Should've Stayed In Bed

perry: part one

3:56 pm.

“Give me your phones. Thank you, thank you.” Mr Bann walks around the library of St Christopher’s high, his gut protruding unnaturally, with a metal tin, collecting our phones. I always hated the teachers here. They were always looking down their noses at us, and their ugly noses to be precise. There are legit, no good-looking teachers here. My cousin goes to Kinchurch Prep, and she says the teachers at her school are really good-looking? Why are none of the teachers here good-looking? It gives me a headache looking at some of them… long, thin noses, wearing expensive clothing from the plus size section of Marks & Spencers. It really is a shame.

“Now, this is not The Breakfast Club. You don’t leave this library, until I come and dismiss you at half-past six exactly.” Mr Bann begins, eyeing off Jack Holt. His real name is Jackson, but no one except the teachers call him that. Jack’s a bit of a ladies man, and just like the typical ladies’ man – is always getting himself into trouble. I heard it’s his 9th time or something in detention this semester!

“Phone please, Perry.” Bann walks straight over to me and holds the tin inches from my face, his eyes widening, waiting to see what my reaction will be. I roll my eyes and hand over my iPhone. I’m particularly fond of my phone, and I spent sixty quid getting 300 diamantes glued onto the back.

Bann quickly counts the amount of phones in the tin, obviously forgetting whose phone he has taken, and whose phone he hasn’t. “Who hasn’t given me their phone?!” He yells, his voice echoing through the high ceilings. “I asked a question!” He bangs his large fist down on Eric Jacobs desk, causing us all to jump. I can hear a faint chuckling, and turn my head in awe to see Jack laughing. And not laughing hastily either.

“Holt, is something funny?!” Bann raised his voice, stomping across the room. He stops opposite Jack, leaning his face in close to Jacks, in order to try and make he seem more tough. “I said is something funny?!”

“No you didn’t. You said ‘Holt’ is something funny. You can’t forget the ‘Holt’.” Jack said, not laughing any more. His tone was serious, yet there was a playful side to it.

By this time Mr Bann has gone red in the face, and his eyes looked as though they might pop out of his head. “First of all; you will address your teachers correctly. You call me ‘Sir’ or ‘Mr Bann’ when you are speaking to me young boy! Second of all, I believe it is Miss Penderson in fact, who has not given me her phone.” He spins around on his heel, making very direct eye contact with Amara, who has a smirk plastered on her face.

“You… Girl.” Sir lowers his eyebrows and points a finger at Amara. “Wipe that goddam smirk off your pretty little face, or I’ll do it for you!”

“I’d like to see you try.” She rolls her eyes, twirling a blonde lock between her fingers.

“What did you just say to me?!” Mr Bann swiftly makes his way over to Amara.

“I said: I’d. Like. To. See. You. Try.” Amara said, standing up so she was at eye level with Mr Bann, nothing but a desk in between them. I felt bad for Amara, being that close to such a disgusting, smelly, old man must be horrible.

That’s it. Mr Bann has snapped. He took a step back, using his momentum and raised a hand towards Amara’s face. I squinted my eyes shut, but I didn’t hear an impact. Peeking through my eyelashes, I saw Eric had blocked Bann’s slap.

“You touch her, or any student for that matter, you’ll lose your job and have to work at Tesco for the rest of your adult life.” Eric said sternly. He dropped Mr Bann’s hand, and returned to his seat, one away from Amara.