The following Monday, while walking to school, I spotted someone walking around the back of the school, which kind of looked like… I mean, I’d only seen him from a distance before. However, I thought maybe he was the same kid who had been spying on me last week.
That particular day in English class, I got in trouble, because I had done the wrong homework assignment. My teacher had instructed me, that at the end of the school day, I was to return to class. I nearly forgot too; I mean, I was on my way out the front doors when I remembered. Boy, I would hate to think what would have happened if I hadn’t showed up.
As it turned out, my teacher only gave me a warning and said that I had to turn in the missing assignment the follow day before the start of school or I would get an automatic failing grade on the assignment. She also said that if it happens again, then I would lose a full letter grade for each day that an assignment is late. Boy, I was relieved, because I was expecting to have to do lines or stay for detention or something like that. Actually, I had already completed the assignment during math class, but I wasn’t going to tell my teacher that. I decided to wait until the following morning to hand it in.
Therefore, I was a little late leaving school and when I walked out of the doors, there was maybe seven or ten students left out there. I slung my backpack over my right shoulder and started for home. Sure enough, as I neared that point where I’d sensed someone watching me before, I saw that same boy. However, this time he wasn’t even trying to hide himself from me. He was leaning against that same tree and looking in the opposite direction. I guess, he was wondering where I was or how he had missed seeing me today. Anyway, I decided that it was time to confront him. I ducked low and did a sort of duck walk behind the parked cars until I reached a point where I could cross the street with very little chance of being seen. Once on his side, I found it more difficult to sneak up on him, as there wasn’t as much cover to duck behind.
I was less than thirty feet away, hiding behind a large metal trashcan that smelled like old pee. I pinched my nose closed and gave him a quick scan. He was wearing blue jeans with the knees torn out, that same jersey shirt I’d seen him in before and dark colored shoes. He seemed to be watching intently toward the other direction, as if he expected me to come from that way.
As I stood up to try to get closer, I accidentally bumped the trashcan with my knee. The boy heard me, looked right at me and then took off running in the opposite direction.
I didn’t chase after him because I had got close enough to see his face clearly. I was right, I had seen him that morning going behind the school and now that I had his face in my head, it was just a matter of time before I would spot him at school.
However, I didn’t see him at school or after school for a long time and believe me I was trying to. I even asked a couple of my teachers if they knew who he was, but from my description, they didn’t have a clue as to his identity.
