since the beginning

ep.1-parents' evening

I walk into class and was immediately greeted by my friends who hurried up to me as I click my phone off and shove it in my pocket.
"Babes! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages" Stephen says to me reaching a hand out for my shoulder. I smile in response and say, "It was only the weekend".
Yet, he still pulls me into a tight hug. I hug him too then pull back. I smile at Chantelle.
"Hey, how was your weekend?"
"Good, mum was away all weekend, had some fun" She said bitting the pen held in her hand lazily. I roll my eyes and let out a breathy chuckle then Alfie shuffles into the classroom. He has his hood up and looks like he could hurl at any moment.
"morning class" he says tiredly.
"morning, sir" we repeat in unison.
I see Jing walk up to alfie but uninterested enough to listen in I walk from my friends to my empty seat.
I put my head on my arms on the desk and close my eyes. I only look up when i hear Chantelle saying that everyone calls her mom a MILF. I roll my closed eyes about to chime in when I hear loud voices coming from the hallway.
"I can't believe you did that" i heard one say. Then I see rem dogg and Mitchell bustle in through the door.
Alfie sighs, "Rem dogg why are you late?"
"wheelchair" he simply replies pointing his finger down at his wheels.
"and you mitchell?" Alfie looks at the boy irritated. 
"this thing don't push itself does it?" he replies annoyed. i smile at his humor.
"look, please it's Monday morning, i have a hangover" he says.
Without another word the two boys find this spots in the class. mitchell sits down next to me and smiles at my already smiling face to greet me.
"'Sup Ace. Your weekend treat you nice?" He says to me as his eyes land on my shaded under eyes.
"Just the best" I say back with sass filled to the brim in my voice. The groaning from Alfie's desk rings out throughout the class room.
"joe can you just go and see if that first aid box has got any Berocca in it?" he finishes pointing to the back of the class.
"yes, dad!" joe replies going to stand up.
the whole class erupted in laughter, I put my hand in front of my mouth trying not to laugh.
"oh my days, joe just called mr. wickers dad. what a helmet!" he says laughing.
"shut up mitchell. at least he knows who his dad is" his face changed immediately, wiping his grin to a straight face.
i glared at alfie.
"at least he don't need his dad to drive him to school everyday" the class snickers at my joke.
mitchell gave me a quick smile and turned away.
~~~~~
alfie turned back around from the whiteboard to show that he wrote 'hangover class' on it. he then proceeded to sit back down and put his head on the desk.
i looked at mitchell and smiled.
"no class today i guess" my eyes flipping to the others but landing back to Mitchell as he chucked at me comment.
i put my head down on the table with my arms folded under me. mitchell then put his arms around my waist and put his head on my back.
~~30 minutes later~~
I heard the door open and my eyes opened. i felt the weight of mitchell's head on my back. then the door slammed and i heard alfie speak up.
"and that is how quite anne frank and her family had to be to evade capture by the nazis."
I picked my head up to see a woman in all black standing there, Mitchell's head tumbles off my back earning a groan from him. He picks his head up as well and i can recognized her to be Pickwell.
They started talking about something and left. Basically coming in freaking everyone out with her looks and turning back out the door with a slam. I rest my arms back on the table with my head in the middle and Mitchell doesn't hesitate to take back his last position.
~~~~~
During break I sit with Mitchell, Chantelle and Stephen in the community room. I'm sitting next to Mitchell with my head on his shoulder. I was up late last night doing homework. I sleepily close my eyes as I hear background noises. Trying to balance my head on Mitchell's shoulder, I hear Stephen and Chantelle whispering about something and every so often one of them will let out a small laugh.
After a few minutes I am shaken awake by the boy whose shoulder I'm occupying. I half open my eyes ughhhhhh.
"Hey, ace, we need to get back to class" By then I'm fully shaken awake by the boy standing up.
I groan and sit there pouting from Mitchell moving.
"so now you don't want to skip?" i say angrily. Mitchell offers me has arm a smile vowing on his face from my protest. He then pulls me up and we walk back to form together with Chantelle and Stephen still laughing behind us. 😌😌😌It was getting to be pretty annoying. I unhooked my arm from Mitchell's and turned around dramatically, almost causing them to run into me.
"Can you guys please be quieter?" I asked, not in an angry tone, just demanding.
Chantelle's face turned red and softly said sorry.
