Charlie Rose

two

I enter, slowly, my legs are stiff and don't want to cooperate with the rest of my body. It is sort of a shuffling tip toe, dragging across the rough concrete covered in debris and last years chewing gum. That's how I know I'm in the right place.

I finally walk in through the gates, as nervous as ever. I see so many people with their friends and laughing having a good time. That was me and Gracie last year. But not this year. I have been left to fend for myself. No laughing, no fun, no Gracie.

I walk around for awhile to see if anyone will invite me to sit. I wander everywhere, but no one does, I don't blame them. So I sit at a small bench, and pull out a book and read. I'm not really reading. I'm flicking pages, pretending to because my mind won't concentrate. People stare, I bury my head deeper

*****

Roll call. Usually my favourite time of the day. 20 solid minutes of reading. Everyone is usually talking and the teacher is always telling them to stop. I ignore it, I just focus on the magical words lying there on the brisk pages.

I have always loved reading, ever since a young girl, I would always choose reading over anything. I have hundreds of books in my bookcase, so many, that the shelves are starting to bend. I love reading all sorts of things from action and adventure to romance and drama. And the books are ALWAYS better then the movies. I will argue to the ends of the earth to get that point across.

Like this morning, I am finding it hard to focus on the book. I can't block anything out and my mind keeps wandering. It didn't help that my teacher would not stop talking. This year, I have Mr. Sawyer. He, to be honest, is the most fucking annoying teacher I have ever come across. He has a mouth like a foghorn yet sounds like a pubescent teen. He teaches science and he had the most high pitched voice I have ever heard, he sounds like a crazy celebrity obsessed teenage girl. I had him for year 7 science and that was the worst year of my life. I learnt nothing and got a D in science, and I'm usually fairly good at science.

"OK class, tell us about your holiday." Mr. Sawyer squeaked out of his tiny pie hole. Mr Sawyer is a tall, lanky teacher who probably only learnt his ABC's a couple of years ago. He wears bright blue glasses and his lips are so plump and naturally pink, Kylie Jenner is mistaken for him.

As he waits for someone to offer an answer to his question, he paces back and forward from each end of the room. He walks like a horse on acid, like fucking learn to walk, fucktard.

I didn't want him to talk, I didn't want anyone to talk, I just wanted to read, even if I couldn't concentrate. It was good, nobody had there hand up to answer the question therefore no one else was talking. There were murmurs but nothing to get too worked up about. Actually for the first day back, everyone seemed quite calm.

"C'mon, Year 10, someone must of done something." He spoke in a wheezy teen voice.
"C'mon. Tell me. I wanna know. Inform me. C'mon c'mon"

He uses the slang 'c'mon' way too much, it drives me crazy. Every time I walk past him or hear him talk, he will say c'mon.

"JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled from the front of the class room, I had lost my temper. I can only go so far and he just blew it. The room was the quietest I had ever heard it. Not a peep from anyone. Except Mr. Sawyer, with his high pitched, squeaky voice he yelled at me.

"Excuse me, Miss Charlie Rose, how dare you speak to..."

He continued to speak. It was really hard to take him seriously with that voice so I sat there and laughed and I wasn't the only one either. The whole class was in a hysteric mess. I didn't mean to laugh but I did. Right there and then, I laughed, to his face. It was the funniest thing I have ever heard.

"Go and see the principal. And on the first day too. That is ridiculous!"

I walked out of the room. Tears rolling down my face from laughter. As I keep walking I hear distant laughter.

He really brought it upon himself.

*****

"Next please"

There must have been a lot of problems today, and it is only 9:15am. I had been here for nearly 15 minutes. 15 minutes of precious reading time. One good thing came out of this I guess.

"Charlie Rose, we will see you now." The principal and the guidance councillor both spoke to me. Whatever they were saying was really boring so I only started paying attention when they mention calling my mum.

"We can call home if you don't tell us anything." Mrs. Cran had said. I go by the moto, speak when you have something to say. And I didn't so I didn't speak.
"Look, Maryanne don't call home," said Hayley, the councillor. "You know she has a problem."

Fuck her, she told her my problem. I hate when people use that as an excuse, I mean that pisses me off, a lot. It's not an excuse. My only excuse is that Mr. Sawyer sounds like a dog on crack and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't use that excuse" I gently said very monotone. "It doesn't excuse me from doing what I did." I continued in a monotone manner. "I did what I did because Mr. Sawyer was annoying me. Him and his high pitched, girly ass voice." They both gave a stern look, I'd better shut up before I get in serious trouble.

"I would like a transfer out of his home room please." Finally they seem okay with something.

They granted me a transfer. I now have Ms. Hern. I was let out of the room. I went to my first class. Maths, with Miss. Gill. Gosh, I hate math. I have never been good at it. All those numbers and symbols, it means nothing to me. The only subjects I like are English, Science and Textiles.

Home room was still going, only one minute left. I decided to go to my locker and get my books. I have had the same locker all throughout high school and it's great.

My locker is right next to a billboard, which is really good. I can see the latest school news. It's mainly full of sporting results and the latest canteen menu but something up there has caught my eye. This poster was full of sparkles and had a mystic purple backgroud. It drew me in, it was mesmerizing.

It was a ad for an acting position in New York.

Gracie.