustin, congratulating him.
"I wouldn't say I won."
"But you got second place, it's way better than what I got," said Elijah, holding an ice pack on his face.
"What about your face? Is it okay?"
"It's okay, just a bit bruised."
Elijah and the rest of the class went to the locker showers where they showered but Dustin, once again waited. "You know, you should've told me that you don't like dressing or showering in front of others. I understand where you're coming from," said Elijah, drying his hair.
"It's just something I'll never be used to." Once they were done, Class 8-A went to Chemistry before heading for their break.
"What happened to your face?" asked Ally, holding his face.
"You know, just your friendly game of dodgeball," he said, laughing it off.
"Friendly, my ass. Whoever did this to you, let me at them!" she said, bending her eyebrows.
"I didn't know you swore," said Thandi, shocked.
"She only swears when she is angry. Don't worry Ally, it was just a slow response."
As the day went on, soon, it was time for the students of Cape Coast High to go home, but for certain people, it was after-school clubs. Elijah greeted his friends goodbye before heading to the auditorium. As he entered, he didn't see anyone, thinking he was early, he sat down and scrolled on his phone. However, he was not alone. Soon, he started hearing humming, coming from behind the stage curtain. "Hello. Is anyone there?" he asked, startled before moving closer to the stage. The closer he got, the loud the sounds got. The tapping on the ground, the humming of a song. Reluctant at first, Elijah pulled the curtains, revealing...
"Matthew?"
He didn't respond, having music in his ears, sweeping the stage floors. "Umm, hello," he said, tapping him on the shoulder, scaring him. "Oh hi. I see you're early," said Matthew, taking his earphones out.
"Do you know when this is going to start?" asked Elijah, sitting on the edge of the stage.
"It doesn't start in about five minutes, you can just hang here," he replied before continuing to sweep the auditorium.
Soon, the auditorium filled up with many students who came to join the drama club. As they waited, some students got to know each other while Elijah just sat near Matthew. Suddenly, a loud voice was heard through the speakers. "Welcome to the Drama Club. I am Inga Fallon, the leader of this club. I am in tenth grade if anyone needs to find me. Who's excited about this club?" said Inga, before the crowd cheered. As Inga spoke, she created some hype around the club that Elijah didn't understand. She picked the mic from the stand and jumped over Elijah, continuing to speak. "Inga is a lot, but you'll get used to her," said Matthew, sitting next to Elijah.
"You know her?" asked Elijah.
"She is my cousin. She encouraged me to come to this school."
"Cool. Cool," he replied, awkwardly.
Inga jumped around enthusiastically, announcing different projects the drama club will be going on throughout the time she will be at Cape Coast High. "We will have a play at the end of the semester for parents and students, a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet. The script is being written as we speak, but not only that. We will all visit a very famous theatre, somewhere between this year and next year so clear your schedule." Elijah and Matthew continued to sit there before Inga began the first activity.
"Today we will just be warming up, getting to know each other, and even some scenarios. The main thing will be improvision as this is very helpful when forgetting lines and whatnot. Come, let's stretch." Elijah and Matthew joined the others as they stretched their bodies and voices. "Okay, improvision is like thinking off the top of your head in case you forget your lines. Today, we are going to get in groups of two and I will give you a scenario, so quickly, get into your groups." Elijah looked around as everyone got into groups. Every person he tried already had a partner but it seems he wasn't the only person in that predicament.
"I see you need a partner," said Matthew, walking towards Elijah.
"It's weird how fast people grouped up, but I guess that this will have to do," he replied.
"Ouch," he said, holding his hand on his chest.
"No, I didn't mean it in that way, I was just—"
"I know, I'm just joking. There's no reason to be so serious," he giggled.
"Oh."
Inga began giving people various scenarios, some weird, some calm, and some very outrageous. "You two, act like one of your pets died, and you two, you cheated with her boyfriend," she demanded.
"But my cat did die."
As she went through everyone, she approached Matthew and Elijah, looking rather confused. "Oh, you're both males. That should be interesting. I want a love confession," she said, excited.
"Umm, I'm not g—"
"Shhh. This is just an act," she replied, putting her fingers on his lips.
