3pm Monday afternoon rolled around in the blink of an eye, or so it seems. I have been dreading this day since Thursday when I was notified that I am to be doing custodial duties for...well that I'm not sure of.
Throughout the weekend I tried to avoid my parents fully, which worked until mom caught me in the fridge at 1:30 am early Sunday morning. I remember turning around and staring at her like I was a deer in headlights.
She scolded me endlessly about how unhealthy it is to eat in the middle of the night. She also threw facts at me like how "it will only turn into fat" or "my body won't be able to metabolize the food" which makes me wonder why the hell she thinks I care seeing as we can both easily tell I've never followed those rules before.
Anyways, that night turned into a screaming match between her and I. I am scared of so many people and things, but none of those are my mother. She has this tendency to get under my skin after every word she says. Our relationship was never that strong and I've always sensed something accusatory in her voice whenever she mutters a single word to me.
I leave my thoughts behind as I knock on Principal Lee's door, seeing it open before me.
"Ah, Grace, I suppose you are here to make up for the actions you partook in Thursday afternoon?" He says, I can hear his mocking tone no matter how well he hides it.
"Yes, I'm here." I cut short, not wanting to keep the conversation going so I can get home quicker.
"Very well, today I'm leaving you to sweep the hallways and pick up any trash left behind. Here is the key to the janitor's closet, I am trusting you to hold on to it until your dues are paid." I almost scoff at his last statement, if he truly trusted me he wouldn't of taken the single key off of the key chain; and if he was better at hiding his doings, he would've put the rest of the keys in his drawer, not under a random textbook.
I nod and head towards the janitors closet on the other side of the school. Once I arrive, the key enters the slot and turns easily, revealing the supplies I am to use. I grab the large microfiber broom, lock the door back up and slip the key in my pocket.
I am disgusted by how much garbage is discarded in these now empty hallways. Someone could easily mistake the teenagers that attend this school as animals while taking the trash into perspective. Wrappers, crumbs, containers, anything you can name lines the floor. Items stuffed into corners, lockers and under doors prove to be a nuisance to dispose of as I try to rid the halls of this garbage.
While I continue to sweep the floor in one of the last hallways I need to tend to, I hear a voice from down the hall. The broom I hold in my hand gives me an excuse to move closer to the room I hear noise from.
"You're doing great, now tell me what this is." A lady speaks, but I can't see what she's referring to because I am too nervous to look through the doorway from the chance of being caught.
"Um, a peach?" I hear the familiar irish accent from Thursday. Curiosity flows through me and I can't help myself so I peek through the door.
From my view I see the blind boy, Niall I think it was, and a woman sitting at a desk across from each other. The lady's back is facing me and I can see Niall's face apparel those black shades. He also wears a confused and tired expression while holding a kiwi in his hand.
"Close, Niall, it is a fruit." Her voice is eerily optimistic.
Niall sighs. "Mrs.Belle, we've been on this one for 20 minutes. I'm sorry, I just don't know."
"No Niall! You're almost there, keep going!" She cheers.
He sighs again, feeling the kiwi in his hand. I feel bad for the poor guy. I can assume he's been blind all or most his life, seeing as he doesn't know what a kiwi feels like, and that makes me pitiful. It's just sad how he fails to have such an important sense to an extent where he may or may not even know what his own parents look like, let alone a piece of fruit.
"A tennis ball? I don't know." His voice edges annoyance.
Now it's the woman's turn to sigh. "No, Niall, it was a kiwi. Don't you remember the difference between the textures from our last session together?"
"To be honest, not really." I don't even have to see the expression in his eyes to know he's tired and ready give up.
And only now when I study him closely do I see a small twitch bounce through his body every few seconds or so. The movement is so small and barely noticeable but emphasized enough to catch. I guess I never realized his newfound demeanor because last week I was too embarrassed and guilty to truly study his presence, apart from the basics being he's blonde, blind and Irish.
"Look, I know its hard but you're a strong kid, you can do it. You need more confidence, don't let others bring you down." She coos, but I can practically see her words bounce right off of him.
"Yeah," he shakes her off. "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow Mrs.Belle."
I speed off back towards the janitor's closet before either of them can catch me eavesdropping. I still feel bad about Niall being blind, but there's nothing I can do about it, just like theres nothing he or anybody else can do about me being 100 pounds overweight.
what niall really wanted to say: fuck off mrs.belle u think i can see a damn kiwi no i can't u dumb cunt how bout u try to guess a fruit that feels like a hairy ass ballsack oh wait u already got the real deal that small wanky lil dick u tryin 2 hide fuck u mrs.belle fuck u
