The Fading Oddities of Nate Smith (A NateWantsToBattle Fanfiction) --COMPLETE--

Chapter Seven

Science sucked.

Math sucked.

Photo Editing currently sucks.

Basically, this whole morning sucked.

Like every day.

I glance up to the clock from my sleeping position, too lazy to pull my head away from my folded arms resting on the desk. 11:45.

The one day that I actually want to go by quickly just so happens to be the one that drags by the slowest. Go figure.

I wonder how Nate's doing. Is he bored out of his mind? Did Tess decide to ditch class again and go back to the dorm? I sigh quietly as the last class before my Lunch Break slugs by as slowly as possible.

"MS. ZACHRIELLE!"

I snap back into reality and flinch upward, nearly knocking down all of my papers in the process. Everyone in the room is looking at me, with some scattered giggles in the mix. I glance around the room as my cheeks turn red in embarrassment, and my eyes finally land on the gold-haired, middle-aged woman tapping a meter stick up front.

"Y-Yes...Professor Sternn...?" I squeak quietly, trying not to take anything further than it has to go.

"Sleeping in class, Ms. Zachrielle? It seems to me that you take no interest in what I have to teach you."

My eyes fall to my hands, which are clasped tightly in my lap, and I bite my lip. I've always had a bad habit of dozing off, but I never fall asleep in class!

"S-Sorry, Professor."

"Right..." she slams the meter stick onto her desk, making a slapping sound loud enough for even Damian Armstrong, the toughest Freshman known to mankind who's sitting way at the back, to flinch. "You know I don't tolerate snoozing during lessons, but I'll...let this one slide. For today."

I sigh quietly in relief and nod, sorting my supplies back in order. Someone behind me taps me on the shoulder as Prof. Sternn goes back to her lecture, and I turn around to see that it's Aphrodite Rivera, a friend from Photo Club.

"Hey, where were you yesterday?" Aphrodite whispers to me. "Everyone was looking for you."

"Didn't you get my text?" I reply in the same volume. "I told you that I'd explain later tonight."

"I know, but we were still worried! Can you please be more detailed than 'Something's up; will explain later' next time?"

"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry, okay?"

"It's fine. Just let us know in advance when something happens, okay?"

"Sure, sure."

Aph and I exchange nods and turn our attention back to Prof. Sternn. She types madly on her computer as her voice resounds across the vast classroom.

"The bird's wing must not cover the head at any point in time," she continues, shifting her deadly glare at Carson Steadford, a scrawny brunette with huge round glasses, who in turn looks as though he's about to dissolve into his seat. "Unfortunately, Mr. Steadford doesn't understand that concept..."

She pulls up a photo of a terribly edited Chimney Swift taking flight, its wing looking deformed due to the heavy PhotoShopping done to it.

"Mr. Steadford, you do know that, despite the fact that this is Photo Editing class, this kind of editing is not tolerated, correct?"

Carson pushed his glasses up his nose and stutters quietly, searching for an answer. "Y-Y-Yes, Professor Sternn...I-I couldn't get a good picture of any bird I found, s-so, I-I tried to edit with what I h-had..."

"Mhmm..." Prof. Sternn's glare seemed to intensify every second. "Well, you'll have to see me after class for this."

Carson nods and sinks down in his seat, looking pale - and probably ready to throw up. "Y-Yes, Professor..."

"And perhaps you'll actually learn a thing or two about proper editing..." She whips around and grabs her meter stick again, slamming it down to silence everyone in a heartbeat. "Now, be sure you've corrected all of the necessary things in your photo. I'll be viewing all of them tomorrow in class.

Good luck everyone; class dismissed."

Chatter bubbles up again as everyone rises from their seats, collecting their bags and leaving the room. Aph joins me in my departure.

"So," she says, "You meeting up with us for lunch again?"

"No," I reply, sighing quietly. "I promised Tess I'd meet her back at the dorm. Sorry."

Aph raises an eyebrow. "You sure everything's okay? I mean, you haven't been acting...you...today."

I shake my head and smile. "Nah. I'm just tired from editing last night," I lie. "I'm fine, really."

"...Alright, then...see ya at Photo Club, I guess."

"Yeah, you too."

With that, the two of us part ways, and I begin the long trek back to the dorm. My mind becomes heavily fogged with worry, and I begin to wonder whether or not this whole thing was a good idea after all.

I can only hope that nothing happened in the time Tess and I were gone...