Whispers of the Past

My hand cramped as it slid across the logbook for what felt like the hundredth time. I finished my entry and flexed my fingers, trying to ease the pain. The other students around me gathered their belongings and headed for the door. Lilli-Mae, my best friend since fourth grade despite the fact we lived halfway across the US from each other, flirted silently with a boy across the room.

I rolled my eyes as she flipped her highly bleached, highly teased hair over one shoulder and giggled. It still amazed me sometimes that we managed to be friends at all, let alone best friends. I picked up another artifact and jotted down a description: item is cylindrical, approximately seven inches in height and is covered in black and white geometric designs.

“Hey Ava, you planning on eating today?” Lilli-Mae asked, her bag already slung across her shoulder. The boy she’d been making eyes at waited in the doorway, a somewhat soppy grin on his face.

“Yeah, but I’d like to finish this page first. I’ll meet you there.” I turned my attention back to logbook in front of me. One blank line stared up at me. I hated leaving anything unfinished. Lilli-Mae shrugged and bounced out of the room, her arm threaded through the boy’s.