Battles and Bruises (TW)

Chapter 3- Class begins (Haylee)

Haylee had forgotten how much she loved learning.
Besides all the kids in school who were pricks to her, she loved school. She loved the complex of the building, she loved the thought of learning new things and showing the teachers what she could do with that knowledge, and she loved being with her friends who she only saw during the school year. Haylee didn't understand why some people hated it; school was an amazing opportunity that not everyone had.

Haylee wandered down the hallways, looking for her old locker. She thought it was so cool to have a safe place to hide your stuff in, where nobody could get to. She took her backpack off and put it into the locker, smiling to herself as she got organized again.
   She looked over her shoulder and saw some other kids putting their stuff in their lockers. Haylee was relieved when she remembered that Alexis and her girl group was in a different hallway, so if she got any classes with them she'd at least have her locker time away from them.

"Hey, Haylee!!!!"

   Haylee looked over her shoulder and saw one of her friends waving at her. Her name was Lindsey, and she was in the 5th grade. Haylee didn't see her much because Lindsey was older than her and a grade ahead. But when they did see each other, Haylee felt like she had a big sister. Lindsey would give her advice about things and would cheer her up after she had been bullied by Alexis.

"Hey Lindsey!"

Haylee ran over and hugged her friend, smiling. Boy, it felt good to be reunited with her friend. Lindsey pulled away and smiled down at her old friend. "How are you? I've missed you!"
   "So have I!! I'm ok, but my dad is dating someone now. She's nice, but I wish he wasn't dating her." Haylee's mood didn't sink to much at the thought of Helen, but she wasn't very pleased at the thought either.
    "Yeah, I can understand that. Maybe if you hang out with her you might like her a little better. What's her name?"
     "Her name is Helen. And i have spent a little bit of time with her, and she's ok. I'll hang out with her later if you think I should." Haylee hugged her friend again. "I missed you so much!"
    Lindsey let out a small laugh and hugged her back. "I missed you too!" Suddenly, the bell rang, and Lindsey looked up. "Well, it's class time. See you later?"
    Haylee nodded and smiled. "Ok! See you later!" She went back to her locker and checked her schedule. Her first class was English. Haylee smiled. English was easy for her. She grabbed her workbook and pencils, and headed to her class.

"Good morning class. I'm Ms. Mandy, and I'm going to be your English teacher this year. I'd like all of you to take turns saying your names and one thing about yourself. Let's start with you."
   Ms Mandy pointed at a small boy with glasses on. He slowly stood up, a look of nervousness on his face, and he took a breath before speaking in a squeaky voice.

"I-I'm Mitchell, and I like to read.."

Some of the kids snickered at him as he sat down, whispering to each other about his voice. 

"Nice to meet you, Mitchell. Now, let's continue with you."

Ms Mandy pointed at a tall girl wearing a blue shirt, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked like an athlete, and stood up swiftly and confidently.

"I'm Alexa, and I love basketball."

Ms Mandy nodded at her with a small smile on her face as the girl sat back down. Some of the other kids murmured about how tall and athletic she looked.
    For the next 10 minuets the kids stood up and said their names, and Haylee immediately thought she'd have a panic attack when it came her turn.

"Alright, we have one more student. Will you stand up and tell us your name?"

Haylee gulped and stood up slowly, wondering what to say about herself. Should she talk about her brother, or how her dad was dating someone? Probably not that. Maybe that she started drawing a year ago? Hmm.. maybe.. but she didn't want kids expecting her to be some sort of Michelangelo when she could only draw cats and dogs.

"U-uh, I'm Haylee, and I.. I'm socially awkward...."

Some of the kids laughed after she took her turn, and Haylee at back down slowly. She had actually broke a sweat over telling people her name and how she was awkward. 'Calm down Haylee...' she thought nervously.

"Alright class, that's enough. Now, we are gong to discuss nouns and verbs today."

A kid rose his hand. "Ma'am, i know what those are. We learned about them last year."

Miss Mandy looked back at him. "Yes, I am aware of that. But sometimes we have to review the basics before moving on to new things this year. Now, why don't you stand up and tell the class what a noun is."

The kid stood up, his green eyes shining with confidence. "A noun is a person, place, or thing."

Miss Mandy nodded. "Very nice, but you forgot that certain ideas are also nouns. Things like the words love, joy, and anger. Now, who can tell me what a verb is?"

Mitchell raised his hand and Ms Mandy called on him. He stood up slowly. "A verb is a word that describes action. But sometimes they can link sentences together, and those are called Linking Verbs."

Miss Mandy nodded at him. "Very nice, Mitchell!" She turned to the chalk board and started talking about verbs and nouns. Haylee smiled to herself, opening her textbook and following along until class ended. She was going to like school this year.