Secrets

Chapter 17

"Now, I want to teach you my latest Sonatina," Vice-Principal Nero announced proudly. "It's about the tragic day in which I was expelled from middle school and was left to pursue my one and only dream of being the world's greatest violinist." He began by taking his usual bow to an imaginary audience and then roughly positioned his hands and the instrument in the incorrect position to start playing his music.

As per usual, Holly S. did her very best to not roll her eyes as it was not only considered impolite, but it also had become much easier to do so since Nero would repeat that all of his "music" was inspired by the same "tragic" and tedious stories that she had already heard numerous times before. She had heard this so much before that she had become used to hiding her annoyance and desire to be impolite to her "teacher." It never seemed that his stories were all that tragic either, compared to what the young girl had heard from her friends. The vice-principal being expelled from middle school was merely more inconvenient and well deserved compared to both the Baudelaires and the Quagmires losing their parents, loved ones, and homes in terrible fires. Or that he was banned from participating on online dating applications because of his hideous appearance; while it was rather mean-spirited, could not be likened to the Baudelaires being constantly pursued by a greedy and murderous villain who was after their fortune and always found ways to dispose of their past guardians and homes.

The phrase "as per usual" is a particularly recent phrase of the English language that is used to describe something annoying that happens or has become so predictable that a person has developed a particular way to react situation that becomes easy when practiced over time. It is often associated with someone or something or a situation being "part of the norm" or routine that one could say with certainty what will happen next. It can also be added to children's stories or business reports or school essays to add more text to the word count and sound more official and professional to those who may end up reading these works.

For example, I could use the phrase "as per usual" in Holly's situation because not only does it lengthen the word count for this particular chapter, but it also describes her annoyance and the predictability of her current situation. For the length of time she had been taking lessons from this egotistical musician and vice-principal, she had become accustomed to his poor humility, and his lack of skills for playing the violin, both of which remained consistently the same, that the young girl had developed several behaviours to hide her annoyances well and where she should sit in his office in order to escape this lesson as quickly as possible. This phrase can also be used to describe my current situation of eluding capture from the local authorities as well as my enemies. As per usual, I am unable to walk freely during daylight due to the many suspected arsons and murders I have been accused of and the potential secrets I carry, which is why I now sit in the abandoned bell section of a clock tower, trying to avoid the leaking droplets of rain from ruining my penmanship and covering my ears when the clock strikes the specific hour. Once could describe my situation as annoying and predictable as every time I attempt to walk during the day, my face is often recognized, and I am forced to hide in strange places until the frantic search has died down and I am free to move by the light of the moon. While at one time, I did find my predicament annoying and rather tiring, especially when you are forced to run through a crowded department store and pose as a well-dressed mannequin to avoid being seen, but I have come to accept it as I find it much less stressful than facing the many terrible problems in which I have long left behind. I am not the kind of person who can merely solve the world's problems or fix the mistakes that I have made, and while it leaves me with a great heaviness in my chest, as per usual, it is much better than having to confront a villainous man who once burned down my family home or the reason why I stole a part of a tea set to help a secret organization.

I am attempting to use this phrase for this particular chapter because while it seems what is occurring in young Holly S.'s story is predictable and boring, what was going on in her thoughts was anything but routine of "part of the norm." She grimaced in great discomfort as her ears began to ache from the high-pitched screeching being emitted from the man dragging the bow across the delicate instrument, which was very predictable and no less annoying than before, but she had much more important things to think about than how much her ears hurt.