Chapter 5
Skye liked studying. She really did. Not science or math but she liked history. Geography wasn’t too boring and oh she just loved computers. And this year, she got to study arts too. All of that didn’t stop her from feeling nervous from going to school. Leo had said that his friends were looking forward to meeting her but they were his friends. Would they be fine in letting her hang out with them? Would Leo be okay with that? He said he would be but still.
She had woken up sweaty that morning and had been in no hurry to go downstairs. Finishing the breakfast had been an effort. Phil handing her a lunch bag had felt sweet though. Melinda’s hug was relieving. Skye felt the same way she felt after taking the first sip of hot chocolate. The car ride had short, which meant Skye didn’t really have a lot of time to think stuff.
Leo had introduced her to his friends - Jemma Simmons and Antonio Triplett, who preferred to be called Trip. Jemma had been glad to have a girl in the group. “Now I will have someone on my side when these two are being crude.” Trip had bumped fists with her. Skye liked them both, even though it was a little difficult to follow Leo and Jemma when they started talking science. She also learned that Leo was Fitz to everyone at school. She felt a bit honored that he was fine with her calling him Leo.
The first class had been PE. Skye had hated that and so had Leo and Jemma. Trip enjoyed it. Oh course, he did. He was on the basketball team. He was also good in studies. “You are a jock,” Skye had teased him. “And a nerd.”
“Best of both the worlds, girl,” he had said with a grin.
Skye liked him. He became her bench partner since Leo and Jemma liked to sit together. English had been a fun class. Miss Harington gave them a novel to read and take home with them - The Giver. They discussed the themes of the story. Miss Harrington also told them about the writer. The homework had been to read the first chapter.
Skye followed the others to the canteen and they found a table for themselves. All of them pulled out their lunches. Skye’s lunch had ham and cheese, some crackers, apple slices, a juice box and to her surprise a note from Phil and Melinda.
Hey sweetheart,
Hope you are having a good day.
Love,
Phil & Melinda
Skye smiled at the note and quickly stuffed it into her pocket. She looked at Leo and noticed his lunch was similar to hers and he had his own note. He was smiling as he put his not into his pocket. All of them quickly got to eating, sharing some tidbits about themselves. Skye learned that Jemma’s parents were doctors and that is what she wanted to be. Trip’s Dad had been in the army and had lost his life in a war. His mother was away with Doctors without Borders. He lived here with his grandmother and an older cousin.
“Look, who is here?” a voice said from behind Skye. She turned to look and noticed a boy with dark brown hairs and eyes. He had a sharp jawline and a smirk on his face. Skye would have found him good looking if he had not been looking at them mockingly. “Seems like losers have found one more.” He looked at Skye. “What’s your name?” he asked her.
Skye stared at him, wondering if he really expected her to answer. He had to be an idiot if he did. “Leave her alone, Ward,” Leo said, as Jemma kept her hand on Skye’s shoulder. Skye turned back to her table, noticing the hard glares of Leo and Trip.
“Oh! Is she your new girlfriend, Leopold?”
Skye clenched her fists. She knew Leo didn’t like being called that. She moved to get up but Jemma’s grip on her shoulder tightened. Trip stood up from his chair and looked straight at Ward. “Get going Ward. You don’t want some teacher to find you.”
Jemma didn’t let Skye turn around but she could hear Ward’s footsteps. He had probably glared at them. “Who is he?” Skye asked.
“Grant Ward,” Trip said.
“He is one of those who think they rule everything,” Leo added.
“He has a habit of causing trouble,” Jemma said. “Don’t pay attention to him.”
“He is a bully,” Skye told them.
“He is,” Trip agreed. “His Dad’s a senator. And he is coach’s favorite too. And that’s why he thinks he is a bigshot. He won’t really trouble us. Thanks to Natasha.”
“Yeah,” Leo agreed. “Last time he tried to do something, Tasha kind of went bollocks. It was fun, although Mum and Da gave us big lecture on not picking up fights at school.”
