Purely White

Dex

I got home from school to my mother sitting in the living room. Her gaze trains on me, her face cold and serious.

She stands up and crosses her arms. This isn't a joke. She's seriously pissed off.

I sigh, hoping for the best and not to get screamed at.

"What the hell did you do?" she screams.

Could be worse.

"I get a call from that bitchy secretary that my son got pulled out of class, PULLED OUT OF CLASS, for cussing out a FELLOW STUDENT. And a NEW student at that!" she practically screams.

"Mom," I say, tossing my bag to the side. Maybe it'll get better.

"I DIDN'T RAISE YOU TO DO THAT!" my mom yells, walking towards me. My eyes narrow and I straighten my glasses. Or not...

"She tried to take my seat," I protest.

"AND THAT MADE YOU FEEL THE NEED TO USE PROFANITY?"

"Yep," I reply dully, slouching and folding my arms.

"You are grounded," my mom says. "Go to your room."

I raise my hands in defense and I slowly walk upstairs to my room, not giving a shit.

"I KNOW THAT WASN'T ATTITUDE!" I hear my mom scream after me.

"Oh, it was," I say, not caring enough whether she heard me or not.

Being grounded means I can sit in my room and read without making up excuses to not go out. I can be an introvert freely and enjoy it.

I plop down on the bean bag in the corner by my bookshelf and pull out a book I have taken a particular likening to- Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green.

I've read the book three times already, and now that I'm grounded with nothing to do (not like I do anything anyways) I'll make it four.

I set myself a timer for five hours. After five hours I will decide how much longer it will take me to finish the book if not finished already.

I do this on days with nothing to do. I give myself a large amount of time to kick back and read, and since I usually have nothing to do, I do this often.

I lean back with my head against the wall and the book propped on my knees and I flip to the first page.

My eyes read the familiar words of the first sentence and the entire story line flows back to me and I remember the stupidest little details from the story before I'm even on page two.

Books are my everything. I've read almost all the books in the school library so it's gotten hard to find new books, but I don't mind rereading. I actually enjoy it because it gives me the chance to pick out small details that I hadn't noticed before, which enlarges my knowledge of the book even more.

Five hours later I'm on the last chapter of the book. I can feel the pressure on my shoulders, I can almost see the clock ticking down the seconds till my timer goes off. I have never finished this book in five hours or less, it's always a little over, and for once I would like to feel like I accomplished something- no matter how stupid it may be.

I flip to the last page of my book, reading the words quickly but thoroughly and I start to shake a little, feeling the anticipation.

I reach the last sentence and I read it slowly, knowing I have achieved my goal of under five hours. I shut the book and close my eyes, feeling satisfied with the time I had used reading.

I pick up my phone and turn it on to stop the timer. Three seconds left- the phone goes off in my hands, vibrating and making a ringing sound. I stop the timer and I sit back, relaxing my eyes.

I need to pee.