"Oh, okay," he said before Inga left for the stage.
"I'm going to run to the toilet, this should be enough time to come up with a plan," she said before running out.
Matthew and Elijah looked awkwardly at each other, not knowing what to say or do. "I guess we should probably just stick this one out because I don't even know how to start," said Elijah, sitting down by the stage.
"This is improvision so let's just start with a simple sentence."
"I guess you're right but who is confessing to who because I have never been confessed to? What if I don't show the right emotion," he said, starting a tiny panic.
"It depends on how you answer the question. You could act nervous, bratty, or even oblivious. You can choose to accept or reject; we just have to go with it," advised Matthew. Elijah thought about it and it did make sense, now excited. "Okay, let's do it."
Soon, Inga returned and the first group came up. "Let's see your acting skills."
SCENARIO 1: Death of my cat
Candice: (crying)
Lake: What happened?
Candice: My cat (blows nose) died.
Lake: Wait! Lester died?
Candice: Yeah (begins crying even harder)
Lake: There, there. Come on, let's go mourn him.
Inga looked confused as if something was off but applauded nonetheless. "Wow. I'm impressed. It was as if the crying was real," said Inga, clapping.
"That's because it was," said Lake, holding Candice.
"Oh. NEXT!" shouted Inga.
SCENARIO 2: Cheater!
Blake: (angry) What do you mean you want to break up?
Tara: Oh, don't act so surprised! I know you've cheated on me with my best friend and now you want to act like a saint. (crossing her arms)
Blake: (shocked) That was so long time ago.
Tara: You don't just sleep around and then beg for me to come back. What if you have an STD?
Blake: You know what? I don't care anymore; I'll just date your best friend.
Inga didn't find it interesting but put on a fake smile, applauding them. "NEXT!"
Up next were Elijah and Matthew, who stood on the stage. Elijah breathed in as they begin. "Eli, I need to tell you something," said Matthew, pulling his hand.
Caught off guard with the name Eli, he replied, flustered. "What is it?" Inga leaned in and the crowd became interested. "I know you might not feel the same but ever since we've met, I can't get you out of my mind. Every time I'm alone, you're the first thing I think about you and it made me realize that I can't live without you. I like you a lot Eli," he said, looking sincerely in his eyes. Elijah felt a different feeling in his stomach and his face felt warm as their gaze met.
Inside Elijah's mind
WEEEEEE! WOOOOOO! WEEEEEEE! WOOOOOO!
"EVERYONE, SHUT UP!," shouted Anger.
"He is feeling something different, something romantic!" shouted Happiness.
"A-are you sure?" squirmed Fear.
"Please don't be cringe," said Disgust.
...
"Wait, why is it so small?" asked Disgust.
"Because he doesn't love him, but it could lead to something more or even nothing. How sad?!" said Sadness.
"This is huge, it's time to export the hormones," said Happiness.
"Umm. I like you too, but you know we can't be together, at least not now," said Elijah, pulling his hand away.
"Then I'll wait for you, in this life and the next," Matthew said, pulling him in for a hug.
Elijah's face turned into a cherry, whilst being confused as this was a feeling he had never felt before. Inga and the club stood up and applauded them. "See, that wasn't so hard." Elijah's heart slowed down, confused as ever.
"That was spectacular, the chemistry between the two of us is just impressive. I felt so real and so full of emotions. I can't wait for the auditions," said Inga.
"What auditions?" asked Elijah.
"For the play, I said earlier, I want to see you guys there," she said. Elijah looked at Matthew, still confused. Was he feeling sick? Was something wrong with his body or was this just another sign that puberty was leaving its mark?
The scenarios went on until the first session of the Drama club was complete and Elijah left, meeting new people, as well as feeling confused. As he waited by the gate for his driver before Matthew came up to Elijah. "So how was Drama club?"
"It was fun, I got to meet more people and I learned how to improvise from a professional. Great acting by the way," Elijah replied.
"I don't think it was good acting, as I don't see myself doing that anymore. I only joined because Inga asked me to. Back in my old school, I used to work backstage like helping with the lights."
"But you're so good at acting."
