Chapter Nine
Suffering, Surrender and Surprises
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Leah Fox
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I shifted my head into the crook of my elbow, trying to find a comfortable spot on my bony arm. The sounds from the hallway were drifting into the silent room as the rest of the student body rushed back to their dorms or share-houses. There was a tapping noise coming from the desk behind me, whoever sat there was slowly but surely infuriating me with the sound. I turned around slightly so that I could glare but the guy - pale, lots of dark hair and amused icy blue eyes - simply grinned at me and continued hitting his pen against the desk. I opened my mouth to speak but the teacher up the front interrupted me.
"Miss Fox, this is detention, not lunchtime. Didn't the teacher who sent you here give you any work to do?"
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
"Yeah, notes. I've already done them." I crossed my fingers, hoping I would be set free.
Tap, tap.
"Well then get out some homework and carry on with that. There's still half an hour left."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Would you quit it!" I snarled, whipping my head around so fast that I felt an instant of dizziness.
"Miss Fox!"
The guy sneered. "Miss Fox," he taunted. "How impolite!"
"Shut up, you ass. I've got a screaming headache, I'm running on about two hours of sleep and I'm bloody tempted to shove that pen down your throat until you poop out ink!"
"Miss Fox!" reprimanded the teacher again. He stood up from his desk and began to make his way down towards us. "One more word and I'll set you another detention."
"What a childish temper," the boy goaded softly. And then he winked, as if this was all a joke. I felt like shoving his desk so that it pummelled into his stomach. But the teacher had reached us.
"Move seats please, Leah. I can see that you are too distracted with Vance."
I sent one last glare at the boy and stood up swiftly, gathering my things, my temper boiling. I picked up a pen of mine and turned back to Vance, my control snapping. "I guess I should return this," I said in a casual tone, lifting the pen.
"Err..." Vance gave me a confused look.
I smiled sweetly and flicked my wrist, sending the pen into the asshole's face. "Oh, oops. My hand slipped."
He leapt out of his seat. "You bitch!"
Geez, what an overreaction. "You had it coming!"
"Miss Fox, Mr Shepherd, please settle down," warned the teacher.
I picked up the rest of my things and moved to a table closer to the front, feeling the heat of Vance's glare at my back. I slammed my stuff onto the desk and plonked down in the seat, immediately resting my head back onto my arms.
"Leah Fox, at least act as if you are doing some work."
I lifted a pen and pretended to write something on the table as I closed my eyes and waited for the time to be up.
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Haezel O'Malley
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I slid a folder from my locker with a sigh. I had plenty of coursework and it was only the first week. And with Fox in detention it meant that I really had nothing to do but study. Or I could go check out Faye's work in the studio. She had invited all of us at lunch but it was obvious to everyone, well except maybe Faye, that Matt was longing to be alone with her. So I couldn't really go there, not that I know enough about music to be any critic anyway. I slung my heavy backpack over one shoulder and made my way through the throng of students to the exit.
