[THIS IS A SHORT STORY I WROTE ABOUT A GIRL WHO'S BORED IN HER CLASS AND HAS A SERIES OF DAYDREAMS BECAUSE OF IT.]
Walking down the halls of my “glorious” high school, each day never changes. It has the usual smell of axe overdose, B.O, and other unpleasant smells. The cliques of Chatty Kathy’s, lost freshman, and new students act as barricades as I try to get to class. Their mixed chatter echoes in the hall. Luckily I have my mp3 to save me, and I tune everything out. I cruise as I normally would, swimming through the crowds in the hall, ignoring the fact that I have to go to my locker, simply because I don’t have time. I can’t be late for Lee’s class again. These thoughts and more have me at a half sprint down the hall to get to class. Almost mowing down a sophomore couple, I finally get to class. Sitting at my table in the back next to my partner in crime—Kat , I toss my stuff on the table, and fall back into the chair, attempting to make myself comfortable. Something that I try to do every time I sit in these wretched, metal chairs, but fail every time. Checking the invisible clock on her wrist, she says, “You’re early, or maybe we’re all just really late.”
“No,” pointing at the clock in front of the room, I replied, “It’s legit, I’m on time.”
“Keep this up; maybe you won’t get the evil eye from Lee so much.”
“Promise?” we laughed. “What are the plans for tonight?”
“I don’t know…movies?”
“Eh, I feel like we’ve seen every movie in the theater.”
“That’s because we have.” Ms. Lee walked in, we instantly stop talking, she looks directly at me. “Miss Clay, you’re on time.” she says.
You should be glad I even came here. “Yep,” I replied, awkwardly slumping into my chair. I felt like she secretly got a kick out of calling me out in the middle of class like that “She hates me,” I leaned over and whispered to Kat.
“I didn’t notice.” Kat smirked as she started to scribble all over her notebook. Just one of the things you do when you’re bored in Lee’s class. Honestly, her Psych class was boring, mostly because of her monotone voice. Kat and I are convinced that her true calling is to be an anesthesiologist; all she has to do is talk to the patients.
Doctors are preparing for gastric bypass surgery on a patient. The patient is a middle aged man, he’s bald, but a salt and pepper beard covers his face. He’s wearing the usual white hospital gown and talking to the doctors as they prepare him for his surgery. They’re aggressively washing their hands, running them under the water again, and again; they’re dried off and placed in gloves by aids. The anesthesiologist walks in and gets ready to put the patient under. One of the doctors—like a crossing guard during school hours—halts her. “We don’t need you this time.”
The anesthesiologist, confused, replies to the doctor, “Who else is going to do it?”
“Yea,” the patient intrudes sitting up, “What are you doing?”
“We have someone, don’t worry.” He nods and waves Ms. Lee into the operating room. Turning to her, “Now,” he starts, “Tell Mr. Johnson here a little bit about the cerebellum.” Ms. Lee is flattered. “Okay, well the cerebellum is responsible for voluntary motor movement, balance and—” She doesn’t finish her sentence because of the loud thud. The patient is instantly knocked out.
“Good work.” the doctor says complementing Lee...
I shook my head and laughed to myself. Then I started doing what I usually do in her class, to stare out the window. Although Psych was boring, the class had these incredibly high windows that were a few inches from the ceiling. Our school was really old, and most of the classrooms had cathedral ceilings with these large windows. I always liked looking out of them; it’s the only thing that kept me entertained in this class. So I stared to look out into the cotton clouds in the sky, and at the two birds socializing on the tree branch across from the window. I spaced out.
The birds in front of the window were chirping. Looking at me, and chirping some more. They started to laugh, but I brushed it off. It’s not possible for birds to have human laughs like that. The chirping faded and then I heard words, human words. “Why does she keep staring at us like that?” one of the birds said.
“I don’t know, but let’s look at her, see what she does.” the other replied. They continued to stare back. My jaw dropped. “What…the… hell,” I mumbled, nudging Kat at the same time. She had to look out the window, she had to see this. She ignored me. “Look at her,” they snickered. “She’s about to freak out.” I continue to stare at these birds; my eyes are the size of saucers at this point. “What the hell?” I say, looking at these smartasses out of the window. One of them flies up to the window. “Natalie, Natalie, NATALIE!” it says. Only this time the voice isn’t of the bird, it’s of Kat. The nudging then followed.
I was immediately dragged back into reality, and to Kat nudging me continuously until I hissed at her, “What?” She points to Ms. Lee, who’s called on me; I was so distracted by the “mischievous birds” that I didn’t hear her when she asked me the question. “What ever is outside seems to be more entertaining than my class huh?”
Yes. “Uhhh, no?” I replied.
“You sound unsure about that.”
That’s because I am. “Nope, I’m not. This class is very entertaining.”
“Okay, well pay attention then, because I’m going to call on you again.”
I look over at Kat; she’s on the brink of hysterical laugher. Sending daggers her way, I try to pay attention to the class. I wish there was some kind of number that you could dial to get out of this class early by causing some sort of random fire drill or something.
