Never I Thought

Chapter 4 - Not My Day

"Late," my roll call teacher announced.

"Please don't mark me as late?" I pleaded, my eyes were wide as I heaved heavily. My cheeks were warm despite the cold morning and my fingers couldn't stop fidgeting.

"You're five minutes past the bell, Miss Mcurth, the roll has already been marked," Mr Ross shook his head, "you'll have to visit the office to get your attendance checked off."

I slammed my hand down on his desk before twirling around and storming out of the room. Never. Never. Never, had I ever been late. I had a perfect attendance and the one morning where I slept in just a little longer had been my downfall.

This was why I never let my guard down.

Leon had left way before me, my dad, whom was watching the morning news, informed me in my crazed state that he had a debating session to prepare for this weekend's school debate which explained why he hadn't come get me.

My hair was as unorganised as my brain felt. The pockets on my jeans were pulled out, my shirt was half tucked in and I was wearing two different socks. My bag hung loosely at my elbow as I rushed through the hallways whilst trying to flatten my flyaways.

I landed at the office in record speed, luckily there weren't a whole heap of other students suffering the consequences of being late too. One of the ladies in the office walked up to me and clasped her hands together on the desk in front of her.

"What can I help you with?"

"I need to mark off my attendance, I was... late," I smiled sweetly. The lady didn't look like she even knew how to smile, the corners of her mouth turning down.

"Name?"

"Alyssa Mcurth."

She typed it into the computer and squinted her eyes at the dull screen. There was a moment of silence as she looked between the computer screen and over to me.

"Never been late, eh?" The lack of sympathy in her voice made me clench my teeth.

I didn't want to say anything so I just shrugged. She typed something and then told me I was all good to get to my next class. As much as I was disappointed in myself I felt a sigh of relief as that fiasco was finally over and I could finish my day with the tiniest less bit of worry against my raging anxiety swimming in my head.

The bell chimed to signal the first class of the day and I rushed out of the office, struggling to push open the oak door with its rusty hinges. The wind must've caught onto it because it slammed right open and a student jumped back just in time.

"Whoa," the boy raised his eyebrows.

"Matt." I stated and shut my eyes for a moment.

"Ah, yeah, that would be me," he said so nonchalantly, as if no one in the suburb knew his name.

He then took a good look at me, his eyes scanning mine then travelling down towards my bag half opened in distress and I knew he could definitely see my mismatched socks.

"Late for the first time, huh?" He broke into a smile.

"It's that obvious?" My voice barely a whisper.

"Only obvious to the person who has the all time late record."

I let out a soft smile and looked up at his eyes, they were kind. Way too kind for the kind of label Matt had. Now it was my turn to analyse him, his blonde hair in desperate need of a cut as it fell into his eyes, freckles dotted his nose but all I could see was a tissue patched with red just above his eyebrow.

I pointed to his face, "what happened?"

He pulled the tissue away for a second and I noticed a fresh cut, not too big to scar but big enough to let out fat drops of blood.