Being Rosie

Chapter 1

The sound of the clock ticking was the only thing breaking the silence in the classroom.

This sentence was what most teachers fantasize about during their wet dreams. It was also something that would never be re-enacted in any classroom in North Valley High school either now, or in the distant future.

When teachers say ‘do this work in silence’ they expect the occasional scuffing of a shoe, the scratching of pens and maybe, at most, the audible groaning of someone’s stomach who had conveniently forgotten the number one rule in nutrition; breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

The reality of it was quite different.

It was exactly 9:37am on a Monday morning and what had our English teacher greeted us with to brighten up our Monday blues? A practice test paper. That’s right- let’s all hear it for the woman who has reached new lengths in her mission to achieve pure evil; Mrs Blackwell.

Of course the papers themselves were long since discarded, pushed to the side or doodled all over by the students, in a way so practiced and subtle that is was invisible to the naked eye of Mrs Blackwell. Well…apart from the one kid who had made a paper plane out of it and caused it to collide with the teacher’s forehead. He was no longer with us. Not that he was dead of anything- but he had sprinted from the classroom upon seeing the old woman’s enraged expression, shouting over his shoulder something about seeing himself to the principal’s office. It was probably the safest thing he could have done.

I was currently sitting in the back corner of the room, my work long since forgotten as I debated the likelihood of my internal organs being pawned off on the black market with my partner in crime Becka Mansfield (it’s a very long story how we got onto the topic so just go with it).

“I will have you know my kidneys are very desirable!” I argued in outrage.

Becka just scoffed and gestured to her midriff as if she were presenting them at an auction to the highest bidder.

“Please, as if anyone would choose your miniscule little bean-like things over these glorious filtration systems!”

As you may have guessed we are not exactly the most…normal people you will find wondering the hallways of this school. That was one of the reasons we clicked so well in the friend department; we understood each other when no one else did.

Physically speaking we were complete opposites. Becka was 5ft 7 of blonde hair, blue eyes and killer body. At first glance she was your typical innocent, girl-next-door character. Then she opened her mouth.

To give an idea of what Becka was like; she once spotted a boy scout trying to help an elderly woman cross the road with her bags full of shopping. She proceeded to drop her own shopping, charge at them both and give a battle cry with her arms waving spastically in the air. When the boy screamed in fright and ducked for cover, leaving the old woman unprotected, she lowered her arms and said to him “What kind of boy scout doesn’t throw himself in front of the helpless old lady in the face of a psycho attacker?! You child, will never be a true boy scout.” Then she turned and walked away, leaving the startled 90 year old and the crying 7 year old boy behind her. Her reasoning was that children needed to be taught lessons in life from a young age otherwise they would amount to nothing.

Like I said, not exactly what her innocent appearance promises.

I myself was around the same height but with long raven black hair and brown eyes. Becka said I pulled off the sexy temptress look with my- and I quote- ‘smokey and mysterious complexion’, when to be honest, I just had black hair and brown eyes.

We had first met at the age of 5 when Danny Braden had pushed Becka over in the playground over the spade for the sand box. She had refused to give it to him until he asked nicely- her stubbornness showing through even at that age- so he had pushed her and her knee got grazed. I was the only one who saw so I went over and wacked him in his not-so-manly parts with the damn spade. He went crying to the teacher but when they came back with the teacher’s ‘you’re in trouble’ face on, both me and Becka denied even seeing the boy before. Our performance was so convincing that Danny was told off for lying and sent for a time out.