RED
—————
- two days later -
Monday
"Watch it!" The woman yelled, shooting me a dirty look.
"Sorry" I apologized to the woman I had just bumped into. I was in such a hurry that I hadn't even seen her coming.
I quickly glanced at my phone. Shit! The bus was about to leave in three minutes.
My biology class was going on a field trip today. Of course I forgot, and now I was running late, like I always was.
As I approached the school parking lot, I could see the last students getting on the bus. I sighed in relieve and quickly made my way to the bus.
Mr. Johnson impatiently tapped on his watch when I got on the bus. "You're late"
"Sorry sir, I could say it won't happen again, but I think we both know that's not true" I remarked, failing to hide my smirk.
He sighed in frustration and gestured me to take a seat. I saw Ariana and Evan sitting on the fifth row and I sat down on a seat behind them.
Evan turned his head. "Are you allergic to coming on time or something?" He asked with a chuckle.
I fake laughed. "Haha, very funny. You try fighting crime all night and then wake up at seven in the morning the next day" I huffed quietly, so only they could hear.
The bus was about to leave when the doors opened again. My eyes glanced to the front of the bus. It was Chloe.
"What is not clear to you kids about 8 o'clock?" Mr Johnson asked her. He was even more annoyed than before. I could see that Chloe was embarrassed.
Before I knew it I stood up. "Actually, sir, studies have shown that teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 should sleep 8 to 10 hours per day. During puberty, teenagers undergo a shift in their circadian clocks that makes it harder for them to fall asleep until later in the night. In other words, schools are starting too early in the morning, which is damaging our brains. When we are late to school, we are basically listening to the nature of our teenage brains, telling us they can't function without the proper amount of sleep. As a biology teacher, you should know that sir" I explained to him in a serious tone.
I heard small chuckles from students in the bus. I was expecting an angry Mr Johnson, but was surprised when his face softened. "Fine, I'll let it slide for today. Just know that you guys can't use this again when you're late"
He smiled, gesturing Chloe to sit down. she walked past me, flashing me a thankful smile, which I returned, before she sat down somewhere in the back.
The twins turned to me, both having an amusing grin on their face. I raised my eyebrow. "What?"
"Nothing" they both said innocently and then turned back sharing a little laugh.
I brushed it off. I felt the bus moving and I made myself comfortable in my seat. I stared outside the window, suddenly feeling how tired I was. I closed my eyes and felt myself quickly dozing off.
