Capítulo II- Lo Imposible

     Patience was always in a good mood in the morning. Compared to the mass of students who had barely woken up, wore bags underneath their eyes, and pupils shrinking from fatigue, Patience's face was bright, lifted, and her pupils dilated alert to her environment. The early bird struck out in the crowd of students with a natural smile on her face. She had been a morning person since day one and her dad, Dante, didn't know how she could wake up with so much energy. Maybe it was because she had school first thing in the morning and she had to be awake to intake the information before it passed from one ear to another. 

     Patience stepped off her late bus, weaving through the crowd of students. She had already been late to class twice this week. It wasn't entirely her fault. The school traffic of parents and buses entering the small parking lot crammed everyone together. When her dad would drop her off, she'd be dropped off by the school's field. Her fast walking could get her by her first period faster than a car.

     The first bell was five minutes away. She was lucky to have her dad prepare her breakfast. Dante would rather have her be late than let her go to school without a meal. He would wake up early and get ready for work. Then, he would always make her breakfast as she got ready for school. It was the same routine since day one, kindergarten.

     Patience passed through the football players who wore their jerseys. A similar blue shirt was tucked into her skirt for the pep rally later on that day. Her locker was right next to the stairs in front of Principal Perry's office. From the beginning of her freshman year, this current year, she had never failed to greet her with a good morning. At first, Perry replied because parents were in the halls, but after that, she would mumble something under her breath following the name "Perky Patience."

     Patience removed her backpack and picked out the books she took home. The hardcover book bumped the back of her locker and her pens and pencils rattled in the case. She picked out her algebra books, journal, and case, placing them in her backpack. She checked the time across the hall to make sure she had enough time to make it to class. As she did so, Leo appeared across her vision. She waved at him, "Hi, Leo!"

     He turned to her and smiled upon seeing her. "Oh, hey, Patience. Look who I brought," he pointed at Adam, Bree, and Chase at the center of the hall.

     She paced to him with her eyes wide. She had to take another look behind to make sure she wasn't seeing their doppelgangers. "Leo! you can't bring them to school. Mr. Davenport-"

     "Mr. Davenport doesn't know they're here. He's at a conference." 

     "They aren't supposed to leave the lab. Mr. Davenport clearly stated that they can't leave because if they were discovered, they would be taken away. They can't be here! You have to take them back."

     "It'll be fine, I'm watching over them. They've never left the lab. So I invited them so they could see the outside world. Come on, they've been stuck in a lab for 15 years. I mean, look at them," he pointed at Adam, Bree, and Chase. 

     They looked around the school walking around agape and their hands were stuck to their side to refrain from jitters of excitement. They didn't hide it well. Adam looked around, Chase waved at the two girls speaking by their lockers, and Bree jogged to Patience like the last time she saw her 10 years ago. 

     Patience had to step back thinking Bree was going to tackle her to the ground. "Hi, Patience! Can you believe it! I can't!" Her fists clenched and she hopped up and down, her smile wide enough to see her white teeth, "We're actually at school. I am so excited!"

     A feeling of guilt crept rose in her because she told Leo to take them back. Their happy faces helped ease the feeling and Bree's contagious smile stuck to her. "I can. You're actually here!" she grabbed her hands. 

     Her pens rattled around in her backpack from Bree shaking her, "I know!" Bree turned and a new rush of adrenaline washed over her, "Oh! My first lunch lady." The lunch lady passed by and Bree hugged her waist with a huge grin. Leo and Patience quickly pulled Bree away from her using all their might. "She smelled like fish sticks," she said, enthusiastically. 

     "Do me a favor and try to act like you've seen the world. I have a reputation to uphold here," Leo told. Patience winced as a jock came behind Leo, giving him a wedgie. "Ah! Good to see you too, Steve."

     Bree spun on her heel, facing the two girls behind her. She reached out for a handshake, "Hi! I'm Bree! I like ponies and girl things!" The two girls side glanced at each other grimacing and walked away. "Did you see that? I have besties. I can't wait to stab them in the back!"

     Patience grabbed Bree's shoulders, "Bree." Bree nodded, happily. "I love that you are excited for your first day outside of the lab, but you can't walk around talking to people with a crazed look in your eyes."

     "Right," she nodded, calming down yet the smile never left her lips.