“Ignore him, Skye,” Jemma said, her tone almost pleading. Skye didn’t bother telling her that she was not very good at ignoring stuff. The conversation switched to electives. Leo had opted for computer and engineering. Jemma had opted for computers and advanced science. Trip for advanced science and debate club. It made Skye feel a little dumb about her arts elective.
Her next class was math. Skye hated it. Trip helped Skye with math a little but Skye had rediscovered her dislike for the subject. Leo offered to help her with the homework in the library while they would wait for Phil. Skye was glad. Math and science were two subjects, she would almost fail. Her grades had never been above C. Skye wondered how Phil and Melinda would feel about that. It’s better that D. Isn’t it?
Skye walked into the classroom for her arts elective. The classroom was…colorful. There were art supplies stacked in shelves. Students’ artworks were displayed on the walls. Skye briefly wondered if her artwork was good enough to find a place on these walls.
“Hey!”
Skye noticed a girl gesturing her to seat beside herself. She had short hairs and a strong built - she was probably good at sports or at least PE. Skye noticed her eyes were a really nice hazel color. Skye took the seat and pulled out her sketchbook, pencils and colors.
“You are the new girl? You came in with Fitz.”
Skye nodded. “His parents are fostering me. My name is Skye.”
“Oh nice!” the girl said. “I am Piper.”
They shook hands but any further conversation was stopped as their teacher walked into the class. She was tall, that was Skye’s first thought. Her second was that she was definitely an arts teacher. Her hairs had blue streaks and her dress was exceptionally bright. The smile on her face was cheerful - too cheerful in Skye’s opinion.
“Welcome all of you to Visual Arts. I am Lisa Taylor,” the teacher said. “It is so good to see you all here. In this class, we will explore different art forms, learn new techniques, and most importantly, express ourselves through our creations. But first, I want to get to know you people a little bit.”
Miss Taylor handed out worksheets to them. It had questions like favorite color, favorite artist, what do you like to sketch, whether you like pencil sketching or color pencils or crayons or paints, etc. Skye answered these questions easily, they were about her after all. Miss Taylor was walking around the classroom, chatting with students. Skye wondered what she would ask Skye when she got to her. She didn’t have to wait long.
“Hello Skye,” Miss Taylor said. “Tell me what made you decide to take this elective.”
Because Melinda had said she could, Skye thought. “I like sketching, mostly pencil and sometimes colors. And Melinda, uh, my foster Mom, she suggested I should try this.”
“That was very nice of her. And I would love to see some of your sketches, Skye,” Miss Taylor said, with a smile. She moved on and started talking to Piper. Skye was filled with warmth. No one - absolutely no one - had taken interest in her hobby before this. Melinda had talked about her sketches to everyone. She had even brought it up with Maria and Julie. They had all praised her. And now Miss Taylor was interested too.
As everyone completed their worksheets, Miss Taylor clapped her hands in excitement. “Let’s start with something fun, shall we? A cover page for your sketchbook. Use anything you like. There are enough supplies here. Use them and create something that feels like you.”
Everyone got to work. Skye took out her pencils and thought about what she wanted to draw. What felt like her? She began to sketch a garden scene. There were trees and flowers and a family. She sketched and she colored. The familiar sense of calmness filled her and it took Skye a while to realize that she was sketching with her left hand in a room full of people. She thought back to other classes. She had used her right hand there but here it was her left that was holding the pencil. She grinned.
By the end of the class, Skye looked at her completed cover page with pride. She couldn’t wait to get further into the class. As the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Ms. Taylor called out, "Great job today, everyone! Don't forget to bring your sketchbooks tomorrow, and be ready to dive into the world of shapes and forms.” Skye packed her stuff and walked out of the classroom, excitement ready to burst through her.
Skye was surprised when Piper joined her as she made her way to the French class. “No Spanish?” Piper asked. Skye shook her head. She was not very good with languages but for some reason she found French easier than Spanish. Skye told that to Piper. “Ooh! I just like languages. Anyway, tell me. How is it like living with Miss May?”
