Casting Shadows

Friday, November 16, 2012

Jarvis and I must have gotten ourselves into trouble, because I found myself sitting across from him and the school's counselor. Jarvis seemed to be upset about getting into trouble, but I cannot recall what emotion I may or may not have been feeling at the time. The counselor had talked to Jarvis many times before, but judging by the way she talked about him, it did not seem as though she knew him very well--as if she heard more about him than she did from him.

The counselor, it seemed, was not truly getting on to us. It seemed more that she was just trying to get to know me (as I was her "new charge") than anything else, as well as make sure that both Jarvis and I felt that we were a "part" of something larger with her: a group with all members comfortable sharing their experiences and emotions together. She told me something that she had heard about Jarvis from someone else, that it was common knowledge in the student body that Jarvis was the fastest swimmer to attend their school. She then described the time that gave him this status, and I pictured it all in my head:

Jarvis and his class, I assume, were on some sort of field trip at a beach. He was supposed to be with the rest of his class at the top of a cliff, where a cave was, but instead he had wandered off on his own and remained at the bottom of the beach. From where I was looking, Jarvis was running to catch up with his classmates. He was so fast that the hydrogen ions did not break, and that he remained on top of the water until he got to the sand. Instead of looking down from the cave, my point of view flew down in front of him. He did not see me, as I was only picturing this in my mind, but there was a look on his face that spoke of something like being tired or sad.

Once I was done picturing this, I was back across from the counselor and Gaug, who seemed somewhat surprised that she and I were having the conversation that we were. "Most people only start talking about stuff I've done when they're upset with me."

I considered telling him that we had known each for nearly a year and I had yet to be annoyed with him, but refrained.

Either I forget what happened after this or there was a time laps, but I suddenly found myself in the middle of two younger children on our school bus, heading towards my old school for Saturday detention. The one on my left, a younger girl, is the one I am not so familiar with, but the boy on my right was a neighbor: Stan, a rambunctious young boy who tends to get into trouble with everyone.

Before the bus reached the school, Stan decided that he really had to crap, so he stood up on top of our seat, pulled his pants down, squatted, and let it loose. What came out looked more like a realistic Mr. Hankey(?) from South Park than it did an actual pile of poop. The piece of crap was put in a petri dish and put on the floor by Stan.

The other girl and I were just trying not to get in his way.

The bus driver apparently knew that Kyle had dome something, because she stopped the bus, got up, and told him to dispose of it--though I don't remember how Kyle did it.

As Mrs. McDonald drove us near the old school entrance, I thought to myself that I knew what was going to happen, because whatever I thought was going to happen would happen. Wait a minute, I thought to myself, that only happens in dreams.

I turned around in my seat to see one of the green Mario pipes there. It was very small, and would probably be more suitable to a rat, but that did not stop me from getting up and walking towards it. Kneeling down, I gazed down in it. I do not remember what I seen, but I do know that I was going slightly cock-eyed from staring into something like that. I dived in it, but the dream must have stopped here.