01. The Invisible Kid

Chap. 1

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Have you ever wondered what pulls a friend group together? What causes certain people to gravitate to one another and start hanging out all the time? They say it has to do with having things in common, and if you pay close attention, you'll find out it really is true. The popular kids hang out with other popular kids, the geeks hang out with other geeks, and the rich kids form circles mainly inclusive of their own kind. And those things are just a few examples of commonality that may be shared among a friend group. So one day, fascinated by noticing this, I began to wonder what common theme linked my circle of friends together. It didn't take me long to nail it.

We are the odd ones.

Looking at us, you could probably pretty quickly identify some things that classify us as odd. From shyness, to partial blindness, to prosthetic legs, to actually being allergic to rain, odd is the word for us. I myself may not have any obviously unusual physical features, but that doesn't keep me from being one of the odd ones out. Actually, it's partly because I don't have any unusual physical features that I am different. It's all part of why I have always been the invisible kid.

If you asked anyone in my home town of Valley Creek if they knew Chris Armstrong, the vast majority of them would say no. Even if you went to Valley Creek High School, which is where I have attended for a whole year now, nobody would know who I was if you mentioned my name. At least, very few people would know me. I'm just unremarkable. I don't make top grades, but I'm not flunking anything either. I stay out of trouble, but I also stay out of social activities. I'm just a normal-looking, small-for-my-age kid who can't tell you anything more about my school than what I need to get by - and I really mean the bare minimum, at that. People leave me alone. I leave them alone, too. I've never been one for much socializing, so I don't go out a lot. I just like to stay at home with my books and stuff. So people don't notice me.

Okay, I guess I have to take that back. I can't truthfully say that no one notices me. Cody Eastburn noticed me. He noticed anyone he could bother. Needless to say, I remember my first encounter with him very vividly.

It was close to the beginning of my first year, and I was running through the hall to get to my next class, already pushing time. Not watching where I was going, I suddenly tripped and would have face planted on the hard tile floor if my elbows hadn't hit first. Stunned, I lay sprawled out there for what seemed like several minutes, but was actually only a few seconds. My head was spinning, even though I hadn't hit it. It took a moment for Cody's rough voice to break through my whirling thoughts and the awful, throbbing ache I felt in my elbows. 

"What the matter? Can't you get up?" He laughed tauntingly. "Here, let me give you a hand," he said very sarcastically, and before I could even think of a response, he grabbed me by my shoulder and jerked me to my feet. he was much bigger than me, and his tight grip hurt. Unfortunately, he didn't let go right away.

"Let me go!" I protested, trying to squirm from his clutches. My efforts were futile. Cody was too strong. 

Still grasping my shoulder way harder than was necessary, he stepped closer until his face was in mine.

"You're Armstrong, right?" he more demanded than asked.

"Yeah, that's me," I managed to say, though I still wonder to this day how he knew my last name when most people didn't even know my first name.

"Wow, dude," he chuckled with amusement. "They named you wrong! They should have called you Arm-weak!" He laughed like a hysterical idiot. "You need to go home and tell your mom she made a mistake!"

I'll gladly go home if you'll just let go of my shoulder, I thought. 

"Don't you have anything to say to that?" he demanded. "Or can't little Arm-weak defend himself? Aw, do you need your mommy?" he drawled. 

"Look, I just need to get to class before I'm in trouble," I said. "I'm not bothering you and I'm not planning on it, either. Go pick on someone your own size." Literally.

Eastburn didn't seem about ready to loosen his hold. But suddenly, he glanced up and his eyes grew wide at the sound of footsteps approaching. Quickly, he dropped his hand from my shoulder as I guy I recognized as Brandon Dalton walked onto the scene.

"Hey, what's up, Eastburn?" Brandon asked. Brandon Dalton is the principal's son. All the bullies, even Cody, know to behave when Brandon is around because he might tell them off to his dad. Eastburn stepped back from me. 

"I-I was just helping this kid here. He tripped and face planted on the floor, so I thought I'd give him a hand up. He's good now - right dude?" he turned to me.

"Yeah, all good," I said. "As long as I get to class on time."

Brandon looked Cody up and down skeptically. He was aware of the mean kid's reputation, but since he hadn't seen the whole exchange between Cody and me, he couldn't really prove that Cody had tripped me on purpose. Finally, he said, "Well, it's a good thing he's fine. You better be getting to class, though," he added with a nod at me. 

"On my way," I sprinted off, not waiting for a second command. I slid into my seat at the very last moment. I was glad no one could see how hard my heart was pounding. 

