Sweet as honey • James Maguire

2,2• Oh Piss Off, Ms De Brún

We were all standing in front of the stage, listening to Sister Micheal talk about the strange statue that our school was handing over. "As you all know at the beginning of term, the Bishop graciously bestowed a beautiful piece of religious art onto Our Lady Immaculate College, the enchanting Child Of Prague." Sister Micheal started, before walking towards the covered statue. She then revealed a statue of what looked to be a boy, covered in an old fashioned red robe, which matched his little hat. "There we are. Sure, isn't he a great fella all together?" Sister Micheal said, as if this statue was something to look at. "I still don't get what it's supposed to be?" James said, causing me to look up at him. "Me neither... It kinda looks like you." I told him, grinning at the boy. "It's Jesus as a wain." Michelle said, as if it were obvious. "Oi, Oi" Erin started whispering at me, over the rest of Michelle and James conversation. "What? Erin?" I asked her. "You ain't supposed to be anywhere near him. Mammy said for me to not let you near James, come back here." Erin told me while pointing to the spot I'd previously left between her and Clare. "What Aunt Mary doesn't know won't hurt her, just don't tell her." Me and Erin continued our talk over Sister Michaels Chat. "No, no, no! I'm not lying to my Ma, Caoimhe. Come here right now or you know she'll lock you in the house." Erin said to me, truthfully. I grumbled as I walked over too her and Clare, kissing James on the cheek as I left.

You see, Mary wasn't too happy about the whole, blow job fiasco. And well, threatened to lock me in my room until James returned to England. Luckily, she didn't prove true on any of her promises so far, although she did have to hold back Gerry and Granda Joe from killing James when they found out. Both of them were very protective of me, with Gerry treating me like a daughter (his favourite daughter, if I may add). This made it very difficult for them to accept my relationship with James to begin with, let alone what they found out we did on the trip. So, because of all this, I've been banned from seeing James, or being anywhere near him.

Sister Michael had just started to Inform us about Sister Patrick's departure from the school, and how we have a replacement arriving today, before the hall door banged open. We all turned around to look at the person who had just entered, to find it out to be a young women. "I believe you've been expecting me." She told Sister Michael, not visibly bothered by all the students now watching her. We all turned to look at sister Michael, who was rolling her eyes at the new teacher. I had to agree, I don't know what it was about her, but I didn't like her. "Here we go" Sister Micheal told us.

We were sitting in our English lesson, watching Ms De Brún write her name on the board. I leant my head on the desk, planning to sleep. I already knew that this lesson was going to be boring. I ignored Jenny's annoying voice, that was followed by Ms De Brún reading the poems aloud. Wait. Reading the poems aloud? My head shot of the desk so fast I nearly fell off my chair. Why the fuck is she reading these poems aloud? I sat in my chair anxiously waiting to see if she'd read mine, and praying she wouldn't. Erin put her hand up making the teacher allow her to talk. "I think a lot of people in this class, and I know no-one will mind me saying this, well they have a very basic grasp of the creative process. Whereas I've been writing for years, so I'm really not afraid to put myself out there, to be bold, to take risks." Erin finished her speech, making me roll my eyes. "And you are?" Ms De Brún asked the girl. "Oscar Wilde." I sarcastically answered for Erin, making the girl glare at me, while Michelle laughed. "Erin Quinn." She seriously answered the teacher. 

Ms De Brún read Erins Poem out loud, then allowed Erin to explain the dull poem. "It's about the troubles in a Political sense, but it's also about my own troubles, in a personal sense." Erin explained, as if double meanings were a new found creation. "No, I understand the weak analogy. This isn't bold, Erin. It's someone failing to be bold." Ms De Brún said, making me annoyed. I can make fun of my cousins work, but she sure as hell can't. "Well I'm sorry if my subtleties of my work were lost on you, Miss De Brún" Erin told the teacher. "Poetry is truth.  And great poetry is raw and real and messy and glorious and ugly. It is dragged from the depths of the soul. It helps us understand each other and ourselves. Do you get what I'm saying?" Ms De Brún finished her 'emotional' talk, making Erin act as if she actually understood or cared for what she said, while Michelle admitted she had no clue what was going on. Ms De Brún then proceeded to tear up all our work as if it were nothing. What a bitch.

