Walk the Line For You

Walk the Line Part 2

My alarm clock is rudely disturbing the peace in my room as I lay here wide awake. It's Monday, my least favourite day of the week. I don't hate school. I mean, I don't particularly like it, either, but I can't exactly quit because I failed grade twelve along with Mathew, and instead of heading off for college like the majority of our class, we were forced to stay behind and are now stuck in this shithole town. Getting motivated to climb out of bed on Monday's is torture.

Kensley's back at work, my father's still on the road; he's a truck driver, and I'm all alone debating whether to go to school or not. It'd be easy for me to ditch school because my father isn't due back until supper time. If the school were to call to see where I am, I can just delete the message. But then I'd have to deal with Mathew's interrogation as to why I wasn't at school. He tends to get suspicious and jealous whenever I'm incognito. I've known Matty since elementary school. We were never friends until the last year of elementary just before junior high started. Our friendship turned romantic the summer before high school. The whole year of grade nine he pressured me to have sex with him. I wasn't ready for that with him or with anyone else for that matter; including kissing, but I felt I had to or he would dump me. I don't even think I liked being with him half the time, but my loneliness and insecurities always stopped me from ending our relationship, which resulted in him forcing me to give my virginity away. If I could take it back, I would, and I would gladly give up my virginity to Kensley.

I roll over onto my back and let out an exasperated sigh as I slam my fist against my mattress. "Ugh, fine, I'll go to school."

As I walk out of my house dressed in a dark blue, spaghetti strapped dress, with a white t-shirt underneath and my black Doc Marten boots with my backpack slung over one shoulder, I stop and look over at Kensley's driveway; my heart drops with expected disappointment. I know she's not home, but for some reason I can't help but hope. I hear my school bus coming down the road, pulling me from my heartache, and I skip quickly down the driveway. I catch sight of myself from the reflection of the door before it opens, I smile. I like the way I look, in my opinion. It's very mid-nineties era; Clueless meets 90210. Some girls at school started copying my look when they got tired of the high-waisted, ripped jeans, crop top look.

*****

I jolt and squirm in my seat for the umpteenth time in the past fifteen minutes. Matty is sitting behind me in English class and he's been trying to get my attention by poking me in the ribs or butt with his pencil; no pun intended. I like English and I'm trying to focus because I'm enjoying the subject the teacher is instructing. I feel his pencil press into me again, making me jump and hiss; it hurt. I finally turn to face him, risking the teacher seeing me and sending me to principal's office. "Stop it," I whisper to him. He throws me his exaggerated wide eyes and turns his mouth into an O, mimicking that he's scared of me. I pout and turn back around. I can't stand him; I need to dump him. Another stabbing pain in my ribs and I whip around in my chair with fury all over my face and I scream to the top of my lungs, "STOP IT!" The whole classroom turns and looks at me, including the teacher. I'm panting and pretty sure I'm red in the face, too. Matty's just sitting here with a smug look on his face like he did nothing wrong, I narrow my eyes at him. I now feel a presence next to me, I turn to see the teacher standing next to my table, looking down at me.

"Ellie, is there a good reason for your outburst just now?" he calmly asks.

"He won't stop poking me in the back." I feel like a five-year-old tattling on a schoolmate.

"Mathew, is this true?"

Mathew feigns innocence and raises his hands in surrender. "I have no idea what she's talking about."

I'm about to say something but stop myself because I realize there's no point.

"Miss Ellie, inside voices, please," the teacher says and walks back to the front of the classroom.