I Don't Really Know...

Chapter 18: An Old Friend and Old Troublemaking...

She walks away with Ash, one holding his hand, and one on her hip, down the hallway.  Has Ash been dating her this whole time?  Or did she pull him deep down with her?  

I don’t stare at their backs, but I stiffen my back, and walk the other way.  No, I won’t show it.  I won’t show how it hurt.  It didn’t hurt.  I see a staircase on my left and I duck in the doors before they close.  When they do, I sneak off of the staircase, towards an entrance to the long-awaited freedom of the outside world.  I grab the handle with my sweaty hands and sunlight burns my eyes.  It dims as I place my palms to hover over my eyes.  

“Miss. Linda?”  I hear a surprised tone and I look over to see Miss. Greywood coming towards me with enormous bags.  

“Hi, um, Miss. Greywood…” I falter, realizing that she was my next class scheduled.  

“Aren’t you in my next class?  What are you doing out here anyway?”  

I start rubbing my arms and looking behind me at the door.  If only for a second, she would look away, and I could make a run for it…

“Looking for something?”  Her big hazel eyes with a mischievous twinkle.  I could see that she knew I didn’t have an answer.  She sighed, but with a big smile.  “Come on, go back inside and I’ll see you in science.”  

I nodded and dashed back inside, the sun shut out when I pass the dingy walls.  I feel like I’m being enveloped in darkness, and I walk out of the stairwell with a heavy heart.  Everything that’s been going on today...my heart pounds too fast and too loud, almost louder than the school bell.  

I startle the whole science class by banging my bag into the side of the door, my books and binders sounding like a loud smack against the wall.  Everyone looks up, huge, ring-shaped eyes goggling at me.  I hear whispers, but I push them away and walk to my seat, carefully placing my bag next to my desk.  

“Hello, class!” Miss. Greywood sings as she enters the room with her buoyant personality.  You could tell, everyone - including myself - was charmed by her bubbly expression.  She threw her bags onto the floor next to her desk and looked up at the class excitedly.

“I have something very different for today.”  Her kinky hair bounced as she jumped happily.  “I was thinking, for our test next week, that people could come up and everyone would ask them trivia on all of the content!  Wouldn’t that be a thrill?  Let’s get started!”  

She skipped to the chalkboard and wrote Science Trivia in cursive.  She stamped her food suddenly and looked back to everyone.

“Of course, you don’t have to come up.  If you’re frazzled or anything, I wouldn’t want you to be anymore crazy.”  Her eyes glanced at me but quickly returned to the body of the classroom, paired with her immense smile.  The corners of my mouth pull up, knowing that she’s giving me a break.

“OK, so who’s up first?!”  She threw her hand up as a demonstration, wagging her fingers in the air.  A few select people copied, and she called on a few.  I leaned back against the back of my chair and ran my fingers through my hair.  I grimaced.  I really didn’t have any hair, did I?  I exhale and dig into my backpack for a notebook.  

I flip to the first page and start to scribble absentmindedly.  There wasn’t really a need to listen.  Besides, if she called on me, I could just decline.  She said so herself.  I flip my pen between my fingers and start to sketch an eye.  I draw a tear dripping out on the paper.  My cheek feels, wet, and I quickly sniff softly, rubbing it off with my sleeve.

Did anyone see?

I glance over my shoulder and I see people doing exactly as I am-not listening, and off in their own la-la lands.  I return my gaze back to my notebook, adding details to the eye.