Everything Changes in a Breath

6

*Ring!Ring!Ringringring!*

I roll over, groaning, and pick up the telephone. "Hullo...?" I mumble, feeling a bit muddled, as I had only slept for about an hour and a half.

"Hello, this is Dr. Rainiar from the Casper Creek R-6 school district, and I'm calling about the continued absence of an Aislin MacGregor?" He pronounces my name like AZE-leen, and for some reason, that bothers me.

"First of all, you pronounced my name wrong. If you're going to make a call to MY house, you better say MY name correctly, understood? Secondly, with all due respect sir, my baby brother is d-sick," I stumble over the word 'sick'; I almost said 'dying.' "So if I can't come to school, so be it. If you have a problem with that, sue me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, miss, I really am, but unfortunately, our handbook doesn't excuse absence for the illness of a family member. Only the death of one, or the illness of yourself."

"I'm sorry to hear THAT, sir, but you know EXACTLY where you can stick that handbook of yours..." I spit at him.

"Your attempt at an insult is crude and illiterate."

"Oh, you don't get it. Here let me spell it out for you," I speak slowly, as if talking to a mentally handicapped person. "You can stick that-"

"That won't be necessary. I am required to tell you though, if you don't come to school, you will have to repeat the ninth grade, and we will have to send a truant officer to your home." And with that, he hangs up.

What a rude man, I think to myself.

I almost blow him off, but his last words make me get up. I can't have anyone here. They'll see the state  my mother is in, and might take me away. I can't let that happen.

So, I get up and throw on some clothes. I rush downstairs, kiss my mother on the cheek, and jog to school. It is only when I get to school that I realize that I left my schoolbag at home.

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I walk into the office to check in. "Name, please?" The lady behind the desk asks in her nasally voice.

"Aislin MacGregor."

"Oh yes! Before you go to class, though, Dr. Rainiar would like to have a word with you. He's in his office."

Great.

"Ah! Mrs. MacGregor! I've been expecting you." Dr. Raniar sneers.

"Yes, if you hadn't been, you would be a tad bit surprised to see me, wouldn't you?" I smirk, crossing my arms over my chest.

" Now, this is of the time for humor. I want to make sure that you understand that you cannot have any more unexcused absences, or else..." His voice trails off.

"Oh yes, sir, I understand completely. May I please go to class now?" I faking politeness.

"Why, of course." He smiles an empty smile.

I get up to leave, shutting the door behind me.