Teenage Life (& Lies)

Chapter 10

Aaaaaahhhh it's Wednesday! I wake up 6 o'clock in the morning to make my mother coffee and deliver it to her. I go back downstairs and make my brother breakfast and then deliver it to him. I then go get my gym uniform which is a burgundy t-shirt and navy sweatpants with my undergarments and go downstairs to take a shower.

Although this is my daily routine, I feel like it's something important today, like something great is going to happen. After taking a shower I decide to put on some perfume on. It smells like apples like my shampoo. I smile as I do so and then I brush my hair. When finally my hair is flat and knot-less it's almost seven o'clock. I quickly go to the fridge, take out our lunches and heat them up in the microwave. After five minutes I take them out, put them in the lunch-bags, and stuff it into my brother and my book-bags. Soon its seven o'clock and my brother runs down the stairs, singing some song he had heard on the radio, and puts on his shoes. He has gym today too so we both put on sneakers.

Then we go outside, cross the street, and wait on the curb for the bus. I notice my brother is talking to a friend of his. A few other kids wait including my friends Michelle, Jamilette, Brandon, and Austen. Michelle, Brandon, and Austen are in the other class sadly, but Jami is in mine. Little kids also stand with us. The bus arrives and we all clamber in, looking for a good seat. I choose to sit next to windows. Sometimes I sit with a little kid or with a younger friend. Today I'm by myself for now. There are about seven more stops before we reach school, so that's at least 30 minutes of ride time.

I like to listen to music usually, but lately there has been more homework than usual. Now I always finish my homework but my fellow friends don't. Some of them aren't even in my class too! Today almost nobody did science or English. Of course, because I'm the only that did it, they ask me if they can borrow my homework. I have a hard time saying, “No” , so I usually just say yes and hand over the homework. I did so again today. I know copying is bad, but come on, everyone needs some help once in a while. I watch as my homework travels through the isle making its way to another person. I relax in my seat, full sure that my homework will return to me before the bus stops. I hear everyone chatting about and once in a while, a, “thank you” rings out to me. I say quickly, “Welcome, no problem!” and get my homework passed back to me.

Finally after about thirty minutes, the bus stops and the school is looming before us. I make sure my homework is all in order and turn off my MP3. I get off the bus and file into the building into my classroom as usual. I make my way to the closet, drop off my bag and coat, and take my books back in. I dump my books into my desk and look up seeing Christopher also going to the closet. I stroll over into the closet seeing only Christopher, Dominic, and Anthony in the closet. I say hi to all, try to make it look like I'm getting something, grab something out of my bag, and walk out feeling tension in the closet. I try to shake it off, but I can't. Dominic and Christopher soon take their seats and I smile at both forgetting the tension I had felt before. Dominic looks tired but I guess teenagers always look tired now-a-days. Dominic and I talk a bit before the bell rings and announcements turn on. Right before it's time to change classes, I steal a look at Dominic and smile to myself. His hair was so cute, I wonder what it'll feel like if I were to touch it. I shake the desire and walk out the door. I follow right behind him and next to Christopher, his hair tempting me.

Class slowly ticks by but soon enough it's Literature class. I dreaded every second. Especially when the teacher called on me to present. I gave Christopher a shaky smile and went up. I placed my bag on the desk. I worked a long time on this project and I deserve a hundred on this. I look at the class before me and start speaking with a smile. I felt intensely awkward though. “Hi. So I did my book-in-the-bag about a book called, 'Nipper' by Jerry Spinelli. So in this town of Waymer,turning ten is a big event, um. It's the year a boy takes his place in adulthood in the Pigeon Day Festival as a “wringer ”, which wring the pigeon's neck after being shot. At the festival sharpshooters from around town, come to test their shooting abilities to win the coveted Sharpshooter's Award. And of course pigeons are caught for the contest. It is a town tradition for every ten year old boy to participate as a wringer, yeah, but, young Palmer LaRue doesn't want to be a wringer. He doesn't want to wring a pigeons neck or even hold a dead one! So one day after a blizzard Palmer finds a pigeon pecking at his window and the pigeon quickly becomes Palmer's pet, Nipper. Now Palmer must keep his pet a secret, but his secret leaks out and a girl Dorothy, finds out. Instead of telling, she becomes a good friend and after school they hang out at his house talking and playing with Nipper.