     Adam leaned against the locker as he spoke to a girl struggling to open her locker. "Here, little lady. Let me help you out." He pulled the locker off the hinges and gave it to her. She carefully grabbed it and slowly walked away from him, shocked.

     "Adam," Chase hissed, grabbing the attention of Patience, Leo, and Bree. They strolled over to him. "Would you two quit goofing off? We're supposed to not draw attention to ourselves-" On cue, the bell rang and Chase dropped to the floor screaming in agony.

     He pressed his hands to his ears and spun clockwise on the floor. An audience gathered behind them and left when they saw Chase on the floor. They awkwardly smiled at everyone and their judgemental stares. The bell stopped. Chase scooted back between Patience and Adam. "Is he okay?" she questioned as Leo asked, 'What's up with crazy?'.

     "He has ultra-sensitive bionic hearing," answered Bree, shrugging.

     "What was that?" Chase said, taking heavy breaths in between each word.

     Patience's forehead creased, "That ringing was a bell?"

     "It rings every 40 minutes, eight times a day. So, have fun with that," says Leo. Without another word, he, Adam, and Bree trailed off Leaving Chase on the ground. 

     Patience held her hand out. He took it and she helped him up to his feet. "I gotta go, I'm already going to be late for class."

     Chase placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking away, "Wait, where do I go?"

     "Um," Patience paused. She can't have him walking around unsupervised. Adam, Bree, and Leo were gone and it was just them two in the hallway. She didn't have enough time to run after Leo. Patience smiled back at him, "You like algebra?"

     "Yeah, why?" he asked, walking beside her. They climbed up the stairs to Patience's algebra class. "Are we going to class?"

     "We're going to my algebra class. Didn't Mr. Davenport say that you had superior intelligence?"

     "Well, I don't mean to brag, but yes, yes, I do," he smugly smiled.

     "Great! Then you'll understand the material." Patience stopped outside of her classroom, hand on the handle. "Wait, I can't sneak you in. He'll know you don't belong in his class. And if you get caught, you'll get in trouble." She paced back and forth, "Then, I'll get in trouble and they'll tell my dad I sneaked someone in. I can't lie- Oh, no."

     Chase's eyebrows furrowed as he watched her pace back and forth. She spoke to herself in quiet whispers. He didn't need the quiet hall to hear her quiet worries spill out of her mouth and it didn't take long for him to know she panics under pressure. Chase looked in the classroom through the door's window. "Hey, didn't you say your teacher is a he?" The old woman was on her teacher's supposed desk. Her eyes were barely open and the classroom quietly spoke amongst themselves about the material given out.

     Patience looked up, "Yeah, why?" 

     "Then why is there an old lady in his place."

    She pressed her face against the rectangular window. She placed a hand over her chest, "Oh, we have a substitute today. Oh, okay. Nevermind. We're okay." She opened the door and let Chase walk in first. She shut the door silently to avoid waking up the old woman and they made their way to the open two-person table.

    Patience was never one for lying. So when she stuttered as she tried to lie to her biology teacher about Chase being in the class, he stepped in, lying with ease straight through his perfect teeth. He showed her a hall pass he found on the floor to back up his lie. They took a seat on the stools. They had a lab to do today and rather than Chase doing what the lab said, he was doing his own thing. Curious, Patience joined him getting bored of her project. He explained how he was going to cure male baldness with a simple biology rat.

     Halfway through the day, Chase memorized most of his way throughout the school. When Patience's teachers didn't allow him into the classroom, he would find an empty classroom on the same floor. Patience kept an eye on him through the windows of the classrooms to make sure he didn't run off.

     Gym had rolled around a period after lunch. Leo and Patience had the same period for it and they all met up outside the gym doors. Leo took Adam and Chase to the boys' locker room and Patience hauled Bree to the girls' locker room. She had the extra uniform gym teachers had in case a student forgot their clothes. Patience held it in her hand, "Come on, Bree."

     "We have to wear these?" she frowned.

     "Yeah, it's a requirement. If you don't, you can't participate depending on the activity."

     "Fine," she took the uniform from her. Bree looked around the locker room. Their row of lockers had girls changing in silence or talking comfortably to their friends and she swiftly ripped her eyes off of them. Her cheeks held a fuzzy rose to them. She asked, "Do I have to change in front of everyone?"

