Candour

III

Coco Crazy ( UNEDITED )

"This is boring." Ivory whines to Harry, who was actually paying attention to the assembly before them. She tapped him on the shoulder and kicked the thin plastic underneaths of his seat which was placed in front of hers.

It was the weekly assembly. Every Friday, the whole school would gather in the campus' tiny school hall, which was in dire need of expansion. The fully enclosed space was hot and humid, musky body odour weaving through the air. The gathering was pointless, they would talk about upcoming events and notices, not exactly the best hour of their lives.

"Harry!" she hisses again and he turns around, 'ssshed' her and whips back around to face the front again.

"I don't understand your fascination with him." Ivory's friend, Emily, whispers to her. Ivory just sends her a blank stare.

"Neither do I."

"I mean he's nothing special and--"

"Hush. There's an assembly. Don't be disrespectful," Ivory raises a pointed eyebrow at Emily who playfully scowls and purses her lips.

Ivory kicks Harry's chair once more. "Harry."

"What?" he seethes, although static and not moving around to face Ivory.

"Do you want to skip this and go get something to eat?" She grins and Harry immediately shakes his head in disbelief.

"What? Of course not! Are you dumb? You are asking for another after school detention. Blundering idiot." He rambles and Ivory laughs loudly causing a teacher to stand directly behind Ivory's row, a close eye peered at the giggling girl.

"Blundering idiot? Blundering idiot!" She laughs, Emily keeping her lips pressed together in an attempt to sustain her laughter.

She felt a tap against her shoulder and looks up to find her old maths teacher looking down at her. Folded arms and a stern look accompanied the teachers agitation.

"Up. We're going to the head of year." he states, Ivory rolling her eyes but following anyway. Teachers can't get enough of me. She thought, swiping her bag up her arm and over her shoulder.

~

"Her behaviour in assembly today was disrespectful. She was talking, disrupting others and making a scene." The teacher explains to her head of year who only tuts, folding her legs.

"Making a scene? How about pulling me up in front of the whole school just to say 'head of year.' You lot disappoint me." She remarks, rolling her eyes.

"We have rules here, Ivory. You of all people should know that." Ms. Katherine sighs.

"Yes, I know. Respect, discipline and striving for excellence. Now, are we done here? I have a social life I'd like to head back to." She looks at her nails, leaning against the wall.

"I think she should be given a weekend detention!" Sir suggests, a stern glare pointed at Ivory. He definitely had it out for her, obvious dislike dripping from every spiteful word that slipped from his mouth.

"Colour me surprised." Ivory quips under her breath.

"Mr. Stead, please. A moment? Surely you have something else you could be doing." Ms Katherine asks, although the sturdy man makes no move of leaving.

"Jonathan." She sighs, shutting her eyes for a moment. Her crows feet and heavy bags under her eyes making her appear physically older.

Mr. Stead finally gives in, groaning before slinking out of the room. His signature khaki shoes dragging beneath him.

"Now, Ivory. Your behaviour lately hasn't been...satisfactory."

"Well, personally, I think my behaviour is fantastic in comparison to, with all due respect, the shitty teachers we have here." Ivory smiles smugly as Ms. Katherine pulls up a chair in front of her, inviting Ivory to sit, which she does, quite ungracefully, and behinds whirling around in the spinning chair.

Her head of year is seen pinching the bridge of her nose before muttering "More coffee," before excusing herself and stepping outside.

Now left by herself, the clean, pristine, hospital-like smell of the immaculate room was strikingly evident, filling up Ivory's nose and making her cringe. She tilts her head back and focuses on the fan above her. With eyes on one blade, she watches it circulate and circulate. In the background, she can hear the coffee machine purring away, the sweet aromas seeping through the cracks of the door. A much more delightful smell than one of bleach and carpet cleaner, even if it was cheap coffee.

Finally, after losing track of the blade, she sits upright once again. The light breeze from the fan lifts her hair upwards and licks the corners of papers on Ms. Katherine's desk.

Is she making coffee for every staff member? Jeez.

Ivory pulls her phone from her breast pocket and texts Emily, telling her to meet her at the bathrooms. She was in desperate need to get out of that white-walled office. Her patience was running thin and shouldn't bear to stand the stench of cleaning products anymore. She stands and picks up her bag, flipping the fans to the highest speed before escaping through the side door.

~

"I don't know. It's all pointless really. Almost everyday I'm sat in that gross office and I never learn anything." Ivory whines, wiping her hands on a paper towel before throwing it in the bin.

"Well, maybe if you were nicer to the teachers you could-"

"Nicer? I do nothing and I'm dragged by the ear to that room. Ms. Katherine is like the sister I've never had."

"You have a sister," Emily deadpans, leaning against the wall of the bathroom.

They both fall into silence as a girl younger than them walks into the bathroom and into a stall. The pair just stand in quiet until the girl leaves. But of course, not until Ivory calls her back in to wash her hands.

"So, what do we do now? Do you want to go back to class?" Ivory huffs, closing her eyes and sighing.

"Nope. No thanks. I could really go for some hot chocolate though." She admits, fiddling with her uniform before tightening her ponytail.

"Thank you!" Ivory exclaims, only to be shot a weird look from Emily.

"Thank you?" Emily asks, confused as to why Ivory was thanking her. She had only confessed an urge for the sweet drink.

"Let's get out of here! We can skip this and come back second period, no one will notice." she says, rising to her full height and making her way out of the bathrooms.

"I don't exactly mind. The next bus into town should be here in like ten minutes." Emily comments, following suit to Ivory, who simply walks out of the front of the school.

"Right. Well, hot chocolate it is then!"