Rachel's first day of Summer Midterms looks like she could be making a friend at last. Well as long as one of her relatives doesn't mess everything up at least.

The school was a bit scary with no sign of life. She decided to wait in the shadows of the bike shelters. She felt safer being in the darkest corner able to look out and see if something approached verses imagining something was in those shadows about to jump out at her. Her bum wouldn’t let her sit on the concrete steps or lean it against the rail of the bike racks. Squatting also likely due to it pulling her skin taut was not something she was going to attempt again anytime soon. She alternated from standing and leaning herself forward at the waist against the bar of the bike rack. Unfortunately as timed ticked by and her legs grew tied she found herself increasingly cat napping by draping her upper body along the bike rack to take weight off her feet.

Rachel had chosen to wait in the darkest area so there wasn’t a darker area she could be scared of. Unfortunately she’d forgotten Miss Thompson rides into the school. She’d been fitfully dozing when she heard a noise and saw Miss Thompson locking up her bike a few aisles over beneath the pool one of the lights threw toward the bike racks. She stretched in anticipation of getting into the school and caused Miss Thompson to panic and shriek.

“Who’s there! Mister Browne is right behind me.”

“It’s Rachel Stillman, Miss.” Rachel quickly called out while walking toward the light from the school building verses heading directly toward an obviously startled young teacher, who had backed to place the racks between herself and the noise.

“Why, are you here so early and what were you doing in the dark? Is someone else in there?”

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t rushed before midterms and hadn’t realized the school would be locked up still. Finding it a bit scary when I arrived alone, I felt safer in the dark so nothing could startle me coming out of it.

“Well let’s both get into the school building I have the keys to unlock it.” Miss Thompson made several looks at the dark area Rachel had come out of, to ensure she heard nothing else and mentally noted to request getting a few extra outside lights installed.

“You know you might have sounded more truthful if you said Mister Johnston was right behind you. He actually is known to arrive in the early mornings and would likely be a more intimidating opponent.” Rachel said after they entered the school.

“What’s wrong with Mister Browne?” Miss Thompson asked and the bite in the question and her slight flush as if ready to get angry warned Rachel to tread carefully. Perhaps Miss Thompson was interested in Mister Browne.

“The main problem is as he doesn’t have any class scheduled before ten thirty he is not known to get to the school ever before ten.” She held back that at barely five and half feet and likely not even nine stone soaking wet, he wasn’t exactly a physical he-man. Aside Miss Young at barely five feet and a good bit under seven stone most of the female staff were more of a he-man that Mister Browne. In fact Miss Thompson herself was likely heavier, she had a couple of inches on his height even if she didn't out muscle him.

“Doesn’t your Dad have a BS in Physics?”

“He actually has got his Masters in Physics. Got it three years ago.”

“From Cambridge, like Mister Browne’s Bachelors? He went to Cavendish Laboratory when he studied at Cambridge.” Yes, Rachel thought, it seems Miss Thompson has a candle lit or at the least has an infatuation over Mister Browne.

“Nope he studied his Masters at University in California.” Rachel carefully explained in a way to avoid the current anti military attitude that had been driven home by the Collins on the weekend. She wanted to avoid stating it was the Monterey Naval Post Graduate School. Three years ago it was good to boast but with the targeting of military personnel and their families with car bombs when off duty it had led to an anti-military sentiment recently causing her to shy away from mentioning it again. Her Mother had reminded her last weekend that she was far too loose lipped to a complete stranger with private information. She could still recall her Mother going to the trite saying, ‘…loose lips sink ships.’ Well she was not going to get in more trouble for not being close lipped.

“U.C. Berkeley?” It seemed Miss Thompson wasn’t letting go.

“That’s where I plan to study Organic Chemistry. The University of California, Berkeley here I come.” Rachel figured it was the best way to muddy the water and change the subject.

“You want to go into the oil or plastic industries?”

“It is also increasingly useful in the medical field a large number of pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies need organic chemists.”

“Well I’ll leave you to study in your first exam’s class room.” Miss Thompson said before taking off for the staff room.

Rachel set to studying for the Maths exam. Her memories of Geoff’s life into his forties removed this previous Achilles heel, making French her now least favorite subject. Even though this time through she was more skilled at Maths, it wasn't plain sailing. Out of it, Art and Geography that made today’s schedule of exams, Maths was the one that needed studying. Not just because it was the first exam today, it was still the weakest of those three, and could trip her up if she wasn’t being careful.

