Trouble Times Two

Chapter Thirty-Five

Thursday

I wake up with a splitting headache, from crying and I wipe my face with a wet wipe so Donovan doesn't see the crusty tears on my face.

It's still dark outside and I jump into the shower and then get into my workout clothes because we've got strength training in the morning and the afternoon. Even though I shouldn't, I put makeup on. It was just second nature at this point.

I pack my bag and try to eat breakfast but the cereal will actually make me sick if I eat any in the morning and bread is just unappealing so I eat a cereal bar which isn't enough but the only thing I can physically manage.

I try to wake up Donovan but he just tells me to go away and so I leave the apartment and walk all the way to school at 6, all alone, by myself, in the dark.

I know I'd be fine but the dark scared me. Yes, scary old me was scared of the dark.

Everyone is gathered near the school and I join the group and they call our names out and we all respond, apart from Donovan.

"Where's Donovan?" Female coach Renata, as they were siblings and ergo were both Coach Renata, asks me and I shrug.

"I have no clue." I tie my laces into a double knot and then put my hair up.

"He's your exchange partner and you have to work with him." The male coach Renata says.

"Did you not see what happened in your class? Were you not there? We clearly just don't get along. He'll be here soon and if not, I'll get Arthur to wake him up and make sure he gets here." I say as I walk away, annoyed with myself for not trying harder to wake him up so I could avoid Donovan discourse.

"Don't bother. Here he is now." Female coach Renata says and I watch as Donovan runs over and runs at me but stops just before he tramples, he probably thought he'd scare me.

"Took you long enough." I said and we all walk into the gym which is super decked out for a high school gym.

I actually enjoy the strength training until we have to try and carry our partners and mine is obviously Donovan because of our punishment.

Donovan carries me easily.

"Why are you so light?" He asks and I just shush him.

He can obviously carry me on his back, he can curl me, with some difficulty, and he can lift me up from my shoulders with ease.

Then it's time for me to try lifting him.

When he gets onto my back, he's heavy and his feet are barely off the ground.

I put him down and he laughs.

"You are 6'3" and I am 5'5", our average weights are gonna be so different so hush." I say as I start packing up.

"No your weight is not average, you're super light. It's..." I don't quite catch the last part of what he says but I know I don't care to know.

We go for a drink break and I grab a sandwich from Courtney who was at school with a mission to protect me so as I change, she waits outside and when I come out she's still there waiting, almost like a bodyguard and I laugh.

We walk to class and Lola joins us as we talk about this class we have, home economics, something we never had at our real school.

We walk in and sit down in the seating plan set for us and I'm obviously next to Donavan and when the teacher introduces the topic, I genuinely want to kill myself because we're doing that cursed baby project which I'll have to work with Donovan on because we're not allowed to choose partners for any class we're in together, which is all of them.

We get introduced to our babies which cry and simulate shitting and all of that, well shit.

I cannot stand this project already, to be frank.

"What should we name our baby?" Donovan asks and I shrug.

"It's up to you." I respond. I don't want to think about babies right now but I kind of have to.

"We should name her Donut." He says and I look at him.

"We'll get marked down for that." I point to the first point of the requirements which I could barely read. The teachers at this school weren't quick enough with their dyslexia resources or affordances as my actual ones were and that caused me more stress.

"Name him Donny Jr." I point to his information which says male baby.

"Let me read that." He snatches it from me.

"Read it out to me."

He doesn't and then hands it backs to me. "Read it yourself."

I grab a baby bag from the front of the class and everything we need and put it in there along with clothes.

I hold the baby with one arm and try to read the grade requirements while my knee shakes like crazy and Donovan just plays with the baby bag and looks at all the crazy features, which aren't that cool, he's just a child.

I keep on starting again because I first cannot focus, my mind is far too occupied with everything and anything and then it's just hard for me to read this.

I get up and go with the baby to the front of class and ask for the grade requirements to be sent to me and the teacher refuses.

"Why not?" I ask.

"You can just read that. You have it in front of you." She responds.

"I need a copy emailed to me please. I can't really read this." I explain and she laughs.

"No. For your impatience, you can just wait until the end of the week." I walk off.

"You're not even the real teacher so I don't understand why you're on such a fucking power trip." I go back to my seat, grab my stuff including the baby, the baby gear and leave the class.

I go to Howlett's office and wait for the session to be done and then go inside and explain what's happened and how I just need the whole thing explained to me and he does it gladly.

I message Donovan and tell him when and where to collect the baby after training.

He never shows up.