Isle's Monsters

Four

It's him.
It makes so much sense.
How did I not consider this before ?

My shoes ski against the tiled floor slightly as I speed walk my way to the office.

He's the only one who had an idea of what it was.
He's the only one with a motive to steal it.
He took it because I refused to give it to him.
It has to be him.

I turn the doorknob of the guidance and counseling room and stumble back at the resistance that greets me.
It's locked.
'He probably locked it because he's afraid to face me.' is my first thought and I start to consider picking the lock when a small voice of reason in me says that it's probably locked because it's still 5:30 in the morning and nobody in their right mind (except the janitor) could be in school by this time.
That, and the school probably wouldn't appreciate property vandalism by someone who can't even afford the school fees on a regular basis.

I bite my lip and sigh, eyeing the door.
The thought that it's the only thing between me and the asshole that stole my core is infuriating.
It was mine first.
He had no right.
None at all.

I'm going to wait for him.

With that thought, I squat in front of the door, burying my head in my knees and wrapping my arms around myself.
I must have fallen asleep ( which wouldn't be surprising since I had been tossing and turning the whole night before, and the night before that... and the nights before that too) because next thing I know, I'm staring at a blurry figure in overalls bent over me. "I think you'd be a lot more comfortable in your class."
It takes a while for me to process who it is. The janitor.
I mumble a 'Thank you' as I scramble up and wobble all the way to my class where I happily collapse into a front seat instead of my usual middle and readily fall asleep once more.

::::::::

The shrill sound of the bell wakes me up and the teacher walks in just as I shoot up from the desk, attracting the stares of the people around me.
I settle back down quietly, stiffly.
It'd be weird to go to the hallway for my notes now so I settle for writing in my jotter, making a mind note to transfer it later.
The class goes fairly well for about 7 minutes until my brain decides to remind me that the counselor would have been on school grounds by now.
My pen pauses momentarily as I inhale sharply.

"Is there a problem,Ms Isle?" The teacher says, her voice forceful and intimidating.
Typical.
The teachers here are too scared to take it out on the other students who are all kids of political and business figures so they take out every frustration they can on the easy target: Me.
It's part of the reason I chose to stop sitting in front.

Between the indifference or cruelty of most students and the wrath of the teachers, I'd choose the ones who couldn't give me bad grades and subsequently make me lose my scholarship.
"No ma'am." I reply.
"It's Miss Benson." She emphasizes, eyes narrowed.
"Sorry. No, Miss Benson." I comply.
She eyes me irritatedly then turns away, smiling at the rest of the class like a kid after candy. Another favour curryer who doesn't realize that about 95% of the people don't even care for an atom of her.

I need to get out of here.

"Excuse me, Ma- Miss Benson. I need to visit the infirmary." I say getting up, taking my jotter which is the only thing of mine in this class.
"Go." She says and it's when I cross the threshold of the room that she continues.  "And don't come back."
The door closes with a thud.
I stare at it with gritted teeth.

It doesn't matter. She doesn't matter. Not now.

And so I make my way to the guidance and counseling office, not even pausing to knock as I swing the door.
It doesn't creak this time, I don't even have to push it, it opens easily.
Everything seems to freeze when I see the person at the table and the table itself and then the whole room.