The Difference Between You and Me

Chapter 17

Ammie woke up with a slight headache. So, she decided to stay in bed a while longer staring up at the ceiling. Thirty minutes later she rolled out of the bed to start the morning, but not before taking two aspirins in hopes of suppressing her throbbing head. She got ready an hour later, glanced at herself once in the mirror before leaving the room, checking the clock above her desk to see that she was on time and headed downstairs.

"Good morning," she greeted as she saw her three brothers pigging away at breakfast and her mother busy at the stove.

"Would you like some breakfast," Katy asked

'What's this I'm hearing about me having to clean the whole house?"

Katy's smile morphed into a scowl, "you heard right," she said as a matter of fact

"Did I do something to be punished?"

"No," Katy replied curtly whilst tending to the stove

"There are five of us living here and..." Ammie began

"And one of us work two eight-hour shifts per day,"

"If my math is correct that leaves four persons,"

"Your brothers can't do anything now stop being ungrateful and have some breakfast,"

"I'm not hungry," and with that Ammie stalked out of the kitchen and out of the house. As soon as she reached outside the rain started drizzling.

"Just perfect"

She fanned down a cab and approximately fifteen minutes later she was on her way to the library since it was a little early.

"What's up Bridget?"

"Good morning Ammie. Didn't expect to see you today,"

"Yeah well here I am. Got any early morning work for me?"

"No, like I said wasn't expecting you today,"

"Hmm, fair enough,"

"How about you read something?"

"Any new material?"

"We received some new books yesterday, haven't unpacked them yet, maybe you can go look through those,"

"Alright, thanks"

"You know this is starting to get pretty annoying," Ammie said pausing at a table where Josh was seated, head buried in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

"If I remember correctly and I'm positive I do, you were the one who just walked in and I've been here for," he glanced down at his watch, "an hour. So, if anyone is supposed to be getting annoyed it's definitely not you Miss Brians," Josh said eyes trained on the book. Without another word, Ammie walked away and sat in the back to read John Green's Turtles All the Way Down. Until the bell rang signaling the start of school.

---

"Okay," Mr. Canandor spoke up as soon as the class was full. He seemed to use that word as some sort of command to activate an artificial intelligence software much like one would say 'okay google' or 'okay Siri'. Or maybe people don't say that.

"Today is the day you submit your poetry portfolio for your final English Lit grade. However, for today's class we'll be doing our final set of recitals. First up Ammie Brians,"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes," Mr. Canandor said not bothering to entertain Ammie and her bitterness, taking a seat in anticipation.

Ammie sighed deeply, pulled out a piece of paper from between the pages of her notebook and walked to the front of the class.

"The darkness around me, covets my soul,

Greedily sinking starved claws into my flesh

Raking it across my fragile constitution

It rips me apart, hunger filled eyes glaring beyond my sordid expression

It sees beyond the candid demeanour,

The fearless façade,

The apathetic attitudes, It peers behind my thin veil of sanity,

And upon seeing the vulnerable, tortured, unprotected child,

Symbolizing my own weaknesses and shortcomings,

It relishes this moment

Easy prey,

Easy target,

An easy meal for a voracious beast whose hunger is rarely quelled.

~ Black by Melancholy Minds"

The class was quiet by the time Ammie was finished. Some looked at her weirdly, some with judging expressions, others with sympathy, and the list went on.

"Thank you, Miss Brians, you may take your seat,"

"I've always wanted my own seat to take home,"

"That was a poor attempt"

"I'd prefer if you didn't narrate my misery"

"Just sit down," Mr. Canandor demanded and proceeded to call the next person up. For the next forty-five minutes students stood and recited mediocre poems that a simple google search gave them, not bothering or caring enough to use some time and energy to search for quality work. It was suffocating for Ammie but her occasional groans throwing some persons off made the rest of the class a lot less insufferable.