Flight of Life (Essence Series #1) (10 page)

When Calloway walked to his photography
class he felt his heart squeeze in dread. This was his least
favorite class even though it was the last period of the day. When
he walked inside he sat next to Breccan but didn’t say anything. He
felt a tap on his shoulder but he didn’t turn around, knowing who
the culprit was. He tried to ignore the excessive poking until it
turned into a forceful punch. Calloway finally turned around and
glared at Hawk, who was smiling at him with a mouth full of teeth.
He had a McDonald’s gift card in his hand.

“
I just want to make sure
your family has dinner tonight,” Hawk said as he handed him the
card.

Calloway turned away but
Hawk grabbed him by the shoulder. “Why are you being so
ungrateful—
take it
.” Calloway yanked his shoulder away from his grasp but Hawk
grabbed him again. “I don’t want you to starve.” The students in
the class laughed at Hawk’s comment and the sound echoed around the
classroom. The teacher heard everything—it was impossible for her
not to—but she did nothing to intervene. Hawk shoved the gift card
into his face then started laughing. His gang of friends howled
with laughter as they watched Calloway throw the card in the
garbage can in the front of the class.

Now that the confrontation was over,
Mrs. Ezquibel rose from her seat and addressed the students. “We
will continue with the same project,” she said as she unlocked the
drawers. “Grab your cameras and check them out.” She returned to
her seat while the students moved to the front of the classroom.
Calloway and Breccan both stayed in their seats, unsure what to do.
Most of the students left the room with their cameras and started
taking pictures outside.

Mrs. Ezquibel looked at Calloway.
“Since your parents haven’t paid for the old camera, you are unable
to participate in this assignment,” she said. “I suggest you find
something to do for the period.”

Hawk laughed quietly. “That means they
aren’t going to participate all year,” he said. “They’ll never be
able to pay for that camera. The camera is worth more than their
house.” His friends laughed at his comment.

Calloway sighed and controlled the
anger in his body. He didn’t think he would be able to control
himself until the end of the school year, the last day he would
ever have to see Hawk. Breccan glanced over at him but didn’t say
anything, silently acknowledging the stressful situation. Finally,
Hawk and his gang left the classroom to complete their assignment
and Calloway sighed in relief, knowing he didn’t have to deal with
him until the end of the period.

When the class was over, Calloway was
the first student out the door, and he headed over to his English
class to serve his detention. He was angry that Mr. Avey made him
stay after school when he had other things to do, such as learning
how to defeat the Hara-Kirs and applying for a job, but he knew
there would be greater repercussions if he didn’t show up for his
detention.

Calloway didn’t look at Mr. Avey when
he took his seat toward the back of the class.

“
I don’t bite,” Mr. Avey
said with a smile. Calloway rolled his eyes and moved a row closer
to the front. Mr. Avey stared at him. “Can you hear me back there?”
he asked. Calloway got up again and moved to the front row. He
leaned back in his chair and sighed. Mr. Avey nodded. “Now that you
don’t have any distractions, I expect this essay to be flawless,
Calloway.”

Calloway opened his backpack and took
out a notebook and a pen, but Mr. Avey placed a laptop on his desk.
Calloway stared at it in confusion.

“
You expect me to read
your handwriting?” He smiled. “Now get to it.”

Calloway opened the
computer and started composing his essay, detailing the themes of
the Shakespeare play,
Hamlet
. It was his favorite play so
he didn’t have any difficulties composing his thoughts on the
piece. He didn’t even need a copy of the play to write it. After
Calloway proofread it, he saved it to the desktop and closed the
screen.

Mr. Avey grabbed the laptop and
returned it to his desk. He read it while Calloway sat in his seat
and waited. After a few moments, Mr. Avey looked at him. “This
deserves an A.”

Calloway raised an eyebrow. “You’re
giving me full credit?”

“
Yes,” he said. “And this
essay deserves a perfect score. I’m very impressed by your analysis
of the play as well as your writing abilities.” He closed the
laptop and returned it to its protective case. “Where are you going
to college?”

Calloway was quiet for a moment. “I
don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t applied anywhere.”

“
Well, you are going to,
right?”

“
I hope so,” he said.
Calloway was concerned how he was going to accomplish that. He
wanted to register for the SAT’s but he didn’t have the money to
pay for them. In addition, he was worried he wouldn’t have the
funds to pay for the application fees.

“
You are applying or you
aren’t,” Mr. Avey said firmly. “Which is it?”

Calloway moved in his seat. “Yes, I
am.”

“
How did you do on the
SAT’s?”

“
I haven’t taken
them.”

“
When did you
register?”

“
I haven’t,” Calloway said
honestly.

“
Let’s do it now, then,”
he said as he turned to his desktop computer. “Come
here.”

Calloway rose from his seat and stood
next to Mr. Avey, looking over his shoulder at the screen. Mr. Avey
was typing on his computer, entering in all of Calloway’s
information, including his full name and address. Calloway was
surprised that his teacher knew so much about him. He selected the
date that Calloway had originally chosen.

“
That was simple,” Mr.
Avey said as he completed the registration. He printed the
confirmation letter and handed it to Calloway.

Calloway stared at the receipt. It said
his teacher already paid for the exam. “You didn’t have to pay for
it,” he said quietly.

“
I know,” he said with a
nod. “So, you need to start studying. The test is only a few weeks
away.” He turned to his bookshelf and pulled out a textbook. “Here
is a SAT prep guide. It should help.” Calloway didn’t know what to
say. He was speechless. “I expect you to serve your detention every
day after school—you can call it study hall.”

Calloway smiled at him. “Thank you, Mr.
Avey.”

“
You are very welcome.” He
smiled. “You are very bright, Calloway. I’m sure you will do
great—and not just on the exam.”

