Ghost Girl

one

mute.

That's what most assume I am. I'm not mute, I just choose not to talk. What's the point, people just end up using your words against you. It's what I like to call the domino effect. You talk, you make a friend, and somewhere down the road you and the friend get in an argument and stop talking then they betray you and take what you said completely out of context and twist them around now everyone thinks you're some awful person. Talking starts drama over the stupidest of things. "Oh my god Brittney said my shoes were ugly so I told her boyfriend she was sleeping with Mr. Brown". Once you start talking you in for an endless ride of people twisting your words and going around spreading drama. The worst are the ones who go around gawking at their new crush of the week. I say they're the worst because it's a never-ending conversation about their future and crap on just one minute encounter.

That's why I find it easier to just steer clear of people in general. I'm the girl everyone has heard of but has never seen. I always manage a way out of class.

How you may ask? Perks of being the principals' niece.

I've found many places to go to in between classes, library, food science, track field, different teacher's rooms during their free period, councilors office, art room, and my favorite one, the music room. This is where I spend a lot of my time and frankly, Mr. Cardozo, the art and music teacher, is one out of the three teachers who are aware of my existence, the others are Mrs. Hoover and Mrs. Jones.

Which is where I am, trying to figure out the verse to my latest work. I'm sitting on a beanbag, in the corner of Mr. Cardozo's room, with a neon green pen in between my teeth as I stare at the music sheet on the piano in front of me. As ideas come to mind I scribble them down on my paper haphazardly, not noticing Mr. Cardozo has entered the room.

"Another work? One day you're going to have to let me hear one of these pieces." He said as he set down his coffee and muffin on the table, as it's going to be lunch next period. I look towards him and gave him the tiniest smile before diverting my attention back to the black and white keys. After a while, I look down and read and reread the words that are scribbled into my notebook.

And I'll use you as a warning sign

That if you talk enough sense, then you'll lose your mind

And I'll use you as a focal point

So I don't lose sight of what I want

And I've moved further than I thought I could

But I miss you more than I thought I would

Oh I'll use you as a warning sign

That if you talk enough sense, then you'll lose your mind

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mr. Cardozo standing up, from his swivel chair, and walking over to the whiteboard to write the class agenda down. Be helpful an all too well familiar voice said in my head. I closed my notebook and got up from where I was sitting and walked over to where the teacher was, grabbing his lesson planner and Expo marker, and began to write out the days work on the board. Mr. Cardozo was used to my random volunteering so he just said a small thank you and began on prepping the art supplies. His music class isn't until after school at 4:00.

"Mrs. Jones had yogurt in food science earlier," Mr. Cardozo started off kind of loud knowing I would hear him, "along with Jamba Juice smoothies, I know you're heading down there next so I just thought I'd let you know what's on the menu today." I nodded as I finished off the last sentence in the planner. After, capping the marker and handing him his planner, I walked over to where my bag was and placed my music sheets in the correct folder neatly.

I'd rather die than to have a bent paper.

I looked at the clock on my phone and saw I had 10 minutes till my next hiding spot. I swung my backpack over my left shoulder and started walking towards the door, right as my hand touched the door nob I heard Mr. Cardozo speak once more, "Take the English corridor." I turn my ear to the direction of his voice, "All the English classes are on a field trip for the Romeo and Juliet play." I threw him a thumbs up and started off to the English corridor.

There was only a hand full of kids who were in the halls by the time I arrived. Some of them glanced at me, but none cared to look longer than a second. Good, look away. I stood outside of Mrs. Jones' room waiting for her class to end, after about 5 minutes a swarm of bodies flooded out her classroom. I looked up to see if the coast was clear and as I took a step forward a body collided with mine,

"Oh, crap, my bad." The boy said grabbing my arm to stabilize us both. I looked up to see his blue eyes staring back at my brown ones. Hide. He opened his mouth to speak but his friend cut him off.

"Grier lets go!" His friend said grunt yell. Grier whipped his head around to his friend nodding before looking back at me

"Watch where you're going next time."

You ran into me dumb egg

When I entered, I see Mrs. Jones backing her bag while talking to another teacher. With a confused frown, I gently knocked on the door. Both the adults snapped their heads in my direction and Mrs. Jones had an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry Arya, my daughter is sick so I need to go pick her up from school. You need to go to class today but I have food in my fridge here you can get but you can't stay here while Mr. Young is substituting." I nodded while walking over to her mini-fridge and grabbing a Jamba and yogurt. I waved her goodbye and started walking towards the principles office. Ha, she's funny to think I'm going to class. As I enter my uncle's office he looks over at me before going back to typing rapidly on his computer.

"What a surprise to see you, Arya." I make myself comfortable on his little sofa. My uncle was a fit man for his age. The tall gene must skip generations in my family because I stood at a whopping 5'3 and he was over 6'. He had thick salt and pepper hair with a full beard to match. He finished whatever he was writing, then turned to look at me.

"You can't hide from every class you know that right?" He started, raising his thick eyebrow at me. I stared at him, slurping on my drink on purpose. He rolled his eyes at me and went to speak but then there was a knock at the door. He told them to come in and Mrs. Jones was there with a boy behind her.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Jefferson, but I caught Mr. Grier skipping class again."

Oh, the irony. Ha, get it, cause I always skip class.

My uncle rubbed his face with both hands before asking her to bring the student in. When the boy entered, I noticed him as the boy I just saw not that long ago. He looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows before looking back at my uncle.

Wow for someone trying to hide, this dude keeps finding me a lot.

"Mr. Jefferson this is a misunderstanding-" He began with a tone that I'm sure worked for many other teachers. My uncle waved his hand for Grier to stop before beckoning him to sit down in one of the solo chairs in front of his desk.

"We are not even a month into the school year and it is the third time you have been caught skipping class Hayes. I've given you two warnings already. This needs to stop. You're a senior, after this you're an adult out in the real world and this nonsense will have to stop." I heard Greg start talking but I refused to look up. Instead, I looked around his office seeing pictures of family and some of the student's artwork.

"I know Sir, I'm sorry," Hayes says with no apology in his tone.

"You said that the first two times and yet it still happens." Hayes sat quietly staring at my uncle, facial expressions unwavering. I shuffled in my seat trying to get comfier, Hayes' eyes snap in my direction before going back to my uncles. His jaw clenched as he took a deep breath and exhaled out of his nose,

"

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