Maya’s story…
She closed her history book and pulled the chemistry textbook forward, but a movement out of the corner of her eye caught Maya’s attention. It was football practice this afternoon. Which also meant that the cheerleaders were on the sidelines, practicing their cheers as well. In the distance, Maya could hear the coach’s whistle and several muted instructions, the sounds of the cheerleaders calling out, “D! D! D! Defeeense!”
For a brief moment, Maya considered slipping away from the school library and heading out to the stadium. She could take five minutes to soak up a bit of sunshine, maybe marvel at the athleticism that the cheerleaders and football players enjoyed…something she’d never really understood. Maya wasn’t athletically inclined, but she appreciated the trait in others. She definitely wasn’t the kind of person who became jealous of the more popular cheerleaders, although she acknowledged that it would be really nice to have some strong, buff guy find her attractive.
“Hey!” Betty, her best friend, called out, startling Maya out of her contemplation of the afternoon. “What are you doing? We have a chemistry test tomorrow!”
Maya sighed. “I know. I was just considering taking a short break.”
Betty grinned. “And watching Tommy Milton?” she teased, referring to the high school’s football quarterback.
“No way,” she groaned.
Betty’s head tilted slightly. “Are you seriously going to try and tell me that you’re not interested in Tommy? Because I saw the way you stared at him in the cafeteria this morning. You’re into him!”
Maya rolled her eyes as she opened her chemistry book. “I’m definitely not into Tommy,” she replied with an impatient huff. “He’s cute but…well, he’s not my type.”
Betty looked over at Brian Harrison. “What about Brian?” she asked, jerking her chin towards the boy sitting two tables over. “Is he smart enough for you?”
Gritting her teeth, Maya flipped open her chemistry notebook. “Brian is a nice guy,” she whispered to Betty. “Don’t hurt his feelings by being mean, Betty.” Her friend had a tendency to judge people by their appearance. Maya didn’t understand her friend’s mean tendency since it always hurt when someone told Betty that she was too plain. Betty was a bit plain, but she was super smart and, when she wasn’t being judgy, she had a wicked sense of humor.
“I’m never mean,” Betty replied with a huff. “It’s just…well, the homecoming dance is in three weeks. What are the odds that someone will ask me out?”
Maya looked up, startled by the worry in Betty’s voice. “You want to go to the homecoming dance?”
Betty shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s our senior year of high school. It would be nice to be invited to at least one of the social dances, wouldn’t it?”
Maya blinked, not sure how to answer that question. “I don’t know. It never occurred to me to…”
“Liar,” Betty grumbled, pulling her chemistry book closer. “You’re gorgeous! You don’t ever have to worry about being asked out because the guys are all over you!”
Maya was startled by that statement. “Where?” she quipped. “When?”
Betty snorted and shrugged. “I heard Henry talking,” Betty finally admitted. “I think he’s going to ask you out.”
Maya tried to keep her features blank. Henry Bufort was a smart guy, but Betty had a major crush on him. “I don’t like Henry, Betty,” she assured her friend.
Betty looked up, worry causing her features to heat up. “Really?”
“Really,” Maya assured her friend. “Now let’s focus on acing the chemistry test tomorrow.”
Jahlil’s story…
“Where are you off to today?” Jahlil asked his younger brother.
Sandoor smiled and shoulder-bumped Jahlil. “Off to have some fun. Want to join me? Get away from your stuffy meetings for a couple of hours?”
Jahlil shook his head. “I am meeting with Father’s economic advisors this morning. We’re going over…”
Sandoor lifted his hand to stop the explanation. “No need to tell me anything more.” He feigned a yawn. “It’s all a bunch of gibberish to me.”
Jahlil stared down at his brother, younger by several years. “You know, you don’t need to keep running from one amusement to another.” He turned and walked with Sandoor. “Have you ever heard of William Bennett?”
Sandoor glanced at Jahlil sideways. “Is this another one of your boring philosophers?” he asked, instantly wary.
Jahlil laughed softly as he shook his head. “He was a Politian.”
“Even worse,” Sandoor muttered, continuing down the hallway.
“Bennet said that happiness was like a cat.”
Sandoor stopped and Jahlil turned towards him. “A cat?”
Jahlil smiled slightly. “Yes. Like a cat. If you if you try to coax a cat or call it, it will avoid you; it will never come. But if you pay no attention to it and go about your business, you'll find it rubbing against your legs and jumping into your lap.” They started walking again, but Jahlil realized that he had Sandoor’s attention.
“And this guy thinks that Happiness is like that?”
“Yes.” They stopped and Sandoor looked up at Jahlil. “You’re really weird. But I love you,” he said, then hugged Jahlil. A moment later, Sandoor hurried away and Jahlil watched him. There was something almost frantic about his younger brother, he thought. Sandoor was always trying to find something, but whatever it was, it consistently eluded him.
With a mental sigh, Jahlil turned towards the administrative offices. He had meetings all day today but he planned to head out later for a ride. He hadn’t been out on his stallion for several days. Both of them needed a wild run. Sandoor might not take lessons from Jahlil on slowing down and pursuing different paths to mental happiness, but Jahlil wasn’t as stubborn. He knew that he was verging on becoming very dull. So he took lessons from Sandoor about getting out and enjoying life. Balance, he thought. Balance was needed in life.