Calloway shoved the book into his
backpack and left the classroom. For the first time that week he
felt happy—elated—and he didn’t want to let that feeling go. Life
didn’t seem so difficult to bear—he could do this.

It’s Meant to Be

Calloway rode his bike down the street
until he reached the sandwich shop and he walked inside with his
application in his hand. He realized he didn’t have any work
experience and he wasn’t dressed professionally, but Calloway had
to try anyway. He desperately needed a job.

“
Hello,” he said to the
employee standing behind the counter. The man’s ears were pierced
with flashing diamonds, and it contrasted against his dark skin.
The guy stared at Calloway and the look made him feel uneasy. The
guy seemed fierce. “I wanted to apply for the open
position.”

“
Well, I’m not da hiring
manager,” he said. “He’s in da back.” He nodded his head toward the
end of the restaurant then continued working behind the counter.
The employee didn’t seem so threatening when he spoke despite his
intimidating demeanor.

Calloway walked to the office in the
rear of the restaurant. A middle age white man was sitting at his
desk, filling out paperwork. He looked up after he finished his
last sentence. There was a calendar on the wall facing his desk and
a pile of backpacks sat on the floor behind him, belongings of the
workers. There were shelves of binders that detailed the payroll
for the past decade.

“
Can I help you?” He
smiled. He tilted his head down and looked over his eyeglass frames
at Calloway. The man was dressed in shorts even though it was
winter and he wore a Forty Niners football sweater. His hands were
covered in hair but his head was bald.

Calloway stepped closer to the man and
extended his palm. “My name is Calloway,” he said as he shook his
hand. “I’m interested in applying for the open position you
posted.”

The owner looked at his clothes for a
moment before he met his gaze. “My name is Joe,” he said as he
leaned back in his chair. “Are you a student?”

“
Yes,” Calloway said. “I’m
in high school.”

Joe nodded. “Do you play any sports?”
he asked.

The walls of the restaurant were
covered in sport pictures from local teams at the high school and
the university. Calloway assumed that playing sports would bode
well for him but he couldn’t lie.

“
No,” he said. “But I’m a
fan.”

Joe reached for the resume in
Calloway’s palm, and Calloway watched the owner read through it.
Finally, Joe looked back at him. “How many hours a week can you
work?”

“
As many as you need me
to.”

Joe laughed. “Good answer,” he said.
“But high school students can only work so many hours—thirty is the
maximum. Are you willing to work weekends?”

“
Yes,” Calloway said
quickly. “That isn’t a problem.”

Joe nodded then turned in his seat to a
box behind him. He opened the lid and looked through the contents.
“What size shirt do you wear?”

Calloway raised an eyebrow. “A large,”
he answered. Calloway wondered if this meant he was
hired.

Joe handed him four black shirts with
the company logo. “I’ll see you on Saturday,” he said.

Calloway smiled. “You’re hiring me?” he
said excitedly.

Joe laughed. “Yes. I look forward to
working with you.”

Calloway shook his hand. “Thank you so
much,” he said. “You won’t regret it.”

“
I have a feeling,” Joe
said. “I’ll see you this weekend.”

“
Thank you,” Calloway said
as he walked out of the office and back to the front of the store.
He turned to the guy he spoke to earlier. “Thank you for directing
me,” he said politely. The man nodded as Calloway left.

Calloway shoved the t-shirts into his
backpack then jumped on his bike, riding back to the school where
Easton and Breccan were waiting for him in the library. He pedaled
his way back to the high school and arrived five minutes later.
Calloway was relieved he found a job to help out his family. His
Aunt Grace didn’t deserve to pay for his poor choices. Besides, he
needed the money for college applications and to reimburse Mr. Avey
for paying for his SAT.

When he got back to campus, Easton and
Breccan were sitting in the library. The librarian immediately
glared at Calloway as soon as he walked inside, but he ignored her
and walked to the table where his friends were sitting. Breccan was
finishing a math assignment and Easton was flipping through the
Kirin Book with a confused expression on her face.

“
Hey,” he said when he sat
down. “Are you ready to go?”

Breccan looked over his shoulder and
glanced at the librarian, who was flashing them all a look of pure
hatred. The library was closing soon and she wanted them out.
“Yes,” he said quickly. “Let’s get out of here before that witch
curses us.”

“
Don’t be mean,” Easton
said as she shoved the book into her bag. She glanced at the
librarian and her eyes widened. “Yes, we should get out of here.
Her eyes are raging in a fire.”

Calloway laughed and helped Easton put
her stuff away. Breccan shouldered his backpack and waited for
Easton to get up. Her stuffed backpack was full of textbooks and
notebooks, along with a few fantasy novels. Calloway was surprised
she carried the weight around all day. He shouldered her backpack
and turned away from the table.

“
What are you doing?”
Easton asked, her hands on her hips.

Calloway looked at her.
“Leaving.”

“
Why are you
carrying
my
backpack?”

Calloway shrugged. “It’s weighs more
than you do,” he said. “I was just trying to help.”

Breccan rolled his eyes. “He’s not into
you,” he said to Easton. “That’s just how Calloway is.”

They all walked to the front door, and
the librarian immediately locked the door behind them like they
were criminals on the street. Calloway still carried his backpack
along with Easton’s and they walked to her car in
silence.

“
Thank you,” she said to
Calloway. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

Calloway smiled at her. “It’s okay,” he
said. “I know you aren’t used to people being nice to you or
treating you with the respect you deserve.” He placed the backpacks
in the trunk of the car.

Easton’s eyes softened at his words but
she didn’t say anything. She unlocked the doors and they got in the
car. Then she drove out of the parking lot toward the Grandiose
Historian Library on the other side of town.