"Sorry, Chant, I didn't mean to yell." I smiled at her. Thankfully she smiled in response. We turned to walk again. Mitchell was basically already at form.
"So what were you guys gossiping about anyway?"
Chantelle and Stephen exchanged looks of mischievousness.
"Oh nothing. Just that you and Mitchell are totally the couple of the school!" Stephen said excitedly.
At this statement my face changed from eagerness to confusion.
"What do you mean 'couple of the school', we aren't even dating."
"Mmhm, sure. You may not be dating, but your still so cute together."
I furrowed my eyebrows and smiled,
"Okay, Chant. Whatever you say."
We got back to form and I sat down next to Mitchell.
I then heard Alfie speak from the front of the classroom.
"Class, I've got good news and bad news. What do you want?"
"The bad news." Jing says loudly raising her hand. Then I nod my head in agreement.
"Well, Jing, the good news is that today's history module is Pearl Harbor, and we all know what that means." Alfie says excitedly, then drumming his hands on the table he says, "It's class wars!"
Excitedly we all stand up and push our desks to the sides of the room. Then alfie started explaining the scene. After he starts handing out all the roles. I giggle at the thought of Rem Dogg as a tank. After the roles he creepily days 'It's kamikaze time'.
Then remembering that Alfie said there was good and bad news I yell out to ask him.
"Wait sir, didn't you say there was bad news?"
He lets out a sigh," Um, you might, probably, almost definitely are all going to fail your mock exams."
Everyone starts whispering to each other. I stare at Mitchell in confusion.
"What do you mean we're going to fail?" I hear Rem Dogg y'all out.
"It's complicated, alright. I didn't want to bore with it. The important lesson here is for you to look for the positives in failure." I roll my eyes, and he continues on. "Like for example my grandad. He suffered failure. Lung failure. Which meant that I inherited the a Volvo. So remember that. Always look for the Volvo." He finishes off.
"So your comparing us to a dump car?" I ask. Alfie doesn't say anything. He can't. I tried to keep going with the lesson but Joe interrupted him.
"I can't fail, my dad will kill me."
"Don't be silly." Alfie simply replies.
Next to be Mitchell speaks up. "My dad will kill you." Pointing towards him.
Alfie had fright written across his face, "Well, I mean, I guess i could mark some of them."
"Listen, you mug! You need to mark all of them."
"Yeah, you don't want to see my dad angry." Mitchell spike up again.
"Or when he's happy." I say loud enough to for him to hear. He playfully pushes me and smiling. He then continues on about his crazy dad.
"He used to train at the same gym as David Haye."
"And Sally Gunnell." Rem Dogg adds in through gritted teeth.
~~~~~
During break I was walking around with Mitchell. We were walking through the halls talking about the mock exams.
"If i don't do well I won't be able to go to Oxford." I complain.
"Don't worry, even though that bellend hasn't taught you anything, you'll still get in." Mitchell says reassuringly.
"Are you sure? My notes aren't going to be good if i fail."
"y/n, your so smart. You're acing every other class. Even with a failing grade you'll get in."
I look at him, smiling.
"Thanks babes." I say before walking back into class.
We see a depressed looking Alfie at his desk with his head down. I look at Mitchell and he shrugs.
I sit down as he sorts through papers angrily. The board is filled with writings like, 'PAIN!', 'Mollinson=cockblocking troll', and 'my life is shit'.
"I can't. What's the point?" he mutters to himself.
"Sir?" Joe quietly says.
Realizing that he's in class he says something along the lines of, "Oh. History or something."
I could tell Mitchell was done with his child like behavior.
"Oh, stop being such a pussy. It's just a girl." He yells at him. I let out a slight chuckle at his comment.
"That's very perceptive." He replies.
"Oh, no, what he meant to say was, stop being such a girl, it's only pussy." I correct Mitchell. He lets out a loud laugh.
"I suppose you'll be liking for a rebound, then, sir?"
Ignoring Chantelle's comment he keeps speaking. "I feel so hurt. So upset. It's like getting kicked in the balls with a football to the power of Mufasa dying in Lion King."
Stephen walls up to him without saying a word. He stretches his arm out and slaps him across the face.
"Snap out of it." he yells.
"Wow, you've got quite a slap." He says groaning in pain.
"When you learn to defend yourself when your the only kid on the playground with a Sade ringtone." Stephen replies sassily.
