A chilled, salty wind
swept over the school’s east breezeway -- not surprisingly, as the school, and
plenty of other buildings, sat on an incline high enough to peek at the
harbor. But for the moment, Lloyd paid
the sea no mind; he just sat in the nearby lawn, cupping his mouth as he tapped
his foot against the stone bench.
It didn’t work, he thought, his fingers regularly pressing into his
cheeks. I couldn’t head into the audition room with May. Why?
Is there something missing? Could
I have overlooked a step?
He turned to his right.
With the pre-school morning winding
down, students started heading toward their classes in earnest. By the dozens they stepped through the doors
on either side of the breezeway, in groups as large as seven or as small as
two. Only the occasional oddball -- like
a lanky punk with a mohawk -- headed inward by himself.
Lloyd raised a hand and
hailed a couple of girls toward him.
“Ah! Miss Byrne! A pleasure to see you again! I trust you had an uproariously entertaining
summer?” He trotted towards them like a
loyal terrier, just as they stepped onto the grass to meet him. He only recognized one of them -- Rita Byrne,
a newly-minted junior with curly brown hair and a propensity for wearing track
shorts (perfect for showing off those tanned, toned legs of hers, Lloyd had
noted). The other was shorter and
sandy-haired, and blew carelessly into her bubble gum. “Oh!
And another fair maiden has come to enjoy your company! A younger sister, I presume?”
“Ah, marvelous! Another member of the illustrious Byrne clan
has decided to ally herself with our establishment.” He offered a cordial bow, as if he’d suddenly
become her butler. “A pleasure to meet
you, my dear. May your high school
adventures be full of rapturous elation!”
Riley turned to her
sister, still blowing her bubbles.
“…Yeah, you’re probably
better off not getting too involved with guys like him,” said Rita, rubbing her
crown. “He may be handsome, but he’s
still a perverted idiot. Keep away at
all costs.”
“Miss Byrne, I’m
standing right here!” Lloyd wailed. He
slumped over; he hardly believed that Rita could cut him down with the same
pleasant smile on her face.
Riley raised an
eyebrow.
“Yeah, he has a really
bad habit of ogling me and the rest of the track girls,” Rita continued,
oblivious to Lloyd’s slumping. “He puts
on airs, but that won’t stop him from trying to follow you into the girls’
locker room…or just busting in to start up a conversation. Seriously, who does that?” She giggled at the thought of it; by the time
she’d finished, Lloyd had fallen on all fours, head hung and face quivering.
Damn it all! To think that my
reputation has gotten this bad…and it
grows worse still. If the younger sister
gives such an unflattering assessment to her friends, then my victory would be
naught but dust on a summer gale! He
lifted his head, and a feverish glint waltzed through his eye. The
day’s barely begun, yet I’ve been faced with countless adversities. The time to strike back against my
ill-fortune begins now!
Rita and Riley started
toward the halls, but Lloyd jumped in front of them. “Miss Byrne!” he blurted, extending a finger.
“Which one?”
“…Little Miss Byrne!” Lloyd pointed his finger at Riley. “A moment, if you would! I’ll not try to deny the unflattering image
your sister has painted of me…BUT! I ask
that you would give me a chance to redeem myself! To act upon your own judgment, that you may
see me in an admirable light, as I see you, o innocent flower of Porbeagle!”
A chilled gust swept
across the breezeway.
“…Or…or should I say, o
innocent SUNflower of Porbeagle!”
Riley turned to her
sister, who merely shrugged and sighed.
“He’s very theatrical, at
least,” she offered with a slight smile.
“Never mind that.” Lloyd held out a hand. “Little Miss Byrne. If you would, I’d like to hold your
hand. If you’ll allow me the pleasure,
I’d wager there’s a chance I could show you something far more delightful than
the standard classroom. Take my hand in
your own, and I’ll show you a magical adventure!”
Rather than look back
to her sister, Riley did as instructed.
She took Lloyd’s hand in both her own, and pressed her fingers into his
skin. All right then, Lloyd thought,
closing his eyes. If I’m to activate my powers, I need to concentrate. Focus!
Let your mind leave behind your mortal form, and traverse to the
interstice between body and soul!
And then…
…Nothing happened.
Lloyd opened his
eyes. Same old lawn. Same old school walls. Same old students. Unbelievable. Even now, I still can’t reach the audition
room? Just
what am I --?
He cut the thought
short. The first bell rang, sending all
the lollygagging students into double-time to get to class. Rita patted her sister’s shoulder and
nodded. “We’d better get moving; you
don’t want to be late on your first day, do you?” She turned cordially toward Lloyd. “Even though it sounded like you were trying
to get in my sister’s pants just now, it was nice seeing you. Don’t do anything perverted or I’ll call the
cops on you again, okay?” She waved at
him, and then led her sister into the building.
