I stared up at the clock. watching. waiting. for the very minute of 9:30 am.
General studies was probably the worst class we had at this stupid asylum of a school. We had a foreign exchange programme that everyone was buzzing about. It was the usual case of foreign exchange meaning someone from our school goes to America, and one of them comes here for a year. I looked over to the window - raining, as usual seeing as we lived in Scotland
I checked the clock again - 9:29. so close. Now every second I spent waiting to escape class, it felt like eternity, everything fell to slow motion. I heard an ear piercing ring, freedom. I slid all my books off the desk and straight into my bag. But of course irony had to kick in.
"Demi could you please stay after class for a moment for me?" Shit. that either meant one of two things; one being that I had done something 'Against the rules' and two being something to do with my grades, which actually were pretty alright. My guess is I was in trouble again for god knows what.
"ah hello there Mr Scott" i sighed "what have i done now?"
he laughed at me shining his yellowy teeth at me "well actually, Miss Reynolds, you have been chosen" he drummed his hands on the table to resemble a drum roll, "for the exchange programme to America," oh shit. "your parents have already accepted the form in advance and you leave in a week" I couldn't tell if he was laughing at me or just genuinely happy for once in his life. "they will announce it at assembly in a moment." Of course my parents had accepted it, anything to get me out of the house.
oh fuck "Mr Scott can I ask why I was picked and not some better student or whatever, Like look Jannet's the top of the class?"
"I think you need this, you work hard enough in class so I think it's well deserved." My mum must have been sleeping with him or something, Or he just really really loved to see me suffer. Damn it. So now I had to stay at some randoms house for a year, god help me.
**
I tugged my packed suitcase and duffel out of my wardrobe and started throwing extra clothes in. My record player was blasting my newest and probably one of my favourite vinyls, besides the misfits. - 'Killers - by iron maiden.'
"why do you listen to this absolute keek?" my mum huffed
"you mean music mother?" i raised my eyebrows. that always got her.
"Demi Reynolds!" she yelled "you are leaving in two hours. be packed" she left my room.
My eyes darted over to my guitar. 'oh god I better not be staying at some musty guys house, who smells like beer, much worse some preppy bitch' I thought to myself. This was convenient for my parents as they had booked a last minute cruise as soon as they heard i was leaving. Who in their right mind wants to go on a boat for half a year. September to March with no breaks, and i bet they were chuffed to have me out of the house for the rest of the year.
I lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I strummed the strings on my guitar to calm myself down. two hours flew by. before i knew it i was sitting in the car with my mum rambling on about why this trip was 'good for me' or something.
"all I'm saying is that honey when you listen to all that bangy pop music it isn't good for you" she made eye contact with me in the mirror inside the car.
"It's not pop mum. and how is it not good for me? It's far better than Madonna and uh Duran Duran" I tried to argue back
"Donald! help me here" my mum always summoned my dad whenever she didn't know how to argue back.
"your mums right sweetie, Heavy Blues isn't the best thing" he chirped
" not heavy blues dad" I sighed. Funny they didn't know me.
"heavy ska?!" he held his finger up as if he'd had an amazing idea. Clearly my parents didn't listen to music
"metal, dad its metal" I hung my head "And at least i don't listen to pubescent children singing about how we need to worship Jesus Christ" I put on my headphones and Children of the grave by Black Sabbath started booming in my ears.
We drove in silence for pretty much the whole ride to Edinburgh. You can't just drive to America from here, no shit, so I was being shipped off by plane. We didn't live that far from the airport but the bloody traffic was awful because there was heavy rain. I huffed, and looked out the window. My music kept skipping and jumping to the next track.
We arrived at the airport after that stuffy car journey. I shoved the car door open and hopped out. I slung my duffel over my shoulder and grabbed my suitcase. My dad stepped in front of me before I could walk away. "Demi" he nodded at me in silence.
"Father" I mocked. He shook my hand and nodded at me again. My mum hugged me, I could feel her squeezing my rib cage.
"are you sure you are OK to do all this?" he expected me to say yes - which I did because my mum would have me by the throat if i 'ruined' her cruise.
"Bye mum"
"we will have your things shipped over before we leave, honey!" my mum screamed, waving frantically and rubbing her tears off her face. I waved at them just to calm her down as I started to walk away into the busy atmosphere of the airport. I swung my Brunette hair over my shoulder and went to get a coffee.
After I got my coffee I made my way over to the transit lounge while I waited for my plane. A loud tone went off, ringing in my ears, then a woman saying "everyone on the flight 932 to California please board now" coming from a muffled speaker so I stood up and took in a breath of the thick air. 'okay.. well, here we go' I whispered under my breath to myself. I stepped into the plane cautiously, my black converse squeaked off the step. A tall blonde woman carrying a purse bashed into my shoulder as I was walking to my seat. My eyes darted everywhere, trying to find where I was meant to sit. I found my seat and plonked down on it. On the seat next to me was some 13 year old boy, but he seemed peaceful enough. This was gonna take a while. I pulled my Walkman out of my duffel and threw on my headphones and tossed my head back. Oh shit. Here we go.
