That's My Spotlight | ✔

i. fire and brimstone

INEZ ARCHER WAS WEIGHING the advantages and disadvantages of being late to class. 

Sure, the disadvantages seemed to outweigh the advantages by a landslide, assuming that there were any advantages, anyway. Being late to class meant being marked tardy, which will eventually count towards her attendance record. Being late can also mean getting a citation. A certain number of citations could lead up to the punishment of an in-school suspension, which was never a pleasant type of thing. Just thinking about the horrible outcomes of being late gave Inez bone-chilling anxiety, which caused her to believe that she would be marked tardy — or even worse — get a citation. It was a nightmare to think of, especially on the first day of her senior year. 

Like any other new high school senior, she craved a fresh start, not a rough, bumpy start. She was surely headed towards that direction, however. With a rough estimate, Inez assumed that it's been about a minute since the late bell has rung, and halls were becoming emptier by every second. 

She was already treading into some thin ice. What a way to start off a new school year. 

At this point, all Inez could do was to hope that her teacher wouldn't do anything drastic, like sending her off to a nearby tardy station so she could get a tardy slip. There was no way that her teacher could've done so. It was because she was going to her last class of the day — choir — her all-time favorite class period. It topped core subjects like English and electives like Ceramics, combined and alone. It was all because of one thing, too. 

Singing. 

Singing and music is Inez's ultimate go-to passion, one that taking choir as an elective class preserved. The idea of singing in front of a charismatically roaring crowd has warmed Inez's heart ever since she was little. When she started high school, her choir director, Dr. Terry, has generously aided Inez in her vocal skills, which helped her improve drastically. 

For her senior year, she'd be getting the same choir director, which she was forever ecstatic about. When the girl arrived at the choir room, she slowly paced her way through the loud swinging door, taking a brisk glance at everyone inside. Based on how loud the door was, it had to have grabbed everyone's attention. It did. The small bubbling conversation that stirred throughout the room toned down as heads turn to discover who was at the door. 

That was one of the disadvantages of being late to class. Getting watched. Even if Inez loved singing in front of ecstatic crowds, that didn't mean she liked being stared at, especially in the awkward situation she's in right now. But she was sure as heck lucky that her teacher didn't throw her out of the classroom so she could retrieve a tardy slip. By now, she had to have been at least two minutes late. 

At least I won't be marked AWOL, she pondered. Being marked tardy was just as bad in a way, but it wasn't so extreme, at least. 

Taking a glance at the chairs her classmates were seated on, Inez observed the formation of them. The chairs were placed in rows, a walkway down the middle to divide the seats into two sections. Most of the seats were filled except for a few here and there, so Inez stood where she was in front of the class, hesitant on where to sit. 

"Inez, just in time. I was about to take roll, so consider yourself lucky because you're sort of late," Dr. Terry announced with a genuine smile as she gestured to the empty seats scattered around. "Please, have a seat anywhere for now." 

The girl decided to take a seat in the front row, next to her best friend, Jolien. It was a win-win situation, considering that the girls were fortunate enough to sit beside each other. The pair is practically inseparable from each other, being that they've been best friends since kindergarten.