We're all ugly when we cry

Chapter 3: Just hold on

"Hello class, we have a new student starting your year today... introduce yourself then take a seat." The plump, red faced maths teacher know as Miss Jackson didn't even look up from her desk, just continued to type with her face pressed just inches from the screen of her laptop. I shifted my weight nervously from foot to foot, my frame towering over the rows of desks in front of me. I had always been tall for my age and my lanky form never made up for my height, I always looked like some sort of pencil about to snap. But for what I lacked in appearance I gained in sarcasm and social anxiety.

I scanned the room to check if my assumptions about this school were right, It didn't take me long to realise I was correct as always. Different people in a different school, yet the social groups stood out clearly to an outsider such as myself.

If I kept it short and simple I could blend in as another forgotten face.

"Hi I'm Yasmin, I hate public speaking so Miss if you don't mind I'm just going to sit down" The plump lady either hadn't heard me or just didn't care... my face started to heat up as the students began to whisper amongst themselves, so instead of sitting down I tested my limits. "Or you know, you can keep you face glued to the laptop and hope that the diet plan your looking at isn't just another hoax" I gestured towards the recipe of a weight loss smoothie she had brought up to the screen.

The class all sat there mouths open baffled, a smirk wound its way to my face as I looked at my fellow classmates thinking I had gotten away with my snarky reply, only to be completely mortified as I looked back to see Miss Jackson glaring at me with all she had, the crimson that tinted her face might as well be giving steam from out of her ears...

She looked furious.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, since you're new here I won't bother. Take a seat"

The excess weight that clung to this small woman shook violently as she tried to contain her anger. I didn't dare speak against her... I managed to mumble a quick "yes miss" before spotting an open seat at the back of the class room and hurried to sit before I did any more damaged.

The students responses ranged from shocked to amused, yet I just kept my head down till I found the empty chair.

The next 2 lessons went about the same. I introduced myself and found an empty chair and was quickly forgotten.

At break, I found that the back building was out of use, so I sat in one of the empty classrooms waiting for period three, which happened to be art, to start. Here nobody would bother the silent, transfer student.