Lloyd covered his
face. Yet again, I’ve failed to tap my powers. And yet again, I’m at a loss. But he lowered his hand, and clenched it
into a fist. No. I’m not done yet -- not even
close! For the sake of my harem…for the
sake of love unyielding…I will know victory!
You just wait, world. You’ll not
best me!
*
Unfortunately for
Lloyd, he’d have to wait on making is claims come to fruition. He had to sit through anatomy class first.
Science has always been my weakest subject, he mused, watching as
the last few students shuffled through the classroom door. Perhaps
in this, my final year in high school, I stand a chance at making myself akin
to Asclepius. He turned to his
right; rows of counters and sinks filled the other half of the room, along with
the engraved scent of chemicals -- a testament to dissections long past. Or
maybe I’ll consider it a victory if I don’t throw up.
He turned back ahead,
staring at a map of the ocean’s currents with particular intensity. But
that aside, I need to redouble my efforts. I’ve my share of issues -- the end of High
Tide Park and the dissolution of the drama club chief among them -- but I’d
best focus on problems I can easily remedy.
And right now, that problem would be…
He stared at his hands
for what had to be the eightieth time that day.
Hmmm. That new lotion seems to be doing wonders for
my skin. But nevertheless, I need to
find out just why exactly my powers aren’t working. What on earth could I be missing? Surely I haven’t lost them! Considering how
effortlessly I managed to connect with Miss Walters, I hardly think my powers
would just vanish without notice. Given
that, there must be some sort of requirement -- a set of conditions that must
be met to enter the audition room.
The bell went off with
a series of metallic pings, and the last few students scrambled into empty
seats. And yet the teacher’s desk,
sitting atop a short podium, remained empty.
The students took the opportunity to keep chatting, catching up with old
friends and regaling each other about their summer exploits. Naturally, no one dared speak with the prince
-- yet Lloyd ignored that sentiment for the moment. His body just started
moving on its own, bringing him to the front of the room.
He pressed a hand to
his heart. “Brothers and sisters,
gathered before me in this hall of knowledge, hear me -- let my voice, and my
words, be engraved upon your souls!
Welcome back, my fellow classmates!”
The class went
silent. The first day of school, and
already they were having a time-wasting assembly?
“I, Lloyd B.
Hoigleheimer, your trusted compatriot of the student body, would like to
express my deep and unflinching elation in seeing your faces once more. Many weeks have passed since last we met, and
many nights I did long to see the faces of my most beloved peers!”
“Who’s that guy?”
someone in the back of the room asked.
But Lloyd paid him no
mind. While his body -- and especially
his mouth -- went to work, a corner of his mind kept at work with his
reasoning. What could the conditions be? What
made a connection with Miss Walters possible that couldn’t be done with Miss
May? And by extension, Little Miss
Byrne?
“But alas, our time
together is coming to an end,” Lloyd continued, pressing his hands to his chest
like a nun in prayer. “We have but a few
months to continue cooperating, crafting memories that will carry us from this
ephemeral moment until our final seconds in this world; thus, we must do all we
can in the time left to us.”
The conditions when I met Miss Walters…if I reflect on them, there were
a few elements. I was in the hospital
when we first connected -- in a sorry state, no less. If not for her saving me, doubtless I would
have perished. Twice over, considering
the mishap in the water.
“While we may each
subscribe to a different brand of justice, with our pooled knowledge,
resources, and power, we as a new generation may strike back against the knaves
and foul airs that plague our world -- for you see…”
Could the requirement be physical pain or discomfort? Perhaps…or perhaps it’s merely the ideas and
emotions that result from it. Pity,
concern, or perhaps…perhaps it’s not a case of looking down upon me in my
worrisome state, but the start of a new bond.
In other words, endearment.
Lloyd lowered his head, and clutched his right
hand into a fist. “If you believe in
your dreams with unflinching resolve, you stand a chance at reaching the zenith
of human potential, straddling the line between heaven and earth -- you may
very well become an actor!”
Miss Walters was able to find some semblance of faith in me -- a thread
to tug on, and help pull her into the audition room. Given our dialogue earlier, neither of the
Byrne sisters could forge the same framework for a bond -- and similarly,
neither could Miss May.
“Because there are few
things in this world more delicious than cantaloupe!”
So, if I can forge a bond with a person, however slight, I can stand a
chance to enter the audition room.
Yes…it’s merely conjecture for now, but as long as I use the lessons
Miss Walters’ experience taught me, then I should be able to surmount any
unforeseen problems. And so, my course
is clear.