“You know her?” Skye asked, as they took stairs to the third floor.
“Yeah! I use to learn karate at he institute. She is an awesome teacher.”
“She is nice at home too. She and Phil, that’s my foster Dad, they are cool people.”
Together, Skye and Piper walked into the class. Their teacher, Mr. Williams, was already there. He was inviting students to take their seats. Skye and Piper sat next to each other.
“Bonjour, mes élèves!" Mr. Williams greeted them enthusiastically. "Bienvenue à votre première classe de français.” Skye tried to translate it. She knew bonjour was a greeting and bienvenue was welcome. Mr. Williams made it easier for them by repeating the sentence in English. “Hello my students. Welcome to your first French class. We’ll start with simple greeting. Can everyone say bonjour?”
Skye repeated the word along with all the students. Mr. Williams made them do it three more times. He taught them a few more words and also how to introduce themselves. They practiced with their partners - Skye practiced with Piper. The class was interesting. They were given some homework too.
When the final bell rang, Skye packed her stuff in her bag. She was supposed to meet Leo at the library. She walked out with Piper, talking about seeing each other again the next day. Piper’s other elective was German. They decided to sit together for arts and French. Piper left Skye outside the library with Leo.
“I think she is in our class,” Leo said, as they walked into the library and found an empty table to work.
“Yeah. She was with me in arts and French.”
“Cool. Do you wanna know who was with me in engineering?” Leo asked. Skye looked at him questioningly, as she pulled out her math homework. “Thomas Ward.”
“You mean…?”
“Grant Ward’s brother? Yup. I don’t know how to feel about that,” Leo said. “I didn’t even know he had a younger brother. I know about the older one - Christian. He is a year above Bobbi. But this one just appeared from nowhere.”
“I am sure he must have existed before too,” Skye said, with a grin.
“Very funny.” Leo glared her. “I don’t think he was in our class until last year. So, what changed this year?”
Skye began working on her math homework. It was a worksheet with operations on integers. Skye tried to do it herself, although she did ask Leo to check her work. She had done it mostly right, he told her. Skye grinned at that, corrected the few mistakes she had made and then started with her French homework. She was supposed to write an introduction - her name, her age, her city, etc. Leo had also finished with math and was working on his engineering homework.
By the time Skye finished her French homework, it was time to go. She packed her bags and went to the parking lot with Leo. Phil was just pulling in. Skye and Leo got in the backseat with Natasha, who was looking a bit glum. “You okay?” Skye asked her. She nodded but Skye didn’t really believe her.
“How was your day, kiddos?” Phil asked as he pulled out of the parking garage. Leo did most of the talking, telling about his day and about Thomas Ward. Bobbi made a sound at the surname. It was quite obvious that no one liked Wards. “What about you, Skye? How was your day?”
“It was good,” Skye answered, not really knowing what else to say. It didn’t matter though. They were back. Skye followed Leo out of the car as Bobbi unlocked the door. Natasha hurried inside and upstairs. Skye shared a look with Leo, who shrugged. They handed their phones to Phil as they entered the house.
“You guys want some snack?” Phil asked, his voice loud enough for Natasha to hear. He went to the kitchen and brought some cheese and crackers for them. Skye munched on it as she watched Phil go up the stairs. This place was weird. Phil and Melinda were always offering them food and they never commented on how much anyone took.
“You liked arts class, Skye?” Bobbi asked.
“Yes,” Skye nodded. “Miss Taylor asked us to make a cover for a sketchbook. I sketched a garden.” Skye took her bag off her shoulders and pulled out her sketchbook. Bobbi and Leo leaned in to see the sketch.
“You are good at this,” Leo said. He began telling Bobbi about his engineering class and Bobbi listened attentively. They finished eating the snack and then moved upstairs. “You got any homework left?” Leo asked.
“Only reading in English,” Skye answered. “You?”
“Spanish,” Leo replied. “But I’ll do that later. Wanna read together?”