Last life or the memories she had of a last life had her unable to study in sixth form for her A-levels as she failed Maths. At the time she thought it unfair that though you only needed five O-levels to carry on in school, there were three required subjects. Namely, English Language, Maths and a Science. She’d got nine O-levels, six with a grade of ‘A’ and both Biology and General Science covered the Science requirement twice over. However, failing French, Chemistry, Physics and more specifically Maths barred him from the sixth form college she was all set to study Drama, History and English Literature at. None of her chosen subjects needing any Mathematics, but access to them denied due to some stupid rule.

Her parents wanted him to go back to secondary school for ‘5R’, the repeat of fifth form and retake the four O-levels he failed. It was the first time in that life she had problems with his parents. Prior to that, mainly as she did what they told him to do; she had no issues with them. It was the beginning of the end of having a relationship with her family last time. Geoffrey had refused to return to secondary school saying he would learn more coming out to California with his parents. If he had only known his parents’ plan.

So while his sister, Glenda, prepared for her second year at University, Geoffrey had got acceptance from his parents on other plans. Namely he would travel with his parents to California. There he was planning to get a job to pay for trying his hand at surfing the Californian beaches in summer, and skiing the Sierra Nevada’s in the winter. He hadn’t realized that his parents kept one fact secret about living in the US of A.

His parents hadn’t informed him that unlike compulsory education ending at sixteen in the UK, in the US, parents were empowered with making high schools compulsory ‘til eighteen. They lied and let him think he would be working and learning to surf and ski, when they had submitted the paperwork to force him into a high school in the US. Something he could chose to ignore if he’d stayed behind in the UK.

Further, being the US system, it wasn’t set up for him to work on his four failed O’ levels but forced him into restudying subjects he had already passed at high school level. In addition, only two of the failed subjects were even offered. He was given two years of a completely new language, Spanish to replace the failed French. His parents refusal to see it as his time being wasted, was the final nail that had him find ways to stay in the US when his parents left. Getting an international student grant while still having seven years of the NATO dependent visa, that counted him a Californian resident helped pay for his Berkeley degree and provided for living expenses. He would not need his parents any more.

Perhaps initially his parents use of the new countries laws allowed them to regain control of their rebellious son that dared to not follow the plan they decided he should follow. However, he was looking for ways to get out from being controlled. He wasn't returning to resit O' levels in the U.K. and then spend two more years in sixth form college, and then finally three at University. All dependent on his parents. As for missing his relatives back home well likely his sister, Uncles and Aunts were aware of the age delta, and none thought they should warn Geoffrey of what his parents had planned when he followed them state side.

“Hey Rachel, I’m glad you’re here early for a change. Can we study for Maths together?” Sarah sat down beside Rachel and got her Maths book out. Rachel had wanted to ask her how come she was here so early but as she didn’t want to explain why she was, decided to dive into studying Maths for the exam in forty minutes.

Rachel’s Art class and her second exam was next door to Sarah’s music class so they were walking to their respective second exams discussing the Maths exam that both of them seemed to have done fairly well on. Not only was Rachel not getting jostled, but there was no overly loud whispered insults and giggling going on to make fun of Rachel. “See you after the exam, Rachel. Do you think we can spend some of lunch studying for tomorrows English lit and General Science exams?”

“Sure, sounds good, Sarah and best of luck with your clarinet exam.” Rachel replied as they split between their two classrooms.

Rachel got to work sketching the still life of a partially opened lantern with previously lit and half burned candle inside. In front and partially blocking the open lantern door was a wicker basket bowl of fruit. Trying to capture the differing shades of the previously burned wick and dripped wax of the candle top, along with the cooled runs of wax down the outside of the candle Rachel lost herself to her drawing. Capturing the shadows between the fruits and from the lantern to the desk that both were resting on she calmly rubbed her 6B, 2B, F and 4H pencils to her growing picture of the posed scene.

“Fifteen minutes.” Miss Wheel warned the students of the time left ‘till the end of the exam. Some frantically tried to increase speed. Those that had a more measured approach to the exam continued at the same pace, not wanting to mess up by rushing the sketch. Rachel was primarily working on the shading with the 2B and 6B softer pencils. The fine details of exact lines had all been done with the two harder pencils. She glanced around and noticed that she had sized the still life correctly to fill the sheet of A2 paper unlike several others, without making it too large, such that part of the assembled items couldn’t be completely drawn on the page. She could only see one that had been drawn too large. Well more like poor placement on the page.The intricate detail of the top of the lantern was lost as the top of the page cut off the lantern lid. However, there were quite a few classmates that had made the image too small. The most extreme one drawn as if they’d been given standard A4 paper to draw upon, not the four times larger A2.

