The Reflection

Chapter 1

I rode my bike to school today. I chained it up and headed for the door. I walk inside with my panda bear backpack and my Winnie the pooh lunch box. Thee old, dirty things I've used for school since kindergarten. Of course, back then it was cool. But, I'm a seventh grader now. We just cant afford anything else. When I was younger, I dropped the backpack in the mud and it's been brown ever since. As I walk in I spot Kelly standing by her locker. She was frustrated with her lock. I walked over to her. I placed my hand on her lock. "You want some help with that" I asked knowing her answer, "spin it three times to the left, 18, two times to the right, 11, 36." I whispered softly. I knew her locker combo better than she did. She would sometimes have trouble with it and I would help her out. I guess we are just that good of friends. I turn and walk to my locker which is only two lockers down from Kelly's. I shove my stuff inside the locker. Which I've noticed all 12 year old kids do. I held my back against the locker door trying to close the locker. I gave in, the locker door swung open and all my things fell out. There was Brady coming to the rescue. He jogged over to me and got on his knee. He helped my pick up my things and actually organized my locker for me. That took about five minutes. We stood and rushed to math. I ran inside the classroom and all eyes turned to us. Silence filled the room. The angry look the teacher gave me gave me a weird feeling in my stomach, like the ones I get before a presentation or anything involving me standing in front of a crowd.

"Sorry I'm late. Everything in my locker fell out and Brady just helped me get my stuff back in my locker without it being a giant mess." I sat down quietly in my seat. I took out my notebook and quickly wrote down everything that was on the board. The eyes turned away from me and back to the teacher. I fiddled with my long, dark, curly hair. I twisted my fingers through it, like if someone were pointing at a moving object. Math has got me thinking weird... Next I had English and I could not stop worrying about the test. It was about names of the punctuation and grammar. Like when am I going to need to know that dot, dot, dot was called an ellipse. Or something like that; my point exactly.

As I heard the bell I nervously walked to English. I already had a failing grade and if I did bad on this test I wouldn't get to play Volleyball until my grades get brought up. I'm just not intelligent enough to have straight A's or at least a grade that can get me through the year. I am that kid who always has to meet with the teacher for extra help. I mean I get all my homework done, it's just it's not right. One more minute to get to class. I hesitantly walked into the class room. I was worrying so much and my forehead start to sweat. I sweat when I'm nervous and by now everyone knows it because I do like every week.

The teacher walked in and suddenly swung the door close behind me. I jumped at the sudden noised and turned to Mrs. Blackburn. "Alright class. Today we have a test on your punctuation names. I hope you all studied because this test will count for 30% of your trimester's grade." She said as she handed out the tests. My hand was shacking the feeling inn my fingers went numb. All I could think about was my stomach exploding in the middle of the test. "Okay you can start!" I noticed everyone's head turned to their papers. I could even notice kids look off of other kids tests. I didn't understand cheating. I didn't do things like that, but I was desperate. I slowly turned my head to the paper next to mine. Sarah L who's the freaky genius in our class, I don't understand why she is not in quest or something like that. I quickly started copying her answers. It didn't feel right, I felt the guilt come to me.

Forty-five minutes passed and all of the answers were copied and were filled in where the answers had to be written. I waited a while to let Sarah turn her paper in. As soon as she sat down, I rose from my seat and bolted to the bin where we hand in our homework. I sat down and pulled out a book. The guilt started to eat at my stomach.

The minute class was over I rushed out the room. I rushed to my locker and shoved all of my stuff into it. It wasn't hard because it was so organized. I hurriedly walked too lunch.

Kelly chased me to our table.

"What's wrong?" She said as she caught me. I didn't say anything. I felt my stomach ache with a hurting felling. I looked at it. "Does your stomach hurt?" I nodded. "We should get you to the nurse's office. I shook my head. I didn't want to go or she will be questioning me. I never liked school nurses. I didn't even need one, I wasn't sick. Brady walked over.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked Kelly.

"She says her stomach hurts but she's refusing to go to the nurse's office."

"But you have to, what if you are sick?" But I wasn't sick that was the thing. I couldn't tell them I cheated or they'd want an explanation why, even though I have one, I am responsible for my grades and I shouldn't be close to failing. I sat in quietness. Brady and Kelly looked at each other. They nodded their heads in agreement. Then they grabbed my arms and dragged me to the nurse.

As we arrived, the nurse was fortunately not in there. "She's not here guys, we should go." I ran out of the room with Brady and Kelly chasing after me. I turned my head and everything in front of me wasn't noticeable. I bumped into the nurse who was walking back to her office. "Will you watch where you are going? And no running in the halls, that's a safety hazard." Kelly and Brady caught up, "Oh, hello Mrs. Brown, we were just looking for you," Kelly approached "You weren't in your office." "No, I was in the lounge eating my lunch like you kids should be." Mrs. Brown glanced at us and continued walking. I refused to follow but I was being dragged. "Well, Marly doesn't feel well. But she didn't want to come... so we dragged her here." Brady said. "Well I'll take her from here. You two go finish up your lunch," Then they disappeared. And I was back in Hell. But it would be over before I knew it, hopefully. I sat down on those weird bed things they have in every nurses offices. She started to talk. "So, have you been eating healthy. Sometimes that could be the cause of a stomach ache. Or maybe you are starting to have..." I quickly stopped her, "You know, I really don't feel that sick. I can just go back to lunch. I don't need anything, I'm sure." I left before Mrs. Brown had a chance to say anything. I started at Kelly and Brady sitting at the lunch table. They looked at me and knew that they were going to have a little lecture from me. I gave them a cold glare as i walked toward them. "What the heck was that for?!?!" I sat down and turned away from them, "you know I HATE the nurses office!!! How could you do that, I thought I was your friend?" I totally over exaggerated that, but it was necessary so they got the memo.

Samantha White then walked over to me. 'Oh shoot, I didn't finish our project, which I promised I'd do.' Sam looked at me, "So how's our project. I mean I know its not perfect because you insisted on taking it home." I hesitated to speak. Her eyes widened, waiting for a response. She stood there leaning on her right foot with her hands on her hips. Her long brown hair drooped over her soldier. She acted like she knew everything. Sometimes I think that she likes to brag, being a straight A+ student. Obviously, now that I think about it, I should have let her take it home. "I... I... I didn't finish it." She looked at me with a cold, hard stare that could make anyone cringe. I felt more sick and finally it was too much for me. My breakfast ended all over the floor. A little on Sam's shoes. She screamed and looked at me. Her eyes almost popped out of her head. Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at me. Kids were pointing and laughing. "Eww" said the kids who didn't have the courage to laugh at me. I got up and ran out. Tears ran down my face. Maybe school has put a little too much pressure on me. I didn't want to go home either. The thought of dad not being there when I get home. I started to feel like Brady, who really didn't have a place to go.