Colin Fischer by Zack Stentz, Ashley Edward Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

celery sticks,and a whole apple. Leaving the apple intact prevented oxidization and meant it would not turn brown over the course of the morning.
    As he adjusted to the noise, Colin ventured to look up from his food and observe his peers. Over the summer, Colin’s mother had rented a series of popular movies about high school from her teenage years, ostensibly to help him navigate this social minefield. He quickly lost interest in stories of gawky girls pining for popular rich boys and students from different cliques forming unlikely friendships while defying adult authority, leaving his mother to watch alone while muttering cryptic phrases like “I wanted a Blaine but ended up with a Duckie.” However, it had given Colin enough data to formulate what he considered a working taxonomy of high school tribal groupings.
    Colin watched his classmates with the detached interest of an anthropologist, recording in his Notebook the movements of the nerds, the popular girls, the jocks, the goths, the emo kids, and the most curious of all, the gangsta-wannabes. He scanned the cafeteria, and as his eyes flicked toward the double doors, he saw Melissa enter. Colin stopped writing.
    Melissa was alone but smiling. She carried a worn red backpack, the same one she had carried all through middle school. Colin realized he wasn’t the only one who had seen her—many people were looking her way. Especially the boys.
         12:07 P.M. Melissa Greer enters cafeteria. Other students smile and wave at her. I do not recognize all of them from eighth grade, so they must be in her morning classes. Melissa smiles and waves back as she moves to a table in the middle of the cafeteria. It is under a banner that reads “WELCOME, STUDENTS.” Melissa’s friends Emma and Abby are there. There are party favors on the table. Today is Melissa’s birthday.
    Melissa beamed as Emma and Abby opened a brown grocery bag and presented her with a round white chocolate birthday cake, topped with white frosting accented by pink frosting roses. She clapped when she saw it, then looked up at her friends. As she did, she realized Colin was staring at her. Melissa smiled at him. WARM . Colin felt a sudden burning sensation course through his body. He looked away, developing a renewed interest in his carrot sticks as Melissa excused herself and headed toward him.
    “Hello, Melissa, how are you today?” he said as she reached his table, trying to end each sentence on a slight up tone to convey enthusiasm and pleasure.
    “I’m good,” she said. Melissa’s pale, freckled face reddened even more as the capillaries in her skin dilated and filled with blood. Colin recognized this as the “blush” 6 response—it was unique to the humananimal and still poorly understood by scientists. “I was wondering if you’d like to join us for some cake.”
    Colin studied Melissa’s open, wide-eyed face. He attempted to identify her expression on his own for six seconds before he gave in and consulted his cheat sheet. Melissa appeared SHY . He pondered the meaning of this in silence.
    “No,” Colin said in a flat monotone. “I don’t eat cake.”
    “Oh.”
    Melissa had known Colin long enough not to be surprised by his brusqueness. Still, the corners of her mouth turned down slightly and a thin furrow appeared along the length of her brow. EXASPERATED .
    “It can’t be because you’re counting calories,” she continued. “I’d kill to have your metabolism.”
    Colin raised an eyebrow. Curious. Melissa’s body was lean and athletic. As far as he could tell, her metabolism was enviably speedy.
    “It’s not the sugar that’s the problem; it’s the texture. Cake is slimy and mushy, and I dislike foods that are mushy.” Colin indicated the apple, pretzels, carrots, and celery arrayed in front of him. They were arrangedby color according to their position on the spectrum. “I enjoy crunchy foods.”
    “Uh, yeah,” Melissa said. She pursed her lips. It was hard