     Patience opened her locker, explaining, "Well, this is a public school, unless you'd like to change in the stalls. Which I do not recommend. I don't know how often those get cleaned. Plus, some girls get mad because you take too long to change." 

     Bree groaned, "This sucks."

     "You get used to it after a while. I've been doing this since middle school, but better have this than sweat in your clothes." Patience glanced behind her and she nodded to the showers, "You can change in there. Just keep your shoes on or step on this." She gave her the spare sweater she used in case they needed to go outside.

     "Thanks, Patience," Bree gladly accepted the zip-up sweater. She closed the shower curtain behind her and changed in the private area.

     In their gym clothes, Patience led her through the door leading to the gym. The boys' locker room was on the other end of the gym. Students were already walking around the gym waiting for attendance to be taken. Adam, Chase, and Leo were in their gym clothes waiting for them on the bleachers.

     The girls stood in front of them. Bree faced the court to avoid getting hit by the basketballs the students tossed around. "I hate gym class,"  Leo seethed. "The only good thing that came out of it was me meeting Patience."

     Patience laughed as she said, "He stuck a piece of gum in my hair." The bionic teens looked confused at her laughing at the memory. "It was an accident. He bumped into me while doing the pacer. I was upset at first but I got over it."

     Leo linked his arm with her, "But now, it's a core memory."

     Adam furrowed his brows, "Wait, so why don't you like gym?"

     A ball bounced to Leo and he caught it. Leo got up and attempted to dribble the ball. He did it with such force, that it bounced above his head. Leo moved out of the way and dribbled again. This time, it hit his foot and he yelpt.  Adam, Bree, and Chased laughed as Patience cringed.

     "That's why," deadpanned Leo.

     "So big deal, you can't play basketball. Chess club is where all the action's at," Chase grinned, nodding.

     Patience tilted her head, "Is that where you went to earlier?"

     "Yep. You know, they actually have a chance at beating nationals. They almost outsmarted me."

     Leo looked at him unimpressed. He returned to the topic of gym class, "But Patience likes gym class. She's always been the athletic one."

     Patience placed her hand on her hips, and she shrugged, "I help Leo keep his grade at a C. It's enough to pass."

     Someone tossed the ball to Bree. Her reflexes kicked in and grabbed it before it could hit her face. "What do I do with it?" she shuffled, panicked.

     Leo threw his arms, "Throw it." Bree pivoted and threw the ball to a boy a few feet ahead. The ball made a loud smack as it made contact with his face and he flew to the floor. "To someone who's looking," Leo finished.

     Patience gasped and ran with Bree to the boy holding his nose. "Wow! You caught that with your face!" Bree smiled at him. The boy, who Patience recognized as Kavan, glanced up at them.

     "Sorry," Patience sheepishly smiled. "She's new." His friends glared at the teenage girls and helped him up. They awkwardly backed away and shifted their gaze back to the boys.

     Leo held the basketball in his hands, wishing, "Just once, I'd like to show these fools up and go all NBA in their faces."

     Chase shrugged, "Then why don't you?"

     "Look at me! I'm shorter than Patience!" he exclaimed. He gestured to his body, "And there's more meat on a dog bone!"

     "Yeah, but now you have us to help you," Adam turned Leo around and clutched his shorts, including his underwear and shoulder.

     "Wait- What? No!"

     Patience held her arms out, "What? Adam, what are you doing?"

     "Relax, Patience. We're just helping him out," he assured. 

     Leo refused, "But these are my good drawers!"

     Adam threw Leo halfway across the court. He yelled as his body flung in the air clutching the basketball. Everyone's heads snapped up to the boy in the air. He let go of the ball and it fell through the hoop. Leo gripped the rim of the basket. His muscles could only do so much to keep him up. He plunged to the wooden floor, whilst Patience, Adam, Bree, and Chase let out an 'oof'.

     Leo shot up from the floor, dusting himself off. The whole gym class was silent, not bothered to remove their gaze from him. The silence was killed by a hand of applause bringing up Leo's serotonin levels. "Yeah, I got mad skills! Yeah!"

     "Wow, I'd never thought I'd see the day Leo becomes popular," Patience had a lopsided grin plastered on her face. "Don't tell him I said this, but I wonder how long it will last."

     They smiled, "We won't."

-

Edited: March 21st, 2023