Blood Moon

part 2

"Concentrate!" The teacher snapped. I looked up suddenly. Damn, he caught me. Mr Brown is a pain, bald head, glasses, the most annoying voice. He seemed like the guy who gets into teaching, not for the love of teaching or children but because teachers get good holidays. For he put no emotion, no feeling, in his lessons. He injected no personality nor excitement in his work. Boring as the shirt he wears, day in day out.
"What was I talking about please Amy, would you please tell the class as you must already know since you were reading while I was speaking"
Mr Brown was as annoying as anything. Physics was the most boring thing in the world, but he managed to make it even duller, his monotone voice made me want to slowly slice off my ears with a scalpel from the next door biology class.
I hated when teachers do this. Decide "I know, this socially awkward introvert, well let's make her speak in front of everyone. Embarrass her in front of everyone that already hates her. We're good at our jobs. We spent years and years at university to study teaching."
"We were revising Newton's third law. That of an object interacts with another object, then the other object would interact with the first object with an equal and opposite force"
I didn't know how to explain it, it was all about opposites and everything being equal. Something about if you slap someone's face, that face slaps you back.
"No. Amy I was introducing the class to a new student. If you would pay attention please in future."
"Yes, sir. Sorry sir"
He nodded and I noticed a new girl walk in. She was dark-skinned, with dark hair and light coloured clothes.
She looked over to me with a blush, instead, I just nodded towards her and turned to the front, plastering on a vaguely interested facade while inside I was thinking about how much change I had left in my purse and if the said change would be enough to buy chocolate.
"I want you all to get into pairs and create a study guide on a designated topic. You can use computers and textbooks, and you will present the guides to the class tomorrow."
The class mumbled in protest and began sitting together in pairs.
This is what I hate the most. Forcing us to work together when I could work perfectly well on my own. Better even. Jesus do teachers even understand that not all students will want to communicate, interact with the rest of the class. Do they think that the girl, who has separated herself from the rest of her peers, an island all on her own, will want to work in a pair?
And what's the point presenting it to the class, the teacher will just go over it all anyway. Hell he must know we will just copy and paste it from Google. Hell he must know that none of us will learn a thing from these presentations.
God sake.
"Can I work with you?" The new girl asked, already sitting down on the empty stool next to me, the rest of the class looking at her with a puzzles look on their stupid faces.
I could almost hear their whispers "why would she sit there?"
I nodded and started to look through my textbook. My legs tightly crossed and my entire body as closed off as it possibly could. Please take the hint.
"Look, I'll do all the writing, all the research, and you'll do the presentation."
"Hell no, I'm not speaking in front of the class, not on my own. I've only just got here I don't know these people."
Usually, my partners jump at the chance of not having to do any sort of work. Just say a few words and it's done, they don't have to work with me and I don't have to work with them.
"Well I'm not"
And so we reached a stalemate.
I couldn't be bothered to argue, so I started to look through the textbook for information about moments.
"So, my name's Emily"
"Ah-ha"
Will you just shut up?
"And you're Amy?"
"Yep"
I hoped she would get the message, that I'm not interested in people. But she kept talking, asking me questions that I felt obligated to answer, like my favourite lessons, my favourite hobbies, what was on offer for lunch today etc.
I told her several times that I didn't like people, I didn't have friends.
She didn't seem to get the hint.
And so by the time the bell rang, I had just about half a page of work done.
Well, that's your evening ruined.