My hand is the only thing supporting my head from falling smack dab on the middle of the table. Boredom is trying to force my eyelids close, but I fight against it. Ms. Lee starts to talk, and what used to sound like plain English, is now turning into a series of blahs. “Now around blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah.”
I laugh to myself. Looking at my pocket, then at Lee, and then my pocket again. Verifying that the coast is clear. I pull out my phone and type in a number for the fire alarm to go off. My fingers race over the keys as I hastily type in the digits. All I have to do is press that little green button, and we’re out of here. Ms. Lee looks at me. “Natalie, blah blah blah, blah blah phone?”
“No,” I say quickly, phone in hand, ready to push that green button. Like a bull, she charges at me with her palm out. She wants my phone. She’s inches away from my desk. Now! A voice says, and I push it. Instant fire alarm. Ms. Lee stops in her tracks, confused, and starts rushing the class outside. I smile.
OUCH!
Something is pinching me, no, someone is pinching me. Kat. I give her a what-the-hell look, and she points to Lee. “She’s getting ready to call on you again, just so you know.” She whispers.
“Thanks for the heads up.” I reply. “Wait, what is she talking about?” Kat smirks and shows me some notes she’s jotted down. “Ohhh, okay.”
“It wouldn’t kill you to try to concentrate in this class—” She stopped, looked at me and laughed lightly. She realized that she was asking me to do the impossible. It’s like sitting a hyper 8-year-old in the corner and telling him to stare at the wall for an hour; it’s not going to work out. Not in this class. I look over at the clock. 7:50.
Class is not even close to being over. I can’t handle it. I make the trek up to the front of the class. My mission: get that bathroom pass. I start to walk between the tables, Lee is up at the board drawing diagrams, her back is turned to me. Yes. I think as my hand almost touches the pass, my ticket to freedom. Got it. The tip of my foot touches the hallway, I already feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Lee turns around just as half of my body is out of the class. “Miss Clay?” Shit. I cringe and begin to turn around to face my boring nemesis. “Where are you going?” she asks.
I felt like a mouse stuck in one of those sneaky cage traps, and the bathroom pass was the bait.
Natalie is dressed in a mouse costume and she’s sitting at the table with Kat. No one else realizes or even pays attention to the fact that she’s in a mouse costume, but her. She gets out of her chair and starts to crawl to get to the bathroom pass that’s sitting on the middle of the floor in the front to the classroom. Ms. Lee starts to turn around to draw diagrams on the board. As if she’s going for cheese Natalie excitedly crawls towards the pass. When she finally gets to it she squeaks with excitement. “Miss Clay?” Ms. Lee turns around. She pulls the thick, golden cord next to her and a large metal cage falls around Natalie. Natalie looks at Lee in disbelief.
“I was so close,” Natalie says, as she slumps against the cage. Ms. Lee puts her face up to the cage, “Ms. Clay, are you going to answer me, where are you going?”
“Ms. Clay!” I jerk up. I spaced out while she was talking to me. This is becoming an issue. Ms. Lee was turned towards me with her hand on her hip, and her foot tapping the floor. “Ms. Clay, I’ll ask you again, where are you going?”
I’m getting out of here before I go into a coma. “The bathroom?”
“You didn’t ask.”
Seriously? “I’m sorry; I didn’t want to interrupt you while you were teaching.” She stares at me for a minute, then nods.
“Okay,” she replies.
I slowly walk out of the classroom, and down the hall. As soon as I was clear of the “evil lair”, my phone started to buzz. I pulled it out of my pocket, it read: YOU HAVE 1 NEW MESSAGE. Probably Kat. I opened it, and it was. She was telling me how much of a slacker I was for slipping out of Lee’s class to roam the halls. I laughed as my thumbs traveled along the keys replying with a sarcastic remark. I was so busy looking down at my phone, I didn’t see—or hear—Principal Craig in the hallway. I bumped into him. He looked annoyed and pulled one of those I’m-clearing-my-throat-to-catch-your-attention numbers. “Hey Mr. Craig,” I tried to sound as nice as possible, maybe he’ll ignore the fact that I have my phone out.
“Where are you supposed to be?” He was really annoyed.
“Ms. Lee’s class, but I’m going to the bathroom.”
“And your phone happens to be part of that?”
“Yes?” I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to give me your phone, they’re not supposed to be out during school hours. I mimicked him in my head. I knew he was going to say that anyway, he’s that predictable.
“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to give me your phone, they’re not supposed to be out during school hours.”
Called it. “Can’t you just turn the other way this time?” I pleaded. I mean maybe he has a heart somewhere and he’ll walk away. He shook his head and held his palm out to get my phone. I closed my phone—but I took the battery out—and gave it to him. He looked at me like was crazy before he scolded me again and turned around to head back to the office. It’s so unfair. We’re always getting our phones taken away, but I walk down the halls and see teachers on the phone all the time. They’re even texing! I wish that we could take their phones away.
Natalie and Kat are leaning on the wall in the hallway. They’re both wearing sunglasses, chewing gum, and have their arms crossed. The hallways are filled with teachers, and all of the teachers are acting like the students, backpacks and all. The bell rings and they rush to their classes. Everyone is out of the hallway except for Principