I made my way around he winding pathway in the garden, bored out of my mind. A few blew birds were perched on a branch, the sky had a dark tent rolling under the clouds I knew it was about to rain.
“Mrs. White?” I could have sworn one of the birds just talked to me, but I wasn’t about to react where everyone in the park could see me. I ignored the blue bird and kept walking. “Miss White!” the bird yelled causing me to jump in my skin and fall over. I hit a hard surface and when I opened my eyes I was back in the class room I had started out in. Mr, Andrewes Scowled down at me, “What have I said about sleeping in class?”
A few students chuckled at me ut the others just ingored what was happening around them and went back to twitting or snapchting their bratty little friends.
“I’m sorry sir,” I mumbled rubbing the back of my head. I was still sprawled out on the floor beside my desk which I must have fallen out of in my sleep.
“Look, this is the third strike, I understand you’ve had a lot on your plate but this behavior is unacceptable, and I’m afraid I have to send you to the front office.” Mr. Andrewssaid as he turned on his heels retreating back to his desk, and pulled out a hall pass. “I’ll call down and let them know your coming,” he said as he held the pass out towards me, I knew he was just telling me that as a warning not to try and opt out of the office idea.
Reluctantly I grabbed the pass and shuffled out of the room, still nobody made a sound in the classroom aside from snickers and gossip, but it was almost like no one knew I was there.
My school was well known for their academics, which made no sense to me because id never seen a student actually study for a test, and the book room full of text books had a thick layer of dust covering every inch of it. As I made my way down the hall award plaques hung on the wall, most of them for academic purposes, and her and there the school was lucky enough to have a state champion basketball team, but football we never excelled at, and when I say never I mean I doubt we even have a team anymore.
I was nearing the office, and I should have been more nervous, the principal would not let me off easily for falling asleep in my chem class. The door was wide open inviting me in, yet I just wanted to stay outside and relish in the curiosity of what would be my punishment.
“Julie, come in.” the secretary said after noticing me standing in the door way, “you can have a seat right there and the principal will be with you in just a minute,” she gestured towards a plush chair that sat in the corner of the little office. Parents were dropping forgotten lunches off, and students were coming and going out of the school flashing their passes at the attendance counselors. I had never been a trouble maker and being sent into the office seemed so out of the ordinary for me and the moment Mr. Lewis stepped out of his office and called my name I thought I might just pee myself. He led me down a hallway that branched out from the front office down into a room that had his full name printed on the door.
“Take a seat please,” he addressed me and sat across the desk staring at me. “your teacher called and said you have been falling asleep in class recently, is this true?” he intertwined his nubby fingers together setting them on the desk, his facial features relaxed and bored.
“I guess,” I didn’t know how else to respond, it was true but admitting it made me sound like a trouble maker.
“You guess or you know, miss white, I don’t have time to play games.” He didn’t raise his voice at me yet he still sounded progressibly more powerful.
“I guess I’ve been falling asleep sir, but how would I know what I was and what I wasn’t doing when I’m asleep,” I smirked, proud of my anser.
“Miss White, do not sass me,” he yelled not at all trying to hide how my attitude was begging to get to him. “Look school is not the place to take a nap, and after looking at your grades in that class, I would make sure I stayed awake if I were you,” he unfolded his hands and sat back in his chair. His graying hair was pushed up in the back making him look like he had a comb over, I had to bight my cheek to keep from laughing.
“Yes sir,” I said hopping a little whack on the hands was all I would receive.
“Good, now I’m giving you this week in detention both morning and after school, I would have only given you morning detention but that sass has pushed it, I would watch your mouth next time.”
I went to protest but thought better of it if I kept going in the direction I was going I would end up in detention for the rest of the year.
