Marked for Murder

three: falling by the wayside

TWIRLING THE PENCIL in my fingers, I sigh once again as I look up at the clock. It ticks by slowly, counting the milliseconds to my release. My eyes follow the hands as they move and I am almost lulled to sleep.

I am so bored, I might as well just blow air bubbles for entertainment.

Mr. Johnson looks at me again, a quizzical look on his face. He is studying me like a zoologist would study a crazy monkey. His eyebrows raise further as he walks by my desk, sneaking a peek at my completed paper.

I feel annoyed by his intrusion and I bend down, hiding the whole surface with my body. I tap my nails slowly on the table and hum a tune to myself. It is entrancing, watching my fingers beat against the desk.

A loud cough sounds and I look up to find Christina "Chrissy" Morgana shooting a steely green-eyed glare at me from her seat. She throws me a 'stop that or you are dead' stare and I stop. Chrissy can be pissy.

Damn, I slam a quiet slap against the armrest of my chair. This exam has robbed me of my humour too.

Fucking great.

I steal a glance at Chrissy from the corner of my eye. She's huffing and her auburn hair is flying everywhere over her head. She has been scolded for leaving her hair open by numerous staff members but Chrissy wouldn't be found dead with a rubber band on.

Christina Morgana is my best friend. We've known each other since we were in our diapers. That's actually a gross fact but it is what it is. She's been an integral part of my life since the day I learnt the word life. She's my biggest cheerleader and critic and there's no one else I'd rather have in her place.

My attention is now grabbed by a low whistle. I tilt my head ever so slightly. I am not surprised that it is Tyler, a dark haired boy with dreamy blue eyes. The guy who would cheat even in an open book test.

Tyler Hendrich is also the guy you warn your kids about growing up into. He's the bad boy who rides a motorcycle but also the dumbass who falls off of it.

We share a telepathic connection although we only met slightly over three years ago. It happened when he accidentally tripped in front of me and I playfully bullied him about it for a good seven months' time.

Then one day he broke down when he lost his favourite leather jacket and I felt so sorry for the crying giant, I decided to be his friend.

'What's the answer to question number 2?' He implores, urgently. His eyes dart about, keeping a close watch on Mr. Johnson's fine back.

Ew, Cynthia, focus.

I look back at Tyler, disbelief on my face. 'Ty! This is an aptitude test. You cannot cheat on this!'

'I'll manage. You tell me, what's your answer? Come on, Thea, quick!'

I turn my attention to my completed question paper. It's not even that hard. Just a few personality based questions. Some of them tread deep into your inner memories and thoughts but none of them are unanswerable.