The Stargazer

Chapter Six

"Screw this." I heard myself mutter under my own breath.

I felt the smooth frame slide perfectly into my face. My damp toes curled like talons on the chipping varnish of the wooden floor. Hugging my shagging pullover, I crept off. 

It was a clear night, the suffocating artificial heat was washed off by a brittle cold that fell over me. The sleep was rubbed from my eyes, and I sat on the PVC pipes. It was a long time before I realised Marcus's absence.

I let the wind take over my lungs and gave out. Marcus could manage. I could manage. I had too much on my mind for company. Too much for words. I'm just sick of a routine. Sick of the people, sick of trying to please everyone but myself. So I sat there, addicted to the cold and letting it consume me. 

...

The hallway was scuffed with marks, even though school was only 5 minutes in. Having slept for 4 hours last night, I was exhausted. I headed towards homeroom, but a huge posse of 6th graders turned towards the gym. Well great. That means assembly. Bad, assembly.

The bell rung in assembly, and mouths were shut and feet stopped kicking. We have a 45 minute talk to look forward to, and detentions were given to the ones who misbehaved during the time. The principal was a pudgy little woman, with grey roots and platinum-blond dyed hair. We all sat in the bleachers and waited for her to wobble her way up to the stand, where the school logo hung smack in the center.

She scanned the crowd slowly, stopping once or twice to take in the absolute mess of "kids" she were to be in charge of for at least 6 more months, give or take. She cleared her throat, and started to speak. 

"Good morn--" A crackle of feedback cut her short. 

Shooting her death glare at a couple of giggling girls, she began again, in her slow and monotone way of trying to sound excited.

"Good morning, students and teachers. Today we have gathered you all to present to you a project that our very own L Triple H committee has to show. But before that, here are the announcements" 

There were a few scattered, halfhearted claps. The principal smiled at the response, and continued on about how Mr. Nelson's badminton club was to meet in the fourth floor gym, and not at the field. After roughly 5 minutes, she drew in a breath and announced the main event.

"Without further ado, here they are, our lovely girls."

She clicked her heels down the podium, and invited the girls onto stage. The girls, the L.H.H.H. The so called "loving hearts and helping hands", here to make the world a more lovable and  livable and greener place. So far they planted trees, fasted, made us have school with the lights off for a day a quarter. held school fairs about animal cruelty.

Such lovelies.

Erin and her circle of friends sashayed the up the stage, the sequins on their matching miniskirts and glitter on their lipgloss reflecting the beams of lights onto the audience, blinding a few sleepy 7th graders. 

Erin tapped the mic with a perfectly manicured finger, and giggled at the tech team as the feedback resounded. 

"Hi, everyone, we're the loving hearts and helping hands team. Here today to present you guys a more serious subject." 

Well, Erin was popular. Insanely, insanely so. She got the entire middle school giving her a standing ovation, whether she deserved it or not. Even the teachers. Even they seemed to have the idea that messing with Erin or going against her was a bad idea. Unless you're me and couldn't really care less. 

Let's start from the basics. She got to make her own club just because her dad has that kind of money. She didn't have to try. She didn't need to. The other clubs had to work for it, they had to hold bake sales and open lemonade stands. She just mooched off her father's wealth.