"He's right you need to man up." Rem Dogg says rolling up the the front of the classroom and then slaps him, too.
"Ow." He groans again. "Right, okay, enough of the slapping."
"Sorry, I just wanted to hit you." He says rolling back.
"Hang on guys, Mr. Wickers may be a bit of a twat. But despite being a twat...You know don't get me wrong, he's definitely a twat."
"Alright, I think they get the picture." he says defending himself.
"but if he don't mark that shit, he will get fired, and we could end up with a real teacher." he finishes. My eyes widen at his realization.
"We can say goodbye to class wars and hello to homework." I say angrily.
"Screw that." Mitchell speaks up again.
Chantelle starts to rant about being sent to an all girls school and Jing storms up the the front of the classroom.
She angrily speaks in Chinese and through her papers at him. Alfie not getting the message talks about something totally different.
"Of course. You guys can mark them. Well do the pass to the left method! Why didn't I think of that? Hooray for Jing!" Alfie says and the class cheers. I roll my eyes at him and sit back in my chair.
"You're a joke." She says and storms back to her seat.
"I second that." I say raising my hand.
"Yaaaaaaaaay! Wooooo!" He still days excitedly.
~~~~~
I stand in line with Mitchell and Rem Dogg talking about random boy shit in front of me, while Chantelle and Stephen gossip behind me.
"...the whole time, i know" I hear stephen say excitedly. This has caught my attention.
"what are you two gossiping about?" i say as i stare at the brown gop being thrown into my tray. i look up at Stephen for answer and see his smirking face. "what?" i ask confused.
he and Chantelle share a mischievous smile.
"oh nothing, besides the face that Mitchell was staring at you all class!" he says with a wide grin.
"what are to talking about?" i ask, furrowing my eyebrows.
"babes, he has got a bad case of the y/n's" he says flipping his imaginary hair behind his shoulder.
~~~~~
i sat between chantelle and mitchell with my head on his shoulder. alfie rushes to the door and turns to joe.
"joe, i am going to need you to go ahead and hide in the cupboard." alfie says in a high pitches voice. without question joe replies with an okay and gets up to leave.
"quick." he says while holding up his finger meaning one moment.
finally he lets in miss gulliver.
"hey sorry just busy with..."
"sorry alfie, i was just thinking, um, about joes mum, um... alfie why are the kids sat like that?" she asked as she looks around the room to see the kids separated.
"oh, we're learning about sour africa." he replies simply.
"right...um, i was thinking, i could really use joes mum in the campaign."
not knowing what they were talking about i zoned out. my head being on mitchell's shoulder, i shut my eyes.
i hear the door slam and i pick my head off mitchell's shoulder.
"miss gulliver is so buffting." rem dogg says.
offended chantelle replies, "no she ain't." and crosse her arms.
"beauty is in the eye of the beholder, chantelle, shakespeare." alfie replies, walking to the back of the classroom. i took my eyes, knowing he's wrong.
ying then says something in chinese, even though i can't speak it i know that says tell him he's wrong.
alfie totally misinterpreting what she said tells her who shakespeare was.
"she said that the quote wasn't from shakespeare, it was from the bible, you muppet." i yell at him.
"um, y/n, i think i would know." he says with a confident look plastered on his face.
he then walks over to the cupboard and gets joe out.
"man, he really is stupid, isn't he." i tell mitchell. he chuckles and agrees with me.
"a real bellend." i let out a giggle.
~~~~~
"man, i knew i was going to fail my mock exam." i said sadly.
"hey, you know it's not your fault. it's dickers'." mitchell said reassuringly, putting his hand on my shoulder.
i smiled up at him. he really was sweet. he puts on his bad boy face at school but only i could see the real mitchell, the softy.
i saw mitchell's dad walk up to him.
"hey dad." he greeted him. i smiled at his father.
his dad said something inaudible and mitchell nodded.
"i need to go, it's our turn for dickers." he said laughing. i smiled at him  and nodded.
"see you around." i said turning to find someone to talk to.
my parents definitely won't be showing up. my parents and i don't get along really well. i don't know if they really hate me or just plainly don't care. my mom is barely around anymore and my dad just yells at me and sometimes hits me. of course i don't tell anyone, but i wish i could. i hated living with them.
~~~~~
i finally meet up with chantelle before miss gulliver is going to make her presentation about some disease.
"y/n, where your parents?" she asked.