Rachel put the 2B pencil down and carefully looked at the still life and her drawing of it, back and fro. She found she did this part of the drawing best without a pencil in her hand itching to be stroked against the page. This point where she knows she is ninety five percent or more completed is dangerous for her to damage her own picture thus the doing it without pencil in hand to ensure she doesn’t accidentally add shading where it isn’t really needed, or use the wrong lead. Only after triple checking that something really is missing does she pick up the needed pencil to add the missing detail.

“Five minutes.”

Rachel had spent the prior couple of minutes making no change. Just looking back and forth between the two in each area and ensuring she didn’t feel anything was missing. She kept this up until the exam was called and she popped her pencils into her handbag. As she had already put her name on her sketch she didn’t need to add one when the teacher reminded the students of the need. She waited to be the last to leave as she didn’t trust her classmates to not damage her work.

“Rachel, you not ready.” Sarah called into the classroom. Obviously seeing her sitting without doing anything.

“Just waiting for everyone to leave.”

“Well can’t you come out now?” Sarah asked.

“Nope, Darlene, Paula and Louise haven’t left the room yet.” Rachel said.

“Hey are you saying we would sabotage your work…

“Paula, if the shoe fits wear it.” Rachel informed, knowing Paula and Darlene had damaged an exam of hers last fall, and Louise was their friend.

“All four of you can leave together while I watch all your pictures to ensure we don’t have the problems we had in the fall.” Miss Wheel quickly diverted the three girls from trying to head over toward Rachel’s drawing. Seeing Darlene about to speak up, Miss Wheel continued. “Leave with your mouth closed Darlene, or I will give you zero, the more you and your friends try to state your innocence the less I believe you. Stop while ahead and know I am watching you three like a hawk.”

As we went to lunch Sarah glared at the other three and they chose to not accuse me of getting them in trouble and hurried off ahead. “What was that about?” Sarah asked.

“Fall's final exam I returned to get a book I’d left in the art class to find Darlene and Paula each holding half my picture. They dropped the two halves on the floor and Paula stood on part of one. That actually enabled me to prove she did it as the foot print matched her shoe. Plus her shoe still had paint on the edge.”

“You should take music with me.”

“I’m good and like art, and I ha…,” Rachel, not wanting to alienate her possible ‘friend?’ quickly changed what she was saying. “… am not as good at music.” Rachel offered and then they both joined the line for lunch.

Lunch was spent discussing tomorrow morning’s exams of English Literature and General Science, with a tiny helping of this afternoon’s Geography. Oh, and some time on actually eating too. Several girls chimed in on the impromptu study session and Rachel enjoyed belonging to a group. Sure some of these girls, including Sarah had said some nasty things about and to her before, but now thanks to Sarah seeming to change her attitude on how she thought of her, Rachel found herself accepted as she never thought she would be.

“Rachel?”

Rachel looked up to see her big sister staring at her from across the table. She rose an eyebrow and around her the girl’s stopped talking to see what was about to happen. Glenda had done some wicked cruel things to Rachel earlier this year.

“Mum was frantic crying, and worried this morning when she couldn’t find you.”

“I left you and Sally a note so you could let her know I’d caught the earlier train into school.”

“Ten to five is ‘not’ the earlier train to school. Mum demanded we give her your letter. She rang Grandma and read it verbatim to her on the phone. Why would you say you could send Mum to prison?”

“Because she is wrong and what she did last night means I can.”

“Mum is not wrong, she is Mum.”

“Glenda, what Mother did is against... She is wrong. A Mum isn’t right just because she’s Mum, and Mother is not my Mum. A Mum loves and cares for their child. Mother does not care and love me, and I hate her. Anyway this conversation is over, unless you have something different to talk about.” The dynamic between the two sisters had changed. Glenda was the one who’s slumped unsure posture appeared while standing, smaller than the sitting younger girl she towered over.

The children in the cafeteria were all staring at the two sisters and a new wave of rumors began flying around the school. Well Rachel wondered if she was about to be the social pariah once more. It had been nice having almost friends for a while.