𝙰 𝚆𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙻𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚄𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 - 𝚇𝚒𝚊𝚘 𝚡 𝙵𝚎𝚖!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙳𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷

Your POV

"Ms. L/n, would you please share your interpretation of the passage we just read?" My eyes dart to the homeroom teacher as a wrenching feeling sets in.

I know that I should not have doodled on my papers rather than listening to the monotone audiobook. Mrs. Garcia never lets a student slip away easily.

"I-I'm... I don't have an interpretation or opinion t-to share..." my voice becoming softer and more distant as I progress through the sentence. She squints her cat-like eyes at me which feel piercing. 

"As I thought." the teacher says. "If you cannot focus on our novel during school hours, then maybe you'll focus better after school hours."

I feel my eyes widen as I quickly piece together what she means. "Detention. Afterschool. In this classroom. You'll be summarizing the last 5 chapters we read."

Don't bother arguing with her Y/n... I think to myself. Saying something smart will earn you 5 more chapters anyways.

I bite my lip and slink even deeper into my seat reddened; more from anger and irritation than embarrassment. I patiently wait for the clock to strike at 3:30 and ring the same tone through the school grounds.

When it does, Mrs. Garcia hands me a stack of lined paper and smirks at my face full of very distinct misery and dread.

Ugh, God... out of all teachers to catch me drawing in class, obviously I get Satan herself.

I sloppily flip through my worn-out copy of Slaughterhouse-Five until I come across Chapter 8

"The Americans in the slaughterhouse had a very interesting visitor..."

My eyes drift from word to word before the sentences begin to form and become imprinted on paper by my hand.

Around 40 minutes later, I take my papers and stroll to the teacher. "Mrs? I've finished the work you assigned me."

She merely grunts in reply without even looking up at me.

I begin to eat away at my cheek in frustration but stop once I realize how deep of a wound I inflicted.

"I'll just leave them here..." I mumble.

I exit the class and then the school building in absolute silence.

Finally reaching my apartment, I greet both of my parents. My father is watching a sports game, football I think while my mother runs up to me smiling.

"Y/n! You took longer than usual...?" my mother states in a breezy voice.

"Sorry, I'll try to be more prudent in the future"

"No worries, dinner should be ready in a bit. "She sighs rather quietly as I stumble, clumsily, to my room.

I slip out of my uniform and put on some casual wear that I'd thrown onto my bed. Sinking into a cushiony chair, I pluck my laptop and phone from my bag.

I unwillingly begin to complete my remaining homework.

A Few Hours Later

I blink and then squeeze my eyes shut. The soreness from staring at the laptop's screen causes my eyes to water up.

I presume that it is around 9 pm by now. I look at my cold a forgotten spaghetti that sits on my desk as well. I did try to eat some of it but I really did not have much. 

Hopping out of my chair, I walk to the concrete balcony in my room. The plants I purchased, that once bathed and flourished in the sun, have begun to wilt.

Self-deprivation is something I find cliche, but it is very strenuous not to think about how I manage to screw practically everything up. Sometimes, I feel like a magnet to every mistake, flaw, and imperfection on this planet.

I'm making my life sound like a sappy Hallmark movie...

And suddenly I can't help but chuckle at my own remark. I turn around but something catches my eye.

A luminous streak of pearl blazes through the ink sky. Despite the childishness of it, I pull in a breath and make a wish.

I wish...

For a chance to prove myself. To prove that I can make the right decision.

I flutter my eyes open and watch the sky return to its darkened colour before sliding under the covers of my bed and falling asleep.