School Memories

For my short fourteen years of life, I’ve only feared one teacher.  Every school has a teacher that makes your legs turn to jello every time you see them in the hall.  Hill Country Middle School’s hair-raising teacher was Ms. Brown, otherwise known as “the Beast”.  I wasn’t really on her bad side until September 24, 2009, a beautiful afternoon in the majestic city of Austin, Texas.   The fateful day that made me the target of my Pre-Algebra teacher’s rage.   As I looked out the window spacing out, I could see the leaves that were just changing colors and the sun played complicated patterns on the ground.  Yet there I was, stuck in classroom 231 instead of running around outside causing trouble.  The white walls of my prison stared back at me, taunting me to throw a fit.  It took all of my self-control to sit quietly and listen to my Math teacher yell at us about the day before.

“Who would like to explain about what happened yesterday? said the charming, Ms. Brown in her sugar coated voice that meant trouble.

The class shot furtive glances at my friends and me.

“Which one of you told her that you could listen to your iPods during class?”

The classroom was silent.  The cool desk grew warmer under the palm of my hand as I started to sweat, worried that she already knew the culprits.  An innocent note appeared on the edge of my desk waiting for me to pick it up.  Smirking, I looked at my friend, Breckyn Hager and surreptitiously slid the note under my desk.  I opened it, only to be greeted by lots of smiley faces and the phases “We did it!” and “We’ll get away with it!” written in every corner of the page.  I could almost smell the scent of sweet victory rising from the paper.

“Ms. Anthony, Are you paying attention?” Ms. Brown screamed into my left ear, not see the paper in my hand.

“Yes, I was paying attention.” I winced hoping that she wouldn’t question me further.

“Then please tell the class what I just said?” 

Cursing my bad luck, I stammered. “You said that the culprits will get a month worth of detention?”

Ms. Brown glared at me before stalking back to desk and said, “Very well, I guess you were listening.”

Breckyn’s blue eyes twinkled as he smiled at me.  Letting out a sigh of relief, I quickly scribbled a note back.  It read: “I know we’ll get away with it.  No thanks to you, but I just avoid two weeks of detention with “The Beast”.  In a matter of seconds, another note appeared on my desk, but it wasn’t too longer before a wrinkled hand swept in off my desk, and coal black eyes anchored Breckyn in place.  He trembled knowing what the dreaded punishment was.

“Mr. Hager, please share the note that is so important that you couldn’t wait until after class to tell Ms. Anthony.” said Ms. Brown in a sarcastic tone.

Breckyn makes his way up to the front of the room.  I prayed that there is nothing embarrassing on the piece of paper.  Yet again, my luck failed me.

He read, “I like you a lot.  I was wondering if you want to go to mall after school today, on a date.”

Ms. Brown’s voice was icy cold.

“Mr. Hager and Ms. Anthony, you both will serve three weeks of lunch detentions starting tomorrow.”

I winced at the verdict.  Three weeks of detention with “The Beast”.  As every minute passed, I shrunk in my seat knowing that I was going to be called on for every answer just for her entertainment, as I struggled to answer questions. Ever since that horrid day at Hill Country Middle School, I feared my teacher more than anything.  I knew that this was only going to be the beginning of a long terrible year of being her target.  As the year passed and I moved once again, I was left with this memory that defined my seventh grade year in two word; hilarious and scary.