A Page Of My Future

03| In Time

It was lunch break and I searched everywhere for Janet but I couldn't find her anywhere. She left the class before me after the last paper which was Geography. While I was struggling with the diagram of a goddamn place I was least concerned about, she shook her head slightly at me and mouthed

    " You're doing it all wrong "

She was helping me but I couldn't stop myself from mouthing back the words
    
   " Are you CRAZY?"

I'd spent the last forty minutes drawing and erasing some stupid lines to show some countries as was written in our question paper and she simply erased all my effort by saying it was wrong ... luckily she understands me well enough to know that I was pissed at her choice of words
    
     " I'm sorry but I'm just trying to help"

With this, she reminded me of the diagram we'd spent so much time studying and made mention of some things which quickly triggered my seemingly empty brain. In a flash I erased everything and started afresh certain, that this time I was doing the right thing. She finished before me and sent me a text to meet her at our usual table at lunch. I nodded to affirm as soon as I saw the text.

Now, heaven only knows where she was and why she wasn't replying my texts. I kept going around in search of her. I stopped by my locker which was next to hers, to drop my books and take my novel. Tired and hungry, I gave up and went to the cafe to grab lunch which I ended up not finishing because my eyes had caught something and I took out my jotter and started sketching. It was what I did to keep myself positively engaged when Janet and Daniel were not in range. I discovered my talent of drawing in my younger days and all the people I took seriously said I should do myself a favour and keep improving... Well funny enough there were only three of such people... Miss Klein, Janet and later on Daniel.

Right now, I was drawing my  principal's face as he stood talking to one of the most hardened 12th graders. He seemed mad at the boy and the boy but I could bet on my lunch he wasn't listening... Who would calmly listen to such a seemingly serious talk when the principal had a finger stuck up his nostril. I was surprised the boy hadn't burst into laughter because even from where I sat, the blad man looked pretty funny. I hoped he continued his conversation with the boy so I could at least finish my rough sketch before he left. And then I'd do the details later on , with or without him in view.

My phone buzzed and I took it out to check if it was Janet who had finally decided to reply my text. As I slipped my phone out of the pocket of my hoodie, the notification was that of a text message from miss Klein she wanted to tell me to get some milk and lemonade as were low on the them . It was fast approaching closing time and still I'd not heard from Janet we were supposed to hang out at her place but then she was nowhere to be found. I got bored of my drawing my principal and so I closed my book and headed for my locker to return it and get ready to go home. As I walked out towards the hallway, I tripped on someone's leg. Looking up, my  eyes met the cold gaze of Tom a smirk on his lips told me that he had intentionally put his leg in the way for me to fall. I sighed , closing my fist tightly as I felt anger boiling inside me. I was not surprised at his action as far as I can remember, he'd always been hungry for a fight with me and deep down I wanted to really let him have it ...but then I thought about Janet and Daniel the only real friends I had, and I considered how long it took me before I fully accepted them it was difficult, finding people who understand me. I didn't want to risk loosing them.

I bit down my  lower lip, in a bid to suppress the anger I could feel, about to explode within me. Unfortunately  it didn't make me calm down, it only made tears well up in my eyes  I had hurt myself and I did taste my blood from the place on my lip that I bit.
  
   " Damn, are sad that you tripped?"

He said to mock me as I felt a tear roll down my cheeck.

    " F*ck !"

I said to myself wishing I could just be allowed to teach this fool a lesson he'll never forget. It was even more annoying when I heard people laugh, now focusing their attention on me. For heaven's sake the cafe full of junior and senior students was now quiet in anticipation of a big fight. I wanted to break his goddamn lips so he'd go home crying to b*tch he called a mom.

  "Aw, looks like lil miss street fighter
   is so scared of getting in trouble again"

He said again in a mocking tone, which elicited  laughter in the cafe. Well if I wasn't allowed to get physical, there's no rule that restricts me from being honest right. With this thought in mind, I smiled at him and clapped in his face to show him how stupid he was, I knew he'd say another thing then it'll be the best time to speak.  And as I thought, he spoke
 
   " Is lil miss fighter scared of getting
      kicked out of the school? where's our
      fearless lady fighter?  "

    " I'm not scared of you d*ck head"

    " Oh ! Right....you know you should
       really put yourself together and get
      me over with, if you claim you're not
      scared. We've always known you to be
      a man in a lady's skin so prove it to us
      unless ....you don't got THE BALLS...."

This made the students go "ohhhhh  damn!" It was now my queue to speak.

     " Y'know you're right Tom, I don't
       got the balls, that's why your momma
       passed by my house and went for your
       girlfriend's dad.... Cos he's got The Balls "

I heard the students roar in laughter, everyone knew I was right. Tom's mother was a stripper at a club and she had a one night scandal with his girlfriend's dad. Honestly , I don't know how the students found out, but the whole school knew about it. Tom got pissed and I saw it. He stood up, trying to puff himself up to scare me but  I wasn't scared. I'd fought with people who were bigger than Tom and I was able to give them injures that resulted in scars. I was never like that though...it my anger that made me do all that. I had terrible anger issues and that's why I always got into such fights.

   " You insult my mother one more time
      and you'll be sorry , you b*tch ! "

    " Oh now I'm a b*tch ain't it? It's
       really sad how daft you are Tom,
      If you think I'm a guy in a lady's skin why
      don't you straight out call me motherfuker
 .    I don't do b*tch that's more like
       your girlfriend's thing "

Again, the students went "shit !!!" and some laughed many of the guys including juniors had been in his girlfriend's pants, I guess it was some kind of family trait. In a flash, he was in front of me, and he tried to hit me .I held his hand and raised mine to hit  him instead but I quickly changed my mind about hitting him when I saw Janet behind Daniel and I heard Daniel yell :
  
    " Don't hit him Tina !

Now I was on the floor with my eyes trying to focus. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I felt excruciating pain in my abdomen it was worse than my worst monthly cramps. As soon as I had caught a glimpse of Janet and Daniel, my anger melted away and I remembered how much of my life they made up so I gave up my anger knowing that a single hit on Tom, was my ticket away from the two most important people in my life, apart from Miss Klein.

As I continued sprawling in the floor with tears rolling down my cheeks, Someone came to check on me. I heard her voice and I managed to smile while still crying.

  " Thank you so much T "

I wanted to ask her why she was telling me thank you because I'm the one who should have been saying thank you to her for stopping me from hitting Tom. I opened my mouth to talk .......
       " Why.........." Was all I could say andi it seemed to worsen the pain. She shifted my hair away from my wet face, lifted me up to a sitting position and wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace. I managed to hug her back
          "It hurts Jane,.... It hurts ...so bad " I said.
          
          " I know, I'm sorry, you'll be fine
            I promise... I'm here now okay ?"