Skye nodded enthusiastically. She liked reading with someone. It was easier to focus on the chapter and not get lost in her imagination. She went to her room and pulled out some pajamas and a comfy top. She changed into them and freshened up. Natasha’s door was shut and Skye could see Bobbi working at her desk. Skye saw Phil in the hallway. He smiled at her and went downstairs. Skye knocked at Leo’s door, her book in her hand.
Leo’s room was very much like Skye’s, except there were some posters on the wall - science stuff and a monkey stuff. His plush toy was also a monkey. Skye had learned that Leo was obsessed with monkeys. He wanted a monkey as his assistant in the lab he would work in future.
Skye settled in on the bean bag and opened the first chapter. They took turns in reading it aloud. Skye found it a little confusing. Jonas and his family seemed to be living in some weird world, with different rules. It also sounded interesting though. “I wanna read more,” Skye said. Leo grinned at her but still closed his book. He pulled out his Spanish work, asking her what she was planning to do now. “I don’t know,” Skye said with a shrug. “I guess I could read the book. Or maybe study some more French. Bobbi is studying and I have no idea what Tasha is doing.”
“You could go find Da. He’ll be downstairs,” Leo suggested. Skye didn’t reply. Since she had arrived here, Phil had kept his distance. He hadn’t entered her room. He never touched her. But Skye couldn’t help feeling a little scared with the idea of being alone in the room with him. She saw how comfortable the others were with him. Bobbi liked snuggling against him and Natasha was fine with him too. But Skye -
“You know,” Leo said a bit louder than necessary, interrupting her thoughts, “when I came to live here, I was so afraid of Da.” Skye looked at him surprised by the information. “My biological Dad - he used to hit me and my Mum. Like a lot. We had to be taken to a hospital and I guess they didn’t like what they saw.”
“Your Mum?” Skye asked. Leo shook his head slightly. “I am sorry, Leo.”
“Not your fault. I don’t really remember her much. Anyway, so I was really afraid of Da and of making him angry. But you know what? He never really gets angry. He will give the disappointed look and that hurts. He never raises his voice. If Dad’s shouting that means he is scared.”
“And if Melinda is shouting?”
“Mum doesn’t do shouting. I reckon if she is shouting, it means that the world is ending. I mean there was this time, Bobbi climbed a tree. She wasn’t really supposed to do that and she fell and broke her arm. Dad got scared and shouted. Mum calmly took Bobbi to the ER. And then grounded her for a week.”
A week? Skye was horrified. Grounding at Saint Agnes was for a day or two, and even that was too much for Skye. How did Bobbi deal with it for a week? “Isn’t a week too much?” Skye asked Leo. She felt a slight tremble in her hands and fisted them, hoping that Leo didn’t notice. He was already frowning at her question. “A week without meals sounds a little too much,” Skye explained.
Skye saw her foster brother’s frown deepen. He opened his mouth and then shut it. “No - that’s not -,” he muttered. He was flustered. “That is not what being grounded means,” he finally managed to get out. “Mum and Da would never let us go hungry.”
“That’s right,” Melinda’s voice interrupted their conversation. Skye turned to look at the door where her foster Mom stood. She had changed into her pajamas too and had showered - her hairs were wet. “What’s going on?” she asked, entering the room. Leo didn’t answer, still looking horrified at Skye’s question. Skye didn’t know what to say. At Saint Agnes, if they ever messed up, they were asked to skip the meals for a day or maybe two. If you were late for a meal, you had to skip the meal. Plus, there had been no concept of snacks. Skye told all of this to Melinda. She saw a frown appear on Melinda’s face, as her lips thinned. She kneeled in front of Skye. “You never have to worry about that here. No matter what. Okay?”
Skye nodded but she didn’t really believe it. Melinda wasn’t the first person to say that she didn’t have to worry about something. Skye always had to worry about everything. At the end, everyone got tired of her. She still remembered what Mr. Meyers had said. Your own parents gave up on you and you think I would bother. He had been right. Skye knew that. She knew that very well.