Wondering Souls

Petals ~Lyle

I zone out and pull out my pen. Why is it that art students have to sit through hours of obligatory maths while maths students are told it doesn't matter if they can't draw? I can add, subtract, multiply and divide. When will I ever need to know tan(x) is the opposite side divided by the adjacent side? I won't.

As always, I practice drawing flowers. Stems first, line by line, then add petals- only faintly- and a touch of colour. Only a little. My tongue pokes out as I focus, so of course my maths teacher picks on me. I jump, jabbing the pen into my arm.

"Lyle, find x." I haven't been listening at all. My glasses slip down my nose, as I push them back up I debate whether or not to point to x. Instead I mutter an apology and probably turn beetroot. However, that does not satisfy this teacher, oh no.

"Lyle, would you please come up to the board and teach the lesson as you feel it is far more important to draw on your arm than PAY ATTENTION!" He shouts the last words unexpectedly- I should be used to that; he pulls that trick all the time. Instead, I fall for it and jab my nails into my arm as I jump yet again.

"You are all aware that I do not permit you to draw on yourselves in this classroom?" queries the teacher to the rest of the class. They all nod. "Go wash it off Lyle, NOW."

I stumble as I leave the room, biting my lip in frustration with myself. Sighing, I walk awkwardly down the corridor to the bathroom. Can I really moan to Chloe about Mr Nanum again? Our relationship has been going downhill a while, it's probably time to end it. I start to tremble.

To cope, I pull out a pen and scribble myself a note on my stomach, so Nanum won't see. "Let them go."