Closer to perfection (academic rivals)

Chapter 4 ♡

H E A T H E R
"Heather?"
It took me around five full seconds to realise that Miss Cedar was calling my name for the register.
"Er, sorry.. good morning miss," came my flustered voice. I could feel the stares from tables away, watching me burn up like a dying phoenix igniting in flames, my cheeks painted in a flushed pink. I really did not need reminders of how awful I looked today. My eyes swelled, puffing up with creased, uneven eyelids and dark smears of charcoal lines underneath, like coffee stains contrasting with my honey brown skin. My hair, usually pulled into ponytail or a rushed plait, fell ever so slightly past my shoulders and down my back. Even my bangs, which I usually curl with hair rollers at 5am, lay flat and carelessly swept away into side bangs this morning. I had managed to slip on a random white lace top and a black pleated skirt, yet forgotten a simple sweater or stockings and now stood feeling bare, shivering and slowly developing a cold. This is why you don't watch a sad movie on the night before a school day.
The ringing of the school bell echoed through the halls and bounced to and fro through my brain. Next period after registration was English. Not a terrible subject, but it's horrible if you want to stay awake in lesson. In this class, I sit next to Caelan. The seating plan in a lot of classes are arranged based on your academic grades, so I've found my self sitting next to him often. Unfortunately.
It's like a poor, small cat sitting next to a regal lion. Just imagining it makes me feel embarrassed.
I carefully placed my bag down beside my desk, making sure I didn't touch him. As I sat in the classroom, listening to Mrs Alan yapping about independent revision, I lost track of time and, before I knew it, I was in a world of my own.

When I woke up, most of the lesson had already gone by and the only thing written on my page was the date and title. Oh my days. Panicking, I turned my head around to see everyone else's pages. Everyone was bent over their notebooks, finishing off a whole double page spread of notes. Oh. How much of the lesson had I already missed..? How would I be able to write that much in like 15 minutes or so? How would I find the time to catch up when I have so much revision to get done? I paused. My leg was shaking and I had been aware of the fact that I had been tapping the table with my pen for the past minute. It'd be better to just get at least some of my work done before stressing- but I barely managed to finish my first paragraph before the bell had rung and the class was dismissed.