Self-Destruction • Luke Hemmings

Chapter 7

After music, I had science. I walked with Calum and Michael, as we were all in the same classes for everything. We where the last in the class, and everyone turned to stare at me when I walked in, the teacher, who was a young woman turned to me as well.

"Ah, you're Faith, yes?" She clarified, I nodded.

"Yes, Mr Brown has told me about you." She says simply, Mr Brown was our head teachers name. I grin at her, she must have seen my previous record as well.

"We only have one spare seat, next to Ashton, he's other there." She gestures to a broad boy with curly hair and a bandana, he looks over to me but doesn't make any greeting, granted, I am still in front of the class. I go to the desk but the teacher stopped me,

"Why don't you tell the class about yourself?" She quickly asks. I can't help but scoff slightly, am I in reception again? I scan the class, and everyone stares back at me impassively, except Michael, he pulls a funny face.

"I'm Faith Smith. I come from the south of England, you probably knew that though because I have an accent. I'll probably be leaving here in a few months so I can't be fucked to learn all your names, Yep." I say, before slumping down into my seat, the teacher blinks a few times, before coughing awkwardly,

"Thank you...Faith." She says slowly, before passing me a book to write in, I take it and stare at the front cover impassively, I'm supposed to write my name but I don't have a pen.

"Ashton? Is that your name? Or is it Ashley? I don't care, do you have a pen?" I whisper to the boy next to me.

"It's Ashton, and yeah I do." He says, continuing to copy the notes on the bored. I stare at him for a few moments, waiting impatiently for him go get out a pen.

"Can I have it?" I mutter, he actually turns to look at me this time, he's hot, I'm not gonna deny it, but he was acting like a bit of a dick.

"No." He muses, smirking slightly, I shrug, I don't like science anyway.

After about 6 minutes of me not doing anything and him writing continuously, he sighs and places a ballpoint pen in front of me. I look at him and he's still writing, ignoring me. I decide to not say anything and just grab the pen and write my name. I dot my i with a heart in Faith and Smith just to take the piss.

I look up at the bored, and see the notes are on atoms in different materials. I learnt about this stuff in England, so it's pointless just the write it again. Instead I draw. I'm not the best in art in the actual lesson, but I know I'm not a terrible drawer. I just draw, but suddenly realise I've drawn my mothers face. I look at it in fear and quickly rip it out and stuff it in my pocket, I look around to see if anyone noticed, but everyone seems too engrossed in copying the notes from the board.

"Who was that?" The voice besides me says, and I sigh, I guess I wasn't as sneaky as I thought I was.

"None of your fucking business." I snap, I'm not actually angry, I just want to keep up appearances, and mine is that I don't give a shit about anything. As soon as I speak, I realise I've spoken a bit too loud, and the rest of the class is staring at me. Did any of their parents ever teach them manners?

"Are you okay Faith?" The teacher asked, blinking at me, surprise written all over her features. I made a split second whether to act out or make there seem like there is no problem.

"Him." I pointed at Ashton, and he widened his eyes slightly, I felt kinda bad, because it wasn't him that was the problem it was me, I was just blaming him.

"Would you like to stand outside?" She asked, I nod, chucking my chair under the table and leaving the classroom.

I stood outside the classroom for the remainder of the lesson, and it was quite boring. I don't know my way around the school yet so I can't just walk away like I would do at my old school, I just have to stand here. The bell goes off, and people shuffle out of the classroom, Michael and Calum walk out, and they laugh as they see me.

"Everyone was talking about you as soon as you left." Calum laughs, I shrug, I don't give a fuck what these people think of me. In a few months I'm not even gonna know them.

"You don't care what they were saying?" Michael asks,

"Why should I? It's their opinions." I say back,

"See, I knew when I see you sitting on the edge of your pool you were gonna be cool." Michael grins, I roll my eyes at him.

"Who was that boy I was sitting next to...-Ashton! What's his problem?" I say, recalling his hesitance to giving me a simple pen.

Michael looked towards Calum and Calum shrugged, I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at this.

"Ashton and Calum...don't really like each other, they had a fight and Ashton probably saw you're friends with us, so he probably won't like you now." Michael shrugged. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, I always thought girls were the petty ones. That's why I'm never really friends with the girls.

"What lesson do we have next?" I ask, looking in my pockets for my timetable, which I think I've lost.

"Have you lost your timetable?" Calum asks, I shrug and try to mock innocence.

"See this is why your lucky we're all in the same lessons." Michael sighs, but I can still see the humour in his eyes, I think we're walking into the english block.

"English." Calum confirms my beliefs.

"Who are the other two people that are going to be in all my lessons, that are really musical as well?" I suddenly ask, recalling Mr Brown telling me that 4 students had music everyday and would be in all of my lessons.

"Ashton and his friend Luke." Calum says, frowning.

"Who's Luke?" I continue, I don't remember seeing a Luke.

"He isn't in today." Michael says simply, changing the conversation to some video game he bought. Who is Luke? And why didn't Michael want to talk about him?