Mary had locked me in my room to finish my English work, not allowing me downstairs with the rest of the girls and James. It turns out Erin had told Mary about me standing next to James earlier in assembly, causing her to go absolutely mental, and ban me from being around him when she or Gerry aren't around. These people are insane. "JAMESSSSS!!" I shouted through my door, and hopefully downstairs, bored out of my mind. I had finished my work an hour ago, and now had nothing to do. "You're not allowed to speak to him, Caoimhe! What do you want?" Erin shouted back at me. "James! Obviously That's what I want, dumbass! Why do you think I called for him?" I asked my stupid cousin, what else does she think I want. "Well you aren't allowed to-" Erin started, only to be muffled mid sentence. "What do you want Caoimhe?" James asked me. "Please come and unlock the door?? I wanna see you guys. I'm lonely!" I begged him, already feeling sad about being locked behind the door. "I'm sorry honey, but I don't want to anger your family any more then we already have" he told me, before I heard his footsteps walking away from the bottom of the stairs. I cried myself to sleep. Angered with the decisions of my Aunt Mary.

We were in school the next day. Looking at a photo on the wall of past students. "It was difficult so you've just given up? You might fail so why bother trying?" Miss De Brún asked.  "Exactly. Told you she'd understand." Michelle whispered to me and Orla, making us giggle. "Have you ever stopped to look at these? These faces from the past. They're not so different from you, really. They had dreams like you do. They had... ambitions. But now, they're gone. Dead. Dust." Ms De Brún said, trying to be emotionally deep. "Oh piss off, Miss De Brún." I whispered, in a sour mood, not caring if she heard me. James leant over and lightly tapped the back of my head, warning me to stop acting up. I ignored him, annoyed with him. "That's My Auntie Anne third from the left. She's not dead." Clare whispered to Erin. Only to be shushed. "But she's only 54. She runs the mobile library in Ballymagroarty." Clare quickly whispered.

"But did they fulfil those dreams, those ambitions? One day, girls, you will just be an old photograph in a hallway. You only get one life. Don't be afraid to live it. Find your voice. Make your mark." Miss De Brún finished before walking into the class we had next, which was with her.

We had our lesson on the school pitches, which we were all walking to now. "What's wrong with you?" James asked, concerned. "Fuck off, James" I told him, not wanting to talk about it. Especially with him. "Just... Tell me! Caoimhe! Stop being so difficult and tell me!" He shouted. "I'm sorry I'm so difficult for you now" I told him before storming off. Done with everything.

"Dig deep, something you hate, something you despise. No holding back. Come on! Get it out!" Miss De Brún shouted before launching a hurling ball at Erin. "Injustice!" Erin shouted out. Making me second guess what I was going to say. Oh well, I needed to get it out somehow and this is the only opportunity. "Prejudice!" Clare screamed as she hit the ball. "Good, this is good!" Miss De Brún had liked. Michelle, Orla and James had gone, and it was now my go. "Something that you really hate." Miss De Brún reminded me before throwing the ball. I hope Erin and James where ready for this one. "The fact that I can never do anything I want without being punished for it!! Why should I have to have spies around me telling people my every move?! Let me live!" I screamed out, the ball a long hit away. I threw the hurling stick on the ground infront of the group and stormed past them, into the actual School. I couldn't be bothered to talk to them. Why do I have to live on a constant seesaw? Worried that whatever I do Erin will tell Aunt Mary, resulting in a punishment like I have to endure now. I just want to live a normal life, yet I've been dumped in this war torn place and continuously punished. I'm over it. It's bullshit. And the fact James won't even help me, he just agrees with Aunt Mary as if he had no part in what happened. Fuck this.

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1674 words!

Bit of a shorter chapter today, I have no clue why!

Poor babie:'( she just wants to live her life!

How are we feeling about this chapter? Personally it's my least favourite episode so I find it difficult to write for but hopefully it's not too bad!

Poor Caoimhe, I just want to hug her.

Leave a vote and comment if you liked it though <3

But yeah, cya tomorrow