“Turn to page three hundred and ninety four everyone,” The teacher droned from the front of the dull, dimly lit classroom.
“But sir, we just begun reading about red caps and hinkypunks. We're not meant to start nocturnal beasts for weeks,” Darren Michaels mumbled, smirking to himself. His best friend, Kerry Williams, unsuccessfully held back a snort of laughter at his expert quote.
“What was that Mister Michaels?” Miss Walters glared at him from the front of the room.
“Nothing ma’am. Sorry ma’am,” Darren smiled at his desk.
“That’s what I thought. Now as I was saying…” Her voice was lost to Darren as he slipped into his own world. His gaze flowed around the classroom, not really focusing on anything. He looked out the long, dirty window that lined the wall. The sky was a dull gray expanse covered in roiling clouds. Looks like we have more rain coming in. Darren thought to himself. He sighed inwardly, dreading the thought of having to trudge through more muck every morning just to walk to the hell hole they call school. His gaze rolled across the white walls of the classroom. They were covered with posters related to math and other inspirational quips to get students to focus.
Finally his eyes drifted to the front of the class when the door opened. In walked a girl who would put Gwyneth Paltrow’s beauty to shame. Long, chocolate brown locks draped down her back, blazing green eyes scanned the room with a calculating calm. She caught Darren staring and flashed a smile so bright and warm that Darren’s face turned a shade of red that resembled a rose, which in turn caused him to stare down at his desk.
Miss Walters finally noticed her standing by the door. “Oh! Miss Daniels, so glad you could join us,” She said snidely. “Take your seat there next to Mister Michaels.”
Darren’s eyes shot to the empty seat next to him. Oh great… He thought to himself. I’m stuck next to a new girl who’ll be playing catch up the entire year AND she just so happens to be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. Fantastic Michaels, absolutely fantastic.
The goddess of a girl walked over and sat next to Darren, placing her backpack onto the ground next to her seat. Miss Walters resumed teaching, paying no attention to the glare of absolute loathing she was receiving from Darren. When he realized he would get no satisfaction from burning holes into the back of the teacher’s head, he began doodling in his journal. His mind escaped into his art. He watched as the body of a great beast formed. A long, slender tail, sharp talons, and a grin of pure malice appeared on the page. When he finished, he noticed the new girl looking at him, smiling that beautiful smile again. This close, Darren noticed how absolutely perfect her teeth were.
“You’re a great artist. I’ve never seen a creature like that. What is it?” She said in a perfectly articulated English accent. Oh even better! She’s British! Darren mentally punched himself in the face.
“It’s uh... It’s my version of the Jabberwocky. You know from the book Through the Looking Glass?” Darren replied, his voice shaking a little. Dammit Michaels, get it together.
“Oh, I’ve never read it. I’m Stephanie by the way, but most of my friends call me Europe on account of the fact that I’m the only British girl here,” She flashed Darren her perfect smile again. Oh how that smile made Darren’s heart melt. He held out his hand.
“Darren. Darren Michaels. My friends call me Darren on account of the fact that that’s my name,” He laughed half-heartedly. Oh my god did you just say that?? Did you really just pull that joke??
