Chapter II
Chris awoke the next morning to the blaring sound of his alarm clock and hit it a couple times before it went silent. He had slept very well and felt well-rested but that did not change the fact that he still didn't want to get out of bed. Rolling over, he pulled his laptop off of his bedside table and onto his stomach. He lifted the lid and it came to life, showing him the same pictures from last night. He smiled wryly and closed the browser window.
He checked his email and Facebook and commented on a couple wall posts, one of which was a new picture of his friend Leslie doing some modeling; her dreadlocks were dyed pink, her eyes looked smoky and she had a sultry pout. He made a mental note to check more of her photos out later, shut his laptop and started getting dressed.
Rummaging through his dresser drawers he found a clean pair of jeans and a brown polo shirt. He donned them along with a brown belt in an attempt to keep his pants up on his thin waist. He grabbed a bite to eat, brushed his teeth, ran a comb through his bed head and headed to school. When Chris arrived, he parked his car and said 'hi' to a couple people he knew before heading into the building.
First period was History. He flopped down into his seat and took out his Biology book and did his homework for that class while waiting for the morning bell to sound. The class presentations on the Peloponnesian War seemed to drag on forever. It didn't help that each group of students gave almost the same information even though they all had different topics. Every PowerPoint was just as dry and clinical as the last. Finally the bell rang and the class was freed.
Chris made his way down the hall towards English class, waving to a few more friends as they walked past. He took up his usual seat and pulled out his copy of The Jungle and perused the chapters to refresh his memory. Ms. Callahan came in with her red hair in a high ponytail, the hair flowing from beneath the band was curled loosely. She wore a black ruffled blouse and vintage leopard skirt that fit the widest part of her hips snugly before flaring out. On her wrists jingled her silver bracelets and her cat-eye glasses were perched on the tip of her nose.
She called the class to attention and handed out this week's quizzes. Chris took one from the top of the stack and passed the rest back. He scribbled his name across the top and quickly filled in the answers. He looked around to his classmates and they seemed to be struggling with recollecting the readings from the previous week. He sailed through and was the first to bring his quiz up to Ms. Callahan.
"Good Chris, first as usual," she whispered. He nodded with a bit of pride and took his seat once again. The rest of class went by quickly. When all the students turned in their quizzes, Ms. Callahan gave out a homework assignment. In preparation for the end of the semester and midterms, she wanted her students to practice their composition skills.
"When The Jungle was published, it caused a ripple of change to go through the meatpacking industry. Safe and sanitary working conditions were put in place to protect workers and consumers. Many of today's food safety regulations are in place due to this book and other people who stood up for what they believed in," she explained. "I want you all to do some brainstorming and begin writing a five-page paper on a 'hot button' topic of your choosing. Make sure it is something you are passionate about, something in society that needs to be changed," she encouraged. As the bell rang, students packed up their books and she had to shout over the clamor, "I want to see some ideas written down, some sources to cite and the introduction to your paper written out. We'll meet one on one to discuss your topic." The class flooded out into the halls and most headed for lunch. "Chris, one minute please."
Chris pulled his bag onto his shoulder and waited for the rest of the class to file out before going to Ms. Callahan's desk, "Yes, Ms. Callahan?"
"I just wanted to remind you about our appointment on Monday. Don't worry about your assignment until we can meet up together. Just pick a topic that appeals to you and when we meet at my house I'll give you some tips and we can work on your introduction together," she said as she smiled softly.
"Thanks Ms. C," Chris smiled back, "I think I already have a topic in mind."
"Good!" she said excitedly, "Have a good weekend and I'll see you in class on Monday."
He jogged down to the cafeteria and grabbed a cheeseburger and fries from the serving line. The lunch room was packed but there was still an open seat at his usual table. His friend Leslie sat there munching on a piece of French bread pizza, her pink dreads framing her face, her dark-lined eyes catching his. She waved him over and scooted closer to her friend Scarlett to give him more room. He walked faster, a spring in his step, and sat next to her. She was chatting with her other girl friends about her plans for the weekend.
"Chris, you want to go out to the club with us tonight?" Leslie asked between bites.
"I have work, but maybe when I'm done," he said, trying to act nonchalant.
"Cool!" she said, placing a hand innocently on his thigh. Chris' heart fluttered. Leslie was the complete opposite of Chris; she was wild, he was reserved, she was the yin to his yang and helped him to come out of his shell. He had already had his mind set on getting his work done and trying to get out early tonight!
The rest of the day went by swiftly and soon he was on his way to work. Sarah was there already, her hands full with one of the dishwashers. She had him at a cutting board with a bag of potatoes and was giving him a demonstration.