“Never wear your Sunday
best whilst painting, lest you seek to stain your reputation as well as your
clothes!”
First, I’ll contact Miss Walters; with a short conversation, I may find
some additional clues to guide my course.
Second, I’ll begin purifying my sullied name, and speed along the
endearment process. And then, finally,
I’ll begin learning how to harness this power with reignited zeal and learned
passion!
Just before Lloyd could
start discussing the importance of breathing, he bolted out of the room. “The performance is at its end!” he called
out, his voice making it through the doorway.
He hoped that the others heard him; with eyes ablaze, he dashed through
the halls as quickly as he could. I’ll do Miss Walters an even greater
service! I’ll not just call her (mostly
because I don’t know her number); I’ll return to her, and converse at
length! And then -- finally --I’ll take a grand leap towards my lovers’
paradise!
He pranced through the hall
to illustrate the point. Ah, what a
feeling this is! To know that I’m moving
towards a dream…I’ve never felt better!
Ka-TACKLE!
Lloyd went spiraling
through the air and crashed against a locker.
“…Okay, I deserved that,” he moaned as he fell on his face. “It’s been too long since I was the victim of
any slapstick.”
“Get to class, punk!”
the hall monitor bellowed. “Or you’re
goin’ to the VP!”
Lloyd held up a
quivering hand. “P-perhaps you could
have warned me of such before you
liquefied my ribs?”
The hall monitor looked
about ready to stomp Lloyd’s head into sauce -- but a sudden rush of footsteps
echoed through the hall, and held the stomping at bay. “Hey now!
Leave that poor student alone!”
Lloyd lifted his face
from the ground. He caught a glimpse of
black high-heels and brown stockings, a black skirt and sleeveless collared
shirt tagged with lotus flowers. But he
paid no mind to the clothing, or even the pleasing form they clung to.
That
voice…that creamy, maternal timbre…could it be…? He picked himself up and stood upright,
and gazed in awe at the exchange ahead.
The hall monitor -- several inches above towering -- reeled as a young
woman leaned toward him, hands on her hips.
Lloyd observed her form, but hardly needed to study the body he’d seen
so many times before; the svelte, graceful body. The skin, pale like a porcelain doll and twice
as smooth. The scent of flowers,
refreshing as a spring breeze, swirling about her. The silky black hair, with its straightened
edges just barely gracing her shoulders.
Those dark eyes of hers, now agleam with indignation.
“M-Miss Zhang? Is that really you? It is!”
Lloyd pushed the hall monitor aside -- or at least tried to. With all that girth, he’d sooner move an
elephant. “I never thought I’d see you
again!”
“Ah! Lloyd?
Lloyd Hoi…” She covered her
mouth. “Goodness! You’ve gotten so tall! And…purple-haired.” She turned toward the hall monitor. “You can leave this to me. I’ll escort him back to class.”
The hall monitor
grumbled and lurched away. No
head-stomping today, it seemed.
Lloyd clapped his hands
together. “Ah, Miss Lien-Hua Zhang! What auspicious fortune it is to stand
together with you again! Much praise
must be offered to the gods above!”
Lien-Hua flashed a
polite smile. “I see you still have…an interesting way of speaking.”
“But of course! As a self-ordained entertainer, I would have
nothing less but this articulate manner of speech! But enough of that; what brings you to L.
Bernstein, old friend?”
She pointed to the
classroom Lloyd had just abandoned.
“Well, I’ve got a class to teach -- and it won’t do me any good to stand
out here.”
“Ah! Not only a teacher, but teaching in MY classroom?! This has transcended coincidence; what we
have is nothing short of destiny’s bond!
Merry days await us, if only we --”
“Lloyd?”
Lloyd straightened up
like a soldier at attention. “Yes
ma’am?”
“We should get to class
now, shouldn’t we? It’s unsightly for a
new teacher to let the class go unattended to.”
“Yes, I agree!”
“Then you’ll join me,
right?”
“Ah --” Lloyd glanced aside with a nervous
smile. He’d planned to get in contact
with Trixie as soon as possible, but something in his gut told him that he’d do
well to hold off…especially considering the pain still lingering in his chest.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” he said with a callous wave. “I’m sure that with your stellar instruction,
I’ll become the supreme chancellor of science!”
Lien-Hua giggled. “Well, I don’t know about that...but still, let’s do our best,
okay?” She held out a hand. “I’ll be sure to make this school year your
best yet.”
“I’m looking forward to
it!” Without a second thought, Lloyd reached for Lien-Hua’s hand, and seized it
in his own.
He probably should have
thought it over first.
--STAGE ON--
TO BE HEARTINUED…
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