The Mendacity of Winnie Hart

Chapter Nine

First period had been extremely boring with Wren's absence. She'd texted me fifteen minutes before school started that she wouldn't be coming today, dooming me to take the public bus and be twenty minutes late. This ride featured a woman and her screaming baby as well as a man with a beard that reached his stomach and someone who was playing their bongo drums.You truly got to see an assembly of all human life on public transit.

When I pressed Wren to tell me why she wouldn't be in school, she told me she was taking the day off to go shopping for Halloween. I thought that that was just ridiculous, and didn't hesitate in telling her so. She claimed you had to "live it up" while you could.

To occupy my time, since I had no homework, all I'd done was sit and read. Mr. Davey pestered me to tell him all about it, should he want to add it to his list. The Good Apprentice had met his approval, and he told me we could have a discussion about it after he read it. Every day he got stranger and stranger.

Right now I was sitting in my history class, three minutes before the bell rang. Students were slowly trickling in, talking and laughing with their friends. I didn't pay them any mind and continued doodling on a sheet of paper.

To be honest, I really hadn't been in the mood to go to school every day, and I was getting more jealous of Wren by the second. Usually, I was able to sleep at least a little bit every night, even if it was only for half an hour, but I couldn't get my eyes to shut last night no matter how hard I tried. Sighing, I ceased my doodling and laid my head down on my desk, yanking my hood over the top of it. I heard the shuffling of someone settling into the seat next to me, but I turned the other way so I was facing the wall. The bell rang and Mr. Otter began talking about something or other, but his voice became a faint hum in my head.

Maybe I can miss just this one class period to sleep.

I felt a nudge on my arm, but I ignored it. It nudged again, making my face twist in annoyance. Who was poking me?

It didn't probe again, so I settled back into my folded arms, desperately willing myself to fall asleep. Normally, I would hate the thought of falling asleep in class, but at this point, I didn't care too much. I was pretty good at history too, it would be worse if I missed a chemistry lecture. My attempt at tuning everyone else out worked a little too well, because I missed when Mr. Otter tried to get my attention.

"Miss Hart?" I ignored the voice, and let out a small sigh.

Can't whoever this is see I'm trying to sleep?

"Miss Hart!" A hand smacked down on my desk, making it shake and me jolt up. My hood slid off my head in the process and I nearly fell out of my chair. Mr. Otter was looking at me displeasedly with one hand on my desk from where he hit it. All of the students in the class were watching me with interested eyes. "My class is not a time for napping."

I couldn't stop my eyes from darting around the room, feeling overwhelmed with all of the attention on me. Noah was sitting on my right, leaning back in his chair and looking at me with the rest of them. Yet, he didn't hold the same expression as everyone else. There was no judgement in his eyes. In fact, there didn't seem to be much emotion there at all.

I fiddled with the strings on my hoodie, my cheeks heating up because of all of the stares. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again," I mumbled. I noticed Noah's eyebrow twitch up slightly at my reply.

"It had better not. I wouldn't want to see you falling behind, especially considering your grade point average from your last school," he said, attempting to say it quietly, but being rather unsuccessful. I heard a couple of students snicker amongst themselves, causing me to sink deeper into my chair.