You replaced me

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Me and Leah continued our walk to school. We just chatted about new boys she thought were cute. The school wasn't too far, it was only fifteen minutes from our neighborhood, if you walked. On rainy days we'd get Ezra to drive us, or Leah's older brother, Kian, would.

Last night me and Ezra carved pumpkins. It was my first time ever carving a pumpkin, we made a huge mess, but it was so fun! Back in France we didn't typically celebrate Halloween, and nobody I knew carved pumpkins, but even if they did, I probably still wouldn't have been allowed to carve one. I made mine look cute, I made a cat, and Ezra- well Ezra made something alright, let's put it at that. After we were done, we put little fake battery-operated candles inside, and they looked so cool once the lights were off, we decorated our front doorstep with them!

This year is my first year every celebrating Halloween and I'm really excited. My friend was hosting a Halloween party but after they found out I've never been Trick or Treating before they are going to go Trick or Treating with me instead and have the party a couple days before. Which is good because who doesn't love candy? Ezra probably would have made me go Trick or Treating anyways because he wants me to have the full experience.

After school Leah, Kali, and me were going to go to the Halloween store and pick out costumes, I think we might do a group costume but if not then I'll just pick something else.

We arrived at school twenty minutes early, so we walked laps around the school and met up with Kali and Tiana. The school itself was huge, the biggest school I had ever stepped foot in. On my first day of grade nine I thought it was going to be impossible getting around and finding my classes, but now I'm just starting to get the hang of it.

School in California was much easier, in every way. People actually liked me; they didn't bully or tease me like they used to back in France. Classes were easier and simpler though it was my first year in high school, there was just more homework than I was used to. There were no dress codes, no strict uniforms, no strict rules. I didn't have to wear my hair a certain way, and I could paint my nails without getting in trouble. Even if I was a couple minutes late to a class most of my teachers would just brush it off if they were chill.

After the warning bell rang, I broke off with my friends and headed to first period, gym. But before I did so I went to the bathroom to get changed into workout clothes. Who thought it was okay to give me gym class first thing in the morning? I'd like to speak to them.

I liked gym though, it was fun, but it wasn't so fun when my friend wasn't there because I would have to pair up with a random kid.

I made my way downstairs to the main gym, we always got the main gym on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's. On the other days we'd alternate and get one of the side gyms or go outside.

I saw Em and smiled, I quickly jogged over to her, she was helping the gym teacher set up the net poles.

"Badminton?" I asked, excitedly, as I took the other end of a pole.

She shook her head, "Nope. Today we're playing' volleyball." She said with a grin.

I groaned as I began setting the pole in place, "We did that last week."

She giggled, "I know, but it's fun."

I rolled my eyes; it was fun when you were good at it. I learned I definitely did not have a hidden talent for Volleyball when I tested it out with Leo in the summer.

It only hurt my wrists, and I could never get that stupid ball over the net if someone was hitting it to me, I can only sometimes serve it good.

I envy the people who can play volleyball.

"Nuh uh," I replied, as I finished twisting the pole in place.

We went out back and grabbed another set, and we ended up doing three more.

"Great work girls, thank-you." Our gym teacher, Mr. Denny said as he went around making sure they were tight enough.

"No problemo, now can I sit on the bench since I did all that hard work. I think I may have pulled a muscle, oh yeah, I did. Ouch." I said giving him a toothy grin.

He shook his head and smiled. "Oh, poor you, looks like you'll have to play on a sore leg, maybe that will be your excuse when you miss the ball."

"Hey," I began to protest.

But Mr. Denny cut me off and blew his whistle, "Alright everyone come stand in the middle so we can work out teams. I'm picking today."

I heard everyone groan, and we all walked to the middle of the gymnasium.

I frowned when I was put with a group without, Emilia, come on after that nice little gesture we did for him, he can't put us on the same team?

I stood in the back, well because I would be no help in the front, there's no way I'm blocking the ball when they try to hit it over the net.

After gym, I said bye to Em and went into the bathroom while she went into the locker to get changed. I know she probably thinks it's weird I don't just change in the lockers, but I'd be mortified if someone saw my scars. I'd never hear the end of it.

I went into the gym bathrooms and quickly slipped off my shirt and shorts and put back on my jeans and sweatshirt.

I had Art next, it was my favorite class of the day, because I had Leah in that class, and it was also fun and really easy.

We spent Art making textured paintings, mine came out, well textured and Leah's looked really nice.

Now I only had to wait four more hours until we could go shopping.

                                                                                          -

The rest of my day flew by and now I was sitting in jail. It was sickly hot and sweaty in there, and it was begging to smell awful. The cell I was in had four white brick walls, they had tiny little cracks in them, and you could tell they were old. It was smaller than the other cells, which made me feel trapped, claustrophobic and stuffy. Everything felt dull. They didn't even have an air conditioner in the jail which felt illegal, how could you keep me locked in such a tiny space that's boiling hot with no AC? A small window rested in the walls, I could see the palm trees and the ocean from where I sat, and I wanted nothing more to be outside, far away from the jail. I'd rather be listening to Ezra's terrible dad jokes. I slumped farther into my seat, trying to get comfortable, all I wanted was to be home in bed. The instructor kept going on and on, repeating the same thing over ten times, real slow as if we couldn't understand basic English. I wasn't alone, however. Other kids were seated in the jail too, in rows. They all had the same bored expression on their faces except for the ones who snuck their phone.

Well technically I was sitting in science class, but that's basically the same thing.

And it's not that I don't like science, I've never minded it, but I do, I do mind this science class. Her class is awful, painful to sit through and sooooo boring. It's 5th period and I'm already tired, ready to go home but nope. I'm trapped inside this teacher's painful class, getting more and more bored by the minute. Every time I glance at the clock, it seems to only have moved by a minute. She's not even a mean teacher, she's nice but she explains the same thing over and over, as if we don't understand basic English. Like we get it.

I rest my face in the palm of my hands as I lazily watch her explain the definition of a molecule for the past ten minutes.

I think everyone knew what a molecule was before she even began explaining it to us.

Am I in a ninth-grade class?

I sighed into my hands, well at least I'll never be able to fail her class.