"oh, uhh, couldn't make it." i half lied. they really couldn't make it but only because i never told them about it in the first place. i didn't want to tell them because i didn't want to be with them when they find out about my marks. my failing mock exam. they would get an email later today, but hopefully i'm not around when they get it.
"oh, at least they don't have to meet mr wickers." she said trying to make a joke. i let out a small laugh.
"yeah, that's the bright side, i guess."
"boo!" fraser said from the stage. "firstly, a major-ssive thank you for coming to parents' evening. i know it can be difficult hearing how your sprogs are a little bit slow on the uptake. and you're thinking 'oh god why didn't i lay off the cider after the first scan?'" he says trying to crack a joke. awkward silence fills the crowd. chantelle and i look at each other trying to to crack up in laughter. giving up he continues with his speech. "but it is important to remember there are kids out there less fortunate than your own. so here to tell you a little bit about our fundraising venture is the wonderful miss gulliver, big hand please." the crowd breaks out in a big applause. miss gulliver comes on the stage as fraser leaves. she starts on a big speech, i can't focuse because i notice that joe and alfie are using and inhaler.
"what the hells wrong with you too?" i ask, interestedly.
"joes mum died." alfie replies not taking her eyes off miss gulliver.
"what?" i replies in shock.
"he lied." he said again. still staring forward.
i had no idea what he was talking about, and decided to listen to miss gulliver again. but before she got the chance to get another word out alfie ran i front of the stage and shouted, "so give us all your fucking money now! that is the message here. now i'd everyone want sit make their way to the foyer, there is a complementary glass of red or white wine. let's go there before millionson necks it all we all know what she's been life ever since her husband left her!"
"alfie not now. so i would like to tell you a story about a brave woman who this year lost her battle with Palmers syndrome." i see joe and alfie inching out of the crowd. "a remarkable woman, joes mum. emma poulter." she finishes putting her head down.
a woman pushes through the crowd. "hang on. who?!" a blond woman yells.
"free booze!" alfie exclaims from the other side of the crowd.
"what's going on?" she questions again.
"some people find loss very hard to take." he says shielding himself.
"emma poulter isn't dead."
"denial. first stage of grief." still trying
"i'm emma poulter."
"second stage, identity theft." alfie says, aware that he's lost.
"no, i am emma poulter." alfie looks around nervously an climbs onto a chair.
"no, i am emma poulter. because in many ways we're all emma poulters, becaus this disease can affect anyone."
"i'm very much alive and i haven't got palmers syndrome." joes mum finally says.
"alfie, she...you said that...she's got ten massive fingers!" miss gulliver says, clearly just realizing she's been lied to.
"right, wickers, my office now." pickwell yelled snapping her fingers. mitchell and i looked at each other and laughed.
"wait, wait. it's not his fault. i did it. i just wanted to make mr. wickers happy. i just wanted to show off to him. he's the dad i never really had." joe said trying to save him. aw's were heard from the whole crowd.
"but i'm your dad." said a tall, lanky man.
"oh, bollocks." alfie said, defected.
~~~~~
i walk out of school with mitchell.
"i'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" he asks me.
"of course." i say planting a kiss on his cheek. i turned around making sure he didn't see the blush rising to me cheeks.

3rd POV
mitchell stared at y/n from behind. heat rising to his cheeks. damn she really made him feel good. they left in opposite directions. y/n walked to her small apartment building down the street from the school. she hated going there, but she had a lot of homework to do.
she buzzed herself in and made her way up to her house.
she opened the door and her dad was passed out on the couch. she hated when her dad was home. he always reeks of alcohol. i tried tiptoeing to to my room, but stepped on a creaking floorboard. i heard my dad mumbling to himself and sat up.
"what're you doing?" her dad asked.
"homework." she replied, fright laced in her voice.
"doesn't seem like it."
"i... sorry?"
"i saw your mock exam grade."
y/n POV
a pit dropped in my stomach. i really didn't want to be here when he found out.
"i...i'm so sorry. i'll work harder next time."
"i know you will." he says stepping closer to me.
~~~~~
pain. pain is all i felt when i'm around him. my eye throbbing from his thrown punch. how am i going to cover this up tomorrow? i couldn't worry about that now. i sat in my bed finishing my work with an occasional tear slipping down my cheeks. after i finish i lay in my bed silently crying. after hours i finally cry myself to sleep.