In Colour (Slow Updates)

+ ms dunlop +

Ten

Friday went very similarly to Thursday until it reached the end of the day. I was sitting in History, listening to Ms Dunlop drone on about the history of Pearl Harbour. Despite my new effort towards school, our relationship had not improved. She still hated me and I still despised her.

She liked to pick on me a lot and today was no different. She called on me halfway through the lesson and asked a question that related to nothing she'd talked about in class.

The class was silent as I struggled to find an answer. "Uh, you sure you've taught us that because I have no idea."

"You have no idea," she repeated loudly. "Oh, I shouldn't be surprised."

"Well I have no idea because you haven't taught us that part of Pearl Harbour," I said through gritted teeth.

"Actually yes I have," she seethed.

A muscle ticked in my jaw. "Well I guess I must've missed it." The next word tasted like poison in my mouth. "Sorry."

"Sorry won't be enough when you fail this class," she hissed. "What would your parents think?"

My blood went cold at the mention of my parents. Every muscle in my body was tense but as I'd done so often before, I appeared unfazed.

Unlike all the other teachers who knew about my situation, Ms Dunlop went on ignorantly. "I don't think your parent's would be happy with your progress. Maybe I should ring them and fill them in on your attitude in class."

My hands were in two fists underneath the table, trying to refrain from fighting back. I kept her gaze with cold eyes. 

"No parent wants their child to fail school," she crowed. "I expect they'd side with me in saying you need to buck up and be better."

"I'm sorry," I said through clenched teeth, wanting her to stop. "I'll try harder."

She ignored me. "Do your parent's even care about your future? Do they even care about you?"

My breathing started to speed up subtly. This was the moment I should've grabbed my inhaler but I didn't, because I was afraid that if I moved, I might've done something I regretted.

And Ms Dunlop was relentless. She went on without knowing the full repercussions of her words. She went on, not know knowing what it was doing to me. 

"Maybe your parents don't care about you," she said carelessly. "In my day, parents were there through every part of a child's life. These days, they seem to be more useless. Are your parent's not there for you? Letting you gallivant about like you do. I would never have let my daughter act, or even dress like the way you do. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree--"

"That's enough!" Carter Wilkins roared, his large figure standing up abruptly, his chair skittering across the lino. "How dare you say those things."

I had no time to look shocked at his outburst because I needed to get out of there. The room seemed to small and I couldn't breathe.

Ms Dunlop stared at Carter, her mouth gaping open. "Young man, this is not your place."

"Like hell it isn't," he argued.

I never got to hear her reply because I was out of there, stumbling through the classroom door, grabbing at the walls to steady me through my blurred vision.

My breathing was broken. Short and hiccupped, the sure signs of a panic attack. My throat constricted and tears pricked my eyes as I tried to regain composure. Stumbling down the empty corridor, my steps were wobbly and my figure was bent over dejectedly.

I coughed and hacked, fighting for the air that didn't seem to be coming. 

And when everything seemed lost, when my walls had caved in and when I started to lose my grip on reality, two strong arm's wrapped themselves around me. 

"Breathe," a voice said in my ear. It was soft, soothing and vaguely familiar.

It was clearly a boy, a head taller than me, his figure looming over me. The touch, the voice. It was Aaron Archibald.

I squeezed my eyes shut as he started to guide me backwards, familiarly soothing words falling from his mouth. We backed through a door into the janitor's closet and once the door was locked, he was in front of me.

He bent so we were eye level, his hands placed on my shoulders. "Breathe, Penny. Focus and breathe."

He slid his arms around my back and pulled me against him, trying to compress my chest and hinder my ability to breathe so quickly and jaggedly. 

All these movements. These words. His presence. Everything felt so familiar. We'd gone through this process more than once and today was no different. 

In a matter of minutes, my breathing had calmed and my body had stilled. Aaron kept me close to him. "Are you alright?" he whispered.

He didn't get a reply because I'd begun to cry. A soft, slow trickle of tears that ran down my cheeks and soaked his t-shirt. 

When he realised, he held me at arm's length again. "Oh Penny," he breathed.

"She-she just ... I don't ... I can't--" I stuttered out unintelligibly.

His warm, callouses hands cupped my face, bringing my gaze to his. "You don't need to explain." He smoothed back the hair that had stuck to my sticky cheeks. "I'm sorry. I should've been the one to stop her. Earlier, too. But you said those things and I didn't want to anger you ... but that's no excuse. I'm sorry. I failed you, Penny."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "No you didn't," I hiccupped. "It's okay."

He pulled me against him again, nestlings me against his chest with his head rested on top of mine. My tears resided and when they did, I pulled away. "You should get back to class," I said quickly, avoiding his eyes as reality started to hit. "People will be wondering where you are."

He managed a half smile. "Carter and Dunlop were going at it pretty hard when I slipped out. I have a feeling she won't be back."

"Good," I breathed. "I never want to see the woman again in my life." Then as an afterthought, I added, "I should thank him for stepping in."

Aaron dropped his head again and I propped it back up. "Aaron, I told you to leave me alone and you're kind as equally as I'm stubborn. As always, you were just listening to me. It's not your fault."

I gave him a smile to reassure him. He gave me a smile too but it was more sad than happy. "This doesn't change anything, does it?"

I bit my lip. "You're still you and I'm still me."

"My popularity shouldn't affect our friendship," he pressed.

I let my gaze fall south. My voice, quiet. "I've been burned by your kind once before and I'm not prepared to let it happen again."

I grabbed my skateboard and opened the closet door. "Where are you going?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Far from here."

+   +    +    +

A/N: No seriously, fuck school.