Star Pupil

Chapter one

"Good morning, Jake, as you may or may not know, you're in detention for the rest of this term. So that means you're in this very room from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening. You're off on weekends by the way. The rules are: to do whatever work you've been given today, and it must be completed by the end of the day. You're allowed to take a toilet break during break and lunch.

"Make sure you sign in with Mr. Seville in the morning and upon leaving. During detention, you are not allowed to have your phone, iPod or whatever it is you kids use these days on. No YouTube or any form of social networking if you please.

"If you arrive late, you must have an official letter explaining your late arrival or your absence, if you can't write a letter, please call before school an hour in advance. And don't give me any "I've left my homework" or "my mummy had to take me to the dentist" bullshit.

"Do you understand every word I've said, Mr. McDowell?" that was Mr. Harris addressing me the rules of detention. "Yes, sir." I replied. "Good then enjoy your first day in detention."

Enjoy your first day in detention, Jake (!) Like I'm going to look forward to that myself. I don't remember the last time I was in detention but I'm sure it felt like yesterday.

After Mr. Harris left the room, I quietly looked in my iPhone

Monday 1 November 2010

9:01AM

Right, better get on with work! Level 1 Essential Skills literacy. I hate this but hopefully this'll get me into Level 2 by the time I get into college. So, better tell you guys a little bit bout me:

I'm in lower-sixth year just at Boothwood Special School, it's like three schools in one: a nursery, a primary and a secondary school, you don't get schools like that round Boothwood. I live in this little quiet street just away from the school called Maria Avenue, the only time there's like noises it's when people are like celebrating end of class, Christmas and stuff.

The only people who live in my house are me and my mum. She's been a flight attendant for Belfast City Airport for couple years. I have grandparents who are from Ireland and only a couple of godparents from Australia. They've been into this mass-marketing game of a health supplement company for a while and the shit they sent us are hella good!

At age 16, I'm pretty much alike the other kids in school: I go there to do my work, I come home and do homework, play video games like Minecraft, do bit of social networking, you know?

However, I'm like different from the other guys: I tidy up the whole house after I finish my homework, I haven't played a single video game for a long while, I don't know much about Minecraft and my taste for music is like nothing compared to frickin Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, you name it.

I'm more into the old sounds of Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Snow Patrol, Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction. My favourite TV shows are Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Simpsons and Boardwalk Empire. But the one thing that I'm into the most is horror films!

I remember when I was 6 – maybe 7 – my mum had a group of friends that came over to our house for a "girl's fun night". They were high on grass and were watching some random movies until they put on The Shining.

I came in the living room unexpected – not knowing they were baked as fuck on the sofa – and sat down to watch the movie until it ended. That changed my life forever!

I wasn't allowed to watch any horror movies on my own until I turned 13. If I went out to the video store to get one, I'd have my ma buying it for me (I know, I'm a mamma's boy! Laughing out loud!).