In-Between The Lines

Chapter 5

One of the most terrible things in life is being let down by a person you thought you could trust. There are two stages of this inevitable process. People in stage one are lakes, and people in stage two are ice skating rinks. Stage one is the time in someone's life when they are innocent and they trust everyone. They are naive, and place their trust and faith in someone else without realizing it. Just like lakes, they are open to everyone and let people under their surface. They are the people who don't realize that even with lakes, the people eventually leave. People in stage two are people who have learned their lesson. These are the people who see the cold hard truth: you can't trust everyone. Much like ice skating rinks, these are the individuals who have built up a hard shell on the outside. They don't let anyone under their surface, but they let them skim along the outside. However, even the most thick layer of ice can be broken by one determined person.

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The dim lights were all I could focus on as I sat in the cluttered classroom owned by Mr. Sanders. The reason that the classroom was always dirty was because he was in no shape to lift a heavy stack of papers, let alone organize a high school classroom. Papers were stacked precariously against the walls, and the filing cabinets looked as if they had reached their limit long ago. As for my Literary teacher, he was much like his classroom: disorganized and worrying. He looked as if all he was was a bag of skin and bones. However, he was my favorite teacher due to the fact that he actually tried to include me in class. Most of my teachers had abandoned that idea after they realized I wouldn't be sharing verbally. But Mr. Sanders found other ways for me to contribute.

I was suddenly awoken from my coma when I realized the monotone sound of his voice had stopped. I looked up and realized that the entire classroom was staring at me. Seeing my confused face, he cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, Ms Cassidy, I was wondering if you could go up to the board and write your assignment. "

Although I had completed the assignment and wrote my poem, my hands were still shaking as I slowly walked down the rows of chairs toward the board. With quick, meaningful strokes, I copied my creation onto the board.

In the heart of the woods

Where the sun never shines

An old willow tree sits

Amid a crowd of oaks

It creaks and bends

Its long swaying branches

Warning visitors to stay away

The tree only makes one exception:

A small brown dog

Who takes cover in the trees

Day and night

The dog is there

Guarded by its own companion

The companion that lies in a box

Buried beneath the tree

The room was silent. At that very moment, the bell rings and as always, the crowd of antsy students rush out the door. I turn to follow them, but Mr. Sanders stops me.

"Cassidy, your free verse was lovely. But I instructed you to write a poem about yourself. "

I stared at him for a few minutes before walking to the board. There I wrote in small letters, I am the dog. I picked up my bag and walked out the door without looking back.

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