Renae

Chapter Seven

Two weeks later Renae had started settling in school and was easily socializing with her school mates.
  
Renae sat in biology class waiting for her teacher, Mr Wilmore to get to class. This was strange as usually he was always in class when she got in. She had a free period before biology and settled in class three minutes before the biology period started.
  
The bell rang and her other classmates having biology started trooping in one by one at the second ring the class was almost full and at the third everyone was seated.
  
They all waited for Mr Wilmore to get to class and before long half of the period was gone.
  
"This is strange." Renae said to Genevieve and Stella "By now Mr Wilmore would be asking us whether we understood what he had taught." Renae continued. "Now he's not even in class."
  
"Yeah." Stella and Genevieve chorused.
  
Everyone continued to wait until the bell for end of period rang.
  
Everyone started filing out of the class to their lockers to pick their books and drop others.
  
Renae rested on her locker, subject books for the next class held closely to her chest. "Why didn't Mr Wilmore come to class?"
  
"They couldn't have fired him, could they?" Stella said.
  
"Or maybe he's sick?" Genevieve added.
  
"Or gone on assignment leave?" Rocksan contributed.
  
"We could always go to the Administration to find out what happened." Renae offered.
  
"That's a good idea, you up for it Rocksan?" Stella responded then asked.
  
"I have a lot to do, you guys go ahead, alright?"
  
"Okay."
  
Rocksan left them and went to her class.
  
"Do we agree to go to admin by lunch break?" Renae asked.
  
"Sure." Stella and Genevieve chorused.

             ~              ~              ~
  
"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Stella asked.
  
"It's information you're not concerned with." The assistant of the admin secretary told them.
  
"What? Not concerned with? He's our teacher, I'll say it concerns us." Stella responded.
  
The assistant kept quiet.
  
"Was he fired? Is that why you won't talk?" Renae asked. "You're waiting for the general assembly?"
  
"Or did he call in sick or just take a leave?" Genevieve contributed to the interview.
  
"You girls have a lot of dare in you to–:"
  
"We're not requesting to see the principal or did we barge into his office. We're only asking for information pertaining to one of our teachers." Stella said cutting her short.
  
"Fine since you girls are insistent. He called in sick this morning and has taken a sick leave. He's on bed rest and should be at home at least to my understanding or wherever else he could go." She said giving in. "He took a leave of three days."
  
"A simple he's on a sick leave would have been okay." Stella said under her breath and Renae who was close to her and heard gave her a little shove with her elbow.
  
"What did you say?"
  
"Nothing." Stella answered.
  
"Thank you." Renae said. They all exit the room and the building conversed.
  
"He's on bed rest, I hope it's nothing serious." Renae said.
  
"Yeah." Said Stella and Genevieve.
  
"Hey we still have fifteen minutes before the end of lunch break." Stella said. "Let's go to the cafeteria."
  
"You guys go along, I have to catch up on Biology." Renae said as she went the other way from the girls.
  
"Bye." Chorused Stella and Genevieve.
  
"Buy me something, okay?" She called.
  
"Got it." Stella said.
  
Renae went to the study hall to read. She got there, sat down and started out work—reading.

              ~              ~              ~
  
Micheal walked from the extra five minute lesson with Mrs Brown. Ten minutes to the end of the break. "Maybe I can catch up on some subjects in the cafeteria." He said. "Or better yet in the study hall, no one would be there by now and it would be quiet."
  
When he got to the door and saw a girl seated in the hall, he stopped. She had brown hair reaching her back. She wore denim pants and a pink top. Her school bag was on her left side and she looked concentrated on what she was reading.
  
He walked to the bench where she was and about two feet from her decided to seat at her left on the far side. He took his seat quietly.
  
They sat there for about three minutes without saying a word to each other.
  
"What subject are you reading?" Micheal asked.
  
"Biology." She answered without taking her eyes off her book.
  
Stella and Genevieve entered the hall. "Renae." Genevieve called.
  
They reached the bench where Renae was seated. "We brought you some snacks." Stella said. "Hi Micheal." She greeted.
 
"Hi Stella, hi Genevieve." Micheal also greeted.
  
"We brought sausage rolls." Stella continued to talk to Renae who had put a pen in her book and closed it. "Micheal, you want one?" Stella asked.
 
"No thanks."
  
"We have to go," Genevieve said to Renae. "It's one minute to the end of lunch break."
  
"I've got a reading period next." Renae said.
  
"Okay then," Stella replied. "Bye." Stella and Genevieve called as they stood up to leave.
  
"Sorry about the disturbance." Renae said to Micheal after Stella and Genevieve had left. She opened the book and put the pen beside the book.
  
"No worries." Micheal said and then the bell for end of lunch break sounded.
  
"Um, Micheal you're friends with Vanessa right?" Renae asked thirty minutes later as he was taking a sip of his soda.
  
"I guess." he shrugged.
  
"I wanted to show her some of my designs but we had a run-in, a rather bad one and I don't know how to approach her."
  
She designs as well Micheal thought. "You want me to show it to her?" He asked.
  
"No, I don't know–. You know just forget it."
  
"I want to help."
  
"You do?"
  
"Yeah, do you have any with you?" He asked.
  
"Just one." she reached into her bag and brought out a notebook. "Here." she said handing him the book.
  
He looked through until the last one then he went back to a particular page. "This one." he said as he tapped the page.
  
"What? Is it horrible?"
  
Micheal looked up from the book and fixed his gaze on her then back to the book.
  
"What?" She asked.
  
"Nothing. I just thought you'd look nice in this dress."
  
"Oh, thanks," she said. "So can you help?"
  
"Sure, I mean I'll try at least."
  
"Thanks."
  
The bell rang and Renae left for her class. A minute later Micheal left for his class.