So that was the first time I was noticed. Too bad it couldn't have been a favorable incident to store up in my memory. I mean, really, my elbows still hurt every time I look at the floor in the hallways of Valley Creek High. But fortunately for me, as well as for all the other kids Cody picked on, he was expelled a short time after that little run-in took place. With the uproar he had created among the students, it didn't surprise me to hear that he had been expelled. It was a relief to have him gone, even though he had only really bothered me that one time. That was definitely one of the assets of being an invisible kid. 

The next person who noticed me was Rachel Reynolds. Fortunately, it was under much better circumstances than my introduction to Cody Eastburn. Well, sort of. The initial circumstances weren't any better, but it definitely went in a more favorable direction. 

It was a Friday, and school had just let out for the day. All week long I had been stressing over the history exam that was coming up the following Monday. I knew that Mr. Benneker wasn't going to be easy on us. I had nearly failed his last test because he had almost killed us by quizzing us on dates. From the way he talked, he was preparing to do it again. With the exam date fast approaching, my anxiety level was skyrocketing. It was with this weight of dread on my brain that I had my first run-in with Rachel Reynolds. 

"You nervous about the history exam?" her voice interrupted all my morbid thoughts of how I'd deal with Mr. Benneker if I failed miserably. 

I jerked my head up from where I was shoving books into my locker, surprised that anyone was talking to me, especially Rachel. Now, Rachel Reynolds isn't the prettiest girl at Valley Creek high by any stretch of the imagination. She has a large, brown birthmark covering half of the left side of her face and one eye that doesn't seem to focus properly behind her thick glasses. Rumors go around that she is very smart, but she doesn't have much of a social group, so I guess no one knows for sure. 

"Uh, nervous?" I stammered. "Well, yeah, you could say that," I admitted, laughing nervously. "You could definitely say that."

"What's your weakest area?" she questioned, then added hastily, "If you don't mind sharing that. I just thought maybe I could help you out a little if you're struggling."

I stared back at her quizzically. Why in the world was she offering to help me? My face must have shown my thoughts, because she smiled and said, "You just looked really nervous, and I know a lot of people are dreading that test, so I figured that's what it was about."

"Well, you figured right. I'm afraid I'm going to fail. The information just won't stick with me." I rubbed my forehead anxiously. 

"Ah, yeah, I know how that is," she said sympathetically. "I used to have that problem, too, but then I learned how to come up with some really cool mnemonics that help me remember my facts."

"Really cool what?" I squinted at her. 

"Mnemonics," she repeated. "A mnemonic is a device used to connect important information with something that you can recall easily." 

"Hmm. I could use one of those," I said.

Rachel laughed. "It's not a physical device. It's a mental system. Like, I can remember that George Washington became president in 1789 because my grandpa George died when he was 89 years old. It's a system of associations linking concepts so you can remember facts."

"Oh," I said. I felt a little dumb for showing my ignorance, but strangely enough, even though Rachel had laughed at me, I didn't feel awkward about it. It was't like she was making fun of me. It was a good-natured laugh that actually made me feel more comfortable. 

"Well," I said. "I could use some mnemonics in my life about now."

"I could help you," she said eagerly. "We could study together at the library tomorrow."

If anything felt foreign to me, it was having another student actually offer to study together. I as slightly taken back by the whole thing. 

"Well, why not?" I found myself saying. "I mean, I need all the help I can get." 

"Okay," Rachel smiled. "When shall we meet?"

"Is 1:00 good for you?"

"As long as that's in the afternoon and not in the morning," she smirked. 

"Believe me, it will be in the afternoon," I said, grinning. 

"Alright. I'll see you there," she said as we parted ways. 

The rest of that day, I wondered what in the world I was thinking. I never, ever studied with anyone. I was the kid who liked to hide out at home or stake out the most secluded corner in the library to do my homework. People left me alone, and I was totally good with that. I guess I must have been really desperate. anyway, it turned out to be really profitable. Rachel was amazing at prompting me to come up with some awesome mnemonics, and she was a genius at quizzing me on the information until I knew it forward and backward. I honestly had never dreamed that my confidence level could rise so much in one afternoon. 

I reaped amazing results that Monday, remembering most of my facts when I took the exam. The feeling of accomplishment was wonderful, especially when I got my grade and learned that I had made an A on the test. Rachel was the first to congratulate me. 

"How'd you do?" she questioned me in the hall after class. 

"Amazing," I beamed. "And all thanks to your mnemonics."

"Hey, I was glad to help," she shrugged. "Let me know if you need my services again. They're free, after all. Can't beat that." She smiled warmly. 

So that was the start of my first friendship at school, or anywhere, for that matter. Often during lunchtime, Rachel and I would chat about different things, and I quickly learned that she is a really smart person. She also loves some of the same books that are my personal favorites. I found it was pretty great to have a study buddy, even if I was still invisible for all practical purposes. I didn't know yet  that there was a whole group of invisible kids just like me.