Lullabies

Five.

The end of school couldn’t come fast enough. I had been sitting on the most uncomfortable lab stool for over an hour and my ass was starting to go numb. I twirled my pencil between my fingers, glancing at the clock. The minute finger seemed to be ticking even slower than normal, mocking me.

Of course, I didn’t want school to end either. School ending meant I had to go home, and going home meant I had to face the wrath of my Mother. That wasn’t the only reason though, the thought of having to stay there and greet my perfect sister, watching my parents fall over themselves to make her happy. It was all too much for me to deal with. Yet, I would have to, eventually.

I stared out of the window. Mr Mason’s gym class ran by in the schools colours – maroon and black – Mr Mason followed not too far behind in a golf cart, his annoying whistle hung around his neck with black string, the actual piece of plastic clenched between his thin lips. The amount of times I’d wanted to take that whistle and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine… Well I couldn’t count them if I used all my fingers, toes and every other limb in my body.

Hayley was in that gym class I remembered; moments later I saw her bound up far behind the rest of the class. That luminescent hair tied up atop her head helped me spot her in the crowd. She was bent over at the waist, her hands resting on her knees as if she was having trouble standing up and needed all the support she could get. Her whole body quaked as she gasped in the oxygen the surrounding trees provided.

She glanced up, as if sensing my eyes on her and waved enthusiastically. I smirked at her, doing my best impression of how she had looked two minutes prior – a little like a fish out of water. With one elegant flip of her wrist she gave me her middle finger before jogging off to join the rest of the gym class.

Hayley may be a genius, but she sorely lacked any physical skills, including stamina. I chuckled at my friend and leant back into my chair. Mrs Wells was writing something in blue chalk onto the blackboard. Something about our upcoming exams, that was taking place in the next few days. I guess I should have been paying attention – okay I know I should have been – but it was hard to care about school ending when it had been something I had wished so profusely for since school began. I didn’t care about my grades, or good colleges. I just wanted to escape.

Finally, what seemed like an hour later, the loud music blasted through the speakers signalling the end of yet another school day.

Miss Martin’s voice came on over the music. “Could all students with detention report to Mr Kennedy’s class as soon as you are dismissed, thank you.” Then it faded back into the 90’s music.

I sighed, suddenly remembering the little pink slip that I had stuck in my bag earlier in the morning. I took a second to text Hayley, telling her not to wait for me. Then I bent down, gripping my bag tightly in my hand before striding out of the room and towards Mr Kennedy’s class. It was situated in the south wing, which was the opposite side of the building from where I was. Resolutely, I threw my bag onto my shoulder and started the walk to the class.

Before long I found myself seated in the very back of Mr Kennedy’s English class, staring at a screensaver of an aquarium. Fish of all different colours swam around the screen aimlessly.

Hayley replied to my text telling me she’d meet me on the pier tomorrow to give me a ride. I sighed, reluctantly reaching into my bag and pulling out my homework.

Vanessa Carter sat at the front, perched on the front of Marshall Holland’s desk exposing her cleavage in a way that even I found sleazy. Scoffing, I prepared a number two pencil and set to work. If I was going to spend an hour in a room of people I didn’t like, I may as well get some homework done.