After the Supernova- Chapter 1

Instructions

Chapter 1 When I was 14, I graduated high school. I should've been in 8th grade. That's what grade the people my age were in. Which annoyed me. I hated how smart I was. Hated, hated, hated. I didn't have any friends. Not one. Everyone in my grade was always YEARS older than me. I couldn't have been friends with them. And, besides, No one ever wanted to be friends with the nerd. Not that I technically was a nerd. But, you know, apparently if you're gifted, you're a nerd. At least at my school, anyway. So, anyway, after I graduated high school, I went right to working on getting my bachelor's degree. I'd already gotten my AA degree- in high school. Vivian, my little sister, was nine years younger than me. I practically trained her to love astronomy. She followed me everywhere, which meant that when I used my telescope, she did too, and she started loving space. I used to be fine with it. But now? Man, now it was just annoying. I thought about all this and more in the middle of a lecture my professor was giving. Calissa sat next to me, focusing on the professor intensely, writing notes without even looking, occasionally looking down at her textbook and reading it. I looked at my own textbook, blinking. It was simple stuff. Just physics. But the words- man, those words- overwhelmed me terribly. Calissa tapped my shoulder. "Jonathan, are you ok?" she asked, staring at me with her beautiful brown eyes. "Mhm." I jotted down some notes on what the professor was saying and tried as hard as possible to focus. "You sure?" "Calissa, I'm 100% positive, alright?" I said, not looking at her. "Yeah, but-" "Sorry." I interrupted her "What?" she asked, confused. I looked up at her. "I'm sorry for being rude. I just... was lost in my thoughts again. I didn't try to be mean. I'm just thinking too much. Its messing with my mood, I guess." Calissa nodded and we both started focusing on the lecture. I loved how understanding she was. Calissa and I sat in the observatory at our university, studying for a math test we had the next day. We'd review the steps on how to solve different types of equations and give each other different equations to solve. It was late at night, and the observatory's roof was opened so we could see the stars and the moon. The sky was black, splattered with stars. It looked as though it were a painting. "What?" I asked. I'd gotten distracted, and Calissa had said something. "I asked if you're ok. You're staring off into space- literally, I might add." Calissa repeated. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't you think the stars are so beautiful?" I asked, still looking up at them. Calissa smiled. "The most." she agreed. "I definitely cannot WAIT to be an astronomer." I spoke. "With our very own observatory!" Calissa added. "With the best telescope there is." I added on even more. Then Calissa and I just sat there, thinking. "We need to work on our math." I spoke. Calissa nodded and smiled. "Math is the best." "I agree." I opened my planner, which was adorned with planets and stars and had my name- Jonathan- written on it in beautiful writing, to see what assignments I had to do that week. I had an assignment in every class- physics, math, and computer science- due that Friday. And one physics assignment due Tuesday, which was in two days. I was alone in my bedroom, sitting at my desk. My telescope sat in the corner of my room, looking so awesome with the lightning reflecting off it whenever one struck. "Jonathan," Vivian said, startling me. "I can't sleep." "Vivian, you can't ever sleep." I said, staring at her. "Is this anything different?" "The storm's scary." Vivian whispered. "It's only thunder and lightning. Don't worry." I told her. She didn't respond but just stood there. "You can stay in here and watch me complete my physics assignment." I told her. "Ok!!" Vivian said and sat behind me on the edge of my bed. She covered her ears at each and every thunder. She asked me 1000 questions a minute, which annoyed me beyond belief, but I answered every single one as best as I could.