Chapter 2

151 44 14
                                    


It's our living room back at Kenny's house again except there is no roof. For some reason the TV and radio are on at the same time and my mum and I are seated watching teenage mutant ninja turtles even though we can't understand it properly because the radio guy keeps interrupting. There's a crash outside and Kenny stalks into the living room, machete in hand. He walks right up to the TV and smashes the glass in. Angry clouds loom above, coloring the sky an intense gray. Kenny, who has turned towards us, begins to walk forward. I grab mom's hand, willing her to run but she won't budge. I plead repeatedly but she won't answer. Kenny is closer now but my mother fails to register my presence. Two feet, one foot...then he's right in front of me, reaching out to grab my arm. Suddenly there is a clap of thunder and it begins raining cats and dogs.

I sit up in bed to find my mum standing next to me with a pail full of water. "Get up Ricky" she says. "Or you'll be late for school again."

Scowling, I kick off my blanket, grab my towel and trudge warily to the bathroom.

I feel a bit distracted as foggy images from my dream keep shifting in my brain.

"Dang it!" I scream as I scald myself with hot water. I know the dream is probably a figment of my ever-paranoid imagination but I can't help feeling irked about it.

Quickly, I finish up in the bathroom, get dressed in my aggravatingly uncomfortable uniform and rush through a light cereal breakfast.

The drive to school is quite uneventful. Mum tries to make small talk but my mind is mostly preoccupied. Soon we were saying our good-byes and I have to once again face the exciting experience of neck breaking work, irritable teachers and awful cafeteria food. What joy!

It's Tuesday so thankfully there will be no boring assembly to sit through. I march straight down to my home room to find that my mates are already there making as much noise as they can possibly get away with since our home room tutor is M.I.A

"Ricky!" beams Alex, my best friend, as I walk in.

"You're late, again," Brianna says. For some reason, she enjoys being right.

"Thanks captain Obvious." I reply in my head and make my way towards my regular seat.

"It's just 7:40am," I grunt out loud though, unwilling to give her the satisfaction as I dump my bag on the table. "Lessons begin at eight."

"You're supposed to be in school before seven thirty. You would know that if you bothered to listen during assemblies or read the student handbook."

"Yeah, whatever." I retort while making my escape.

"Hey!" whines Alex as I snatch his pen from him. "I was planning on completing my homework with that," he says, but he's smiling.

Getting settled next to him, I take out my pen, think for a moment and then begin drumming softly on my desk. I'm really enjoying myself and vaguely realize that quite a number of my mates have joined in. Some of the girls are actually singing.

Excited now, I decide to switch gears. Still drumming, I begin gently humming the tune to an old song we all used to love; changing the tapping of the pens on the desk to match the rhythm I'm creating. Immediately, all my classmates join in and we become lost in our own world. Someone starts a rap and the flow is going real nice until the door suddenly bursts open with a loud bang.

Right there standing in front of us is vice Principal Carter, his face a mask of untainted fury and disgust. "What is going on here?" he demands. "I cannot believe you students would be to insolent! What appalling behavior," he spits.

Dragged to my kneesWhere stories live. Discover now