"I don't really like acting, I'd rather be myself."
Matthew and Elijah continued talking, speaking about casual things before Elijah's driver showed up. "I guess this is where we part," he said, standing up.
"Before you go, I was wondering if I could get your student ID?" asked Elijah, holding out his tablet.
"Sure," said Matthew, before tapping his card, "I'll keep in touch."
"Goodbye, I will see you tomorrow," said Elijah before walking to his driver, waving.
Back at home, Elijah made him some lunch, while scrolling on his school tablet. After eating, Elijah finished his homework and sat by the TV, waiting for his mother to come back. Weirdly enough, Luke wasn't at home and he didn't have any after-school activities either. Elijah just brushed it off as he continued to look through GOSSIP. As he scrolled, looking at the many pictures and videos sent by the students of Cape Coast High. While scrolling, he stumbled across a video of the auditorium. It was none other than Matthew and his performance titled: I wish I had this.
He hesitated because he hated watching videos about himself, just skipping the video entirely. That whole scenario ran through his head, and this sparked curiosity. Running to his laptop, he began searching for what he felt this afternoon. This led him to a blog post about crushes and feelings. It read:
Having crushes are a normal thing in everyday life and it might not even be a big deal. At a young age, this could be signs of your body and mind developing, just another effect of Puberty. Crushes are people you have brief intense feelings for, even though they might be unattainable. Some crushes might become even more serious, while some are just that. Having romantic feelings comes down to physical attraction and emotional attraction, two different things. Physical appearance is being attracted to the physical appearance of someone, while emotional/romantic attraction makes a person desire romantic contact or interaction with another. Here are a few signs that you might have a crush on someone:
You become excited just by thinking about them You try to avoid them You get a weird feeling in your stomach called Butterflies You imagine yourself getting intimate with them
If you have any of this, then there is a chance you have a crush.
Elijah didn't even know what to think. Firstly, a crush. Secondly, a guy! He took a deep breath in and out, beginning to lose his mind. He looked back at the screen and realized that there is only a chance. "Maybe, this is just puberty." His breathing slowed down as he sat down.
"Is there a possibility I'm gay?"
"What will people think of me?"
"Will my parents think differently of me?"
All these thoughts went through his head before he took a deep breath in. "I'm probably just overreacting." He calmed down and decided to push this under the rug, never to be called upon again. Just as he shut the laptop closed, he heard the door open, thinking it was Luke, However, it turned out to be his mother Monique instead. "Evening, how did Drama class go?"
"It was fun, they're even having a play at the end of the semester," he replied.
"Wow, are you joining?"
"I'll try but if that fails, I'm going to help with the backstage work with my friend Matthew."
"Okay. Is Luke here?" she asked, taking her bag off.
"Nope. I wonder where he is."
Monique began cooking the food while Elijah decided to help out as much as he could. Today, they had some mac and cheese with some bacon. Elijah watched as she made the food, trying to imitate it. He managed to memorize some things but not all. Before he knew it, the food was done. Just as Elijah set the table, in walked Luke. "Where have you been?" Elijah asked, putting the napkins down.
"I was studying with some friends, we're having a project soon and we need as much knowledge as we can get," he said, pulling out a chair.
"Oh, I'm just asking because Mom and I were getting worried, but that reason seems justified."
"I saw you and Matthew were going viral around the school. Not gonna lie, you surprised me with this," he said, laughing amongst himself.
"Don't worry, I'm not—"
"Hey, I'm not homophobic. If you ever decide to come out, I'll accept you with arms open," he said, holding his arms open. Elijah knew he was joking, urging him even more to bury that thought deep down.
"Instead of sitting on your ass, can you come to help us?"
"Where is Mom?" asked Luke.
"In the shower."
After eating, Elijah fled to his room to rest. He kept scrolling through his phone before suddenly just falling asleep.
"I know you might not feel the same but ever since we've met, I can't get you out of my mind. Every time I'm alone, you're the first thing I think about and it made me realize that I can't live without you. I like you a lot Eli."
"I like you too."
Just as he leaned in, Elijah woke up, sweating and shocked. "Why is this happening?"
TO BE CONTINUED...