The End

Chapter Eight

As much as Tullah wanted to savour her home ec's class, she knew it was the last class of the day. The last safe time she had, she knew that once the second break bell rang she'd be back at home, back in her version of hell.

Tullah struggled to sit still as she sat in the middle row, she tried to keep her focus on the board as Miss Harthgin spoke about their assignment which required them to do some sort of baby looking after.

Miss Harthgin's words felt like they weren't hitting Tullah's ears as she started to find a comfortably position in her chair.

Tullah tried to keep her pen scribbling words down but she felt like the words she was writing down were gibberish.

Tullah's heart raced as realisation began to kick in, she didn't want the class to be over, but she knew, she knew that she had no other choice.

It was the one thing she hated about home ec, the realisation of the dreaded countdown to going home, the realisation that it was just her with students. In home ec she didn't have any friends, she had fellow students who she just talked to in order to pass the time, not friends who helped her pass time.

Tullah didn't understand where an infant simulator had appeared from as Miss Harthgin cradled the simulator in her arms.

The words Miss Harthgin spoke felt like gibberish as Tullah tried to calm herself down.

Tullah rose her hand.

"Yes?"

"Can I go to the bathroom, please?" Tullah asked.

Miss Harthgin looked down at the crying infant simulator before nodding up at Tullah.

Tullah rushed out of the classroom, she forced herself to not run down the footpath to the nearest bathroom.

She pushed open a toilet door before locking herself in the cubicle.

Tullah took deep breaths to try to calm herself down.

She didn't understand why she felt like this, she had the fear of class finishing and going on but normally she knew how to shrug it off and pretend to ignore her fear but this one felt different, this one felt like it was forcing her to pay attention.

Tullah took deep breaths as she tried to keep her focus on the drawings over the toilet wall.

She felt tears roll down her cheeks.

She rose her hand to her cheek and wiped away her tears.

Tullah took deep breaths to calm down, she tried to keep her focus on penis drawings. Even in a girls bathroom, there was drawings of penises.

Tullah arched her head back slightly to rest on the toilet door as she wiped away her tears. She didn't understand what had overcome her.

Tullah unlocked the toilet door before stepping out of the cubicle, she looked at the dirty mirror as she attempted to catch her reflection.

Even in a girls toilet, there was still mess.

Tullah exhaled deeply before working up the courage to walk out of the toilets.

"Tullah" Brad croaked.

Tullah jumped as she noticed Brad jump out from behind a thin tree.

"You good?" He noticed her red eyes.

Tullah nodded.

"Rebel, gonna share?"

Tullah rolled her eyes "I need to get back to class." Her words barely audible.

Brad reached for Tullah's hand, she pulled away from him as she rushed herself back to her home ec class.

Brad noticed something off, but he couldn't figure it out.

Tullah sat back down in her seat, she looked down at her notes. Somehow every word she had written down made sense, it was just now trying to follow along with what Miss Harthgin was talking about.

Miss Harthgin placed down a form on Tullah's book, Tullah looked down at the note and swallowed hard.

Tullah needed parents' permission to take home an infant simulator, she dropped her eyes down to the permission part of the form. My son/daughter is allowed to participate in infant simulator. My son/daughter is not allowed to participate in infant simulator.

She didn't know how to explain to her mum about this assignment, she already knew her mother's stance on Tullah's sex life including pregnancy, Tullah knew her mother wouldn't agree to this not that Tullah wanted to participate.

"If your parents say no, than I'll assign you something else for you to pass this assignment."

Tullah looked up at Miss Harthgin, it was as if the teacher had read Tullah's mind even though she sensed the teacher had just given out her words as a thing to say to all students rather than to single out just one.

Tullah breathed out her fear as she heard the bell ring.

"Wait." Miss Harthgin noted.

Tullah slowly closed her book as she attempted to keep her eyes on Miss Harthgin.

"I won't be in next lesson; you'll have a replacement teacher. I'll leave notes on what they need to teach you. Please come to the lesson prepared."

Tullah took that as the final words as she slipped her book into her bag.

Tullah and the other twelve girls walked out of the classroom. Tullah heard the murmurs amongst the girls as they walked around her. She didn't care for what they had to say as she kept her head held high.

Tullah walked up the footpath and towards the office.