The Girl and The Murderer

3. Tension And Apprehension

As I walk through the courtyard, everyone start to look at me. But, after a look around, I'm not that different from the other girls. I wear shorts, a t-shirt and a jacket, like almost all of them. Maybe it's because I'm new here.

A girl comes closer to me, shyly. Looks like she doesn't want to be spotted. She turns to a slight pink when I catch her gaze and become a tomato as she tries to say something.

-Hi, I saiy to make the thing better for her. I'm Rachel. Ray for short. What's your name ?

-J...Jane... My name's Jane...

We're shaking hands gently. Another person come. It's a boy. He shows off his hand and says cheerfully :

-The name's Arthur, glad to meet you !

-And I'm Franck, squeaks a little voice behind Arthur.

I shake hands with both of them and soon, more hands are showing up to meet mine. Despite the fact their number growing every second, I manage to shake all of them before the bell rings.

Once I get into class, everyone still stares at me. I meet the ones I missed in the courtyard and I feel that something's wrong. A strong feeling of unease and fear is in the air, which is really unpleasant.

When enter the corridor leading to the biology class, the fear become palpable. Some of my classmates become pale as death, some glare at each other... The bravest whispers quietly but nothing else. Jane murmures to my ear :

-The biology teacher's a psycho. He once kept a student for two hours in a row because she couldn't answer a question.

I shiver. I show her quietly that the teacher is coming.

He opens the door in silence, shows us the chart on the board with his chin and glares at all of us once we're all sitting.

-I'm gonna say it right know and make it clear to you brats. I'm not here to hold you by the hand but for making you learn. And I won't be kind, you can trust me. Now, take a paper, copy the questions on the board and answer the most precisely that you can. And no questions !

I do as I'm told and start to write. Everyone is doing as well except Jane, who hasn't any paper. I take one of mine and walk through the class in silence to hand it to her.

-Gotcha, says the teacher in a triumph tone.

He throws a chalk at me. I catch it carelessly. I always was the first to catch the food that they were throwing at us...

I walk toward the teacher as I reach my place and give the chalk back to him as I pass.

The test finally over, we have the pleasure to be lectured about the fact that if we don't do our homework or disturb the class, we will be expelled and spending the rest of the hour in another room with a supervisor (A.N : I dunno if it's the same in American and English schools but in secondary school we've got rooms where you go when you have an hour without class and you're being watched by supervisors)

The bell rings

As I gather my things together, I hear some "Amazing !" and some "Saw what the new girl did ?" in my bag. I look at my admirers and smile gently at them.

I am the last to exit the class, after almost literally being showered with cheers from everyone in the room. Except the teacher of course. As I was walking through the door, he grabs my shoulder and pull me back to him.

-If you continue on this path, I'll have to warn your parents young lady.

I smile slightly as I glared coldly at him :

-Good luck finding them. But warn them about what ? The fact that I helped my classmates ? It seems a bit of a nonsense does it not ?

I break free from his grip, put my bag on my back and exit, proud of myself.