A boy’s arm smacks into my face, I give him a look and mutter “Watch out,” though the injury doesn’t hurt. He doesn’t even notice—no one ever does. I keep my head down and I’m quiet, and it’s like I turn invisible.
Dismissing this, I head to history and see there’s a substitute. That’s fine, though Mr. Nicholson and I are really close. I like Mr. Walker well enough, though he’s kind of oblivious. He doesn’t see Amelia slip into my seat next to Kylie, her best friend, which forces me into the back away from my best (and, if I’m honest, only) friend, Alexander.
Just before the bell rings, Alexander gets called out of class by a guidance counselor, which surprises me. He didn’t tell me about any reason that he’d be called out. I doubt he could be in trouble. I grow worried; we’re doing work in groups. His extroverted, social nature always smooths things out for me and finds us a group with two other people, but without him, I’ll be forced to awkwardly work my way into a group with three people I don’t really know. After the bell rings, Mr. Walker clears his throat. The class quickly falls silent due to the unusually solemn look on his face.
“I don’t know if you know why I will be here for an extended period of time,” he begins.
“Yeah, I know why,” Kylie, who has a well-established but questionably reputable network of information throughout the school, says. “There was an accident on the highway and Mr. Nicholson got hurt, so he’s going to be out for a while.”
That’s the first I’m hearing about it, and the class quickly dissolves into hushed murmurs and whispers.
“Is he okay?” I ask anxiously, raising my voice to be heard above the whispers, but I guess Mr. Walker doesn’t hear. He continues as if I haven’t said anything at all—
“No, Kylie,” Mr. Walker answers, looking deeply troubled. “Mr. Nicholson is fine … physically speaking. He—he wasn’t the one in the accident. He’s taking an extended leave due to the loss causing him great emotional distress, however.”
All the pieces fall into place, and my heart sinks. Alexander’s parents and my own parents are really close to Mr. Nicholson— they’ve known him for years. That’s why Alexander got pulled out of class by a counselor. One of his parents got in an accident. Oh my God, is he okay? Are they okay? I should be out there with him—
“They passed away in the hospital earlier this morning,” Mr. Walker continues, sounding like he’s having difficulty speaking the words.
Alexander just lost one of his parents? Oh, dear God.
“Thalia’s parents survived, but … unfortunately … she did not,” he continues, choking the words out. “I’m very sorry to inform you all about this.”
I’m frozen to my seat in utter confusion. Thalia died? That can’t be right. Thalia can’t be dead.
In seconds, most of the class has burst into tears and is openly sobbing, while a few kids look numb with shock. Even Kylie and Amelia are crying, and Ellie laments over the fact that she never got to know Thalia that well, but she still misses her. Kira is saying how sweet she always was and how much she liked Thalia being in this class.
Still, I remain in my seat, thoroughly confused—people keep talking about her, and she was obviously in this class. But who is that? I thought I knew everyone in this class, and I keep jumping to pay attention when everyone says her name.
Finally, after several moments of thought, I conclude I must not be the only Thalia in this class.