Linked Hearts: Teenage Life - Issue 1

Short Story

Lara walked down the crowded hall, her back aching from her heavy bag. Breathless and sweaty, she had just climbed up four flights of agonizing stairs filled with rampaging bodies. She would normally feel cheery, but the lack of air in her lungs took her smile away.

She made her way to her locker. Her fingers trembled from exhaustion as she entered the password. She opened it, grabbed her books and slid them into her bag. She was just locking up when a voice spoke.

"Hey Lara!"

Lara wearily turned to the side and heavily leaned against her locker. "What."

A boy with rumpled red hair and worried eyes stood before her. In his hands was a thick math book and a pen on top. "Can I copy your algebra homework?"

Lara's eyes widened. "We had homework?" she yelled, grabbing the boy by the shoulders.

"Yeah," he said frantically. "It was given last week, remember? And it's due today!"

Lara shut her eyes, recalling the past week. It was a busy one, filled with major projects and short deadlines. Their math teacher had been lenient and gave them five days to complete it. Lara moaned and slapped her forehead as the memory came rushing back to her. "Ray, I totally forgot!"

"Oh no!" Ray grabbed his pen and quickly flipped his book open. "There's seven pages to answer. And nobody managed to do it!" Lara dejectedly watched him look for their homework.

"Wait." Lara looked up, hope in her eyes. She grabbed his arm and shook it excitedly. "We can just pretend Mrs. Gerald forgot to give us the assignment! She's forgetful, anyway."

"Yeah, yeah!" Ray pumped his fist in the air. "I'll spread the word!" Lara shook him violently, grinning widely as the prospect of escaping punishment invaded her mind.

"Hey, slow down, La." Ray shook his arm loose and rubbed it, shaking his head at the girl. "You have a tendency to shake people painfully when you're excited."

"Sorry!" Lara squeaked, playfully punching him in the arm. Ray stumbled back, wincing as he clutched his sore arm. Lara ran off to tell her friends what they had planned.

***

The plan had been warmly welcomed and prepared for execution. Class 7-B had put their game faces on as they filed inside their classroom. They had just returned from lunch, and the dreaded subject was next.

Lara arrived at her seat and took her place, one hand on her desk and the other was drumming the table with a ballpen. She waited anxiously for her teacher, and with each passing second her tapping became faster.

Justin, her seatmate, leaned toward Lara. Lara leaned back, as his long hair was styled upwards and held in place with gel. The tip of his hair tickled Lara's chin, so her put her hand on his forehead and pushed him back. Justin smirked.

"Don't be so cold, doll," he drawled. "I's only gonna ask a question."

"Your hair is pointy," Lara said, crossing her arms and frowned disapprovingly. "You should look into that."

Justin chuckled, shaking his head. "It's how I like it, doll. Anyway, seeing as I'm a charming and funny guy, I might start laughing. 'Cause you know how funny it is to see a teacher lookin' clueless. What should I do then?"

"It IS funny, isn't it? Hmm..." Lara said, tapped her chin as she pondered the possibility. A horrifying image of suspiciously giggling kids and an enraged teacher came to mind. Her hand latched on to Justin's shoulder and began shaking it.

Justin grabbed her hand and pried it off, a little peeved by Lara's unconscious violent tendencies. "Nope, no can do. No shaking, doll. Just go for the holding hands thing. Now THAT is something I would dig."

Lara's mind wasn't focused on Justin's flirting. She stood up and announced, "What'd happen if we started laughing and stuff?"

Silence was dominant for a mere moment. Then, one student spoke up. "Let's just turn our heads away and pretend to ask a classmate."

"It has to be diverse," a girl argued, "or else the whole classroom would be facing backwards."

"Others should cover their face with the diary and pretend to look for the assignment!" Lara suggested.

Suggestions came streaming in, and was interrupted by a loud rap against the desk. Heads turned to the front, eyes landing on their petite teacher with a meter stick in her hands. "Silence!"

Justin grabbed Lara's hand and pulled her to her seat, who was rooted to the spot. However, he didn't release her hand, so Lara yanked her hand free and stuck her tongue at him. Justin grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

So not subtle! Lara complained silently. It's so . . . annoying!

"Okay class," Mrs. Gerald called out, pushing the glasses up her nose with a slim finger. "Attention. Now, open your books. We'll check your assignment."

Justin and Lara locked eyes for a second before asking, "What?"

Confusion and questions reigned the room. Students were searching their diaries and shaking heads, asking questions and frowning. Mrs. Gerald looked the most perplexed of them all.

"Didn't I give you your assignment?" Disbelief was written across her wrinkled features and echoed in her voice.

"No," the class said in unison, but a small voice said otherwise.

"Yes."

Heads snapped towards the speaker. A neat boy held up his book, which was opened on the page of their homework. "See?"

If looks could kill, then his head would've been sliced clean off his shoulders. Lara groaned while Justin muttered curses and promises of the boy's death.

"So I did." Mrs. Gerald nodded her head. "Open your books. Now."

Today was going to be a long, torturous day, Lara decided. But If they were going to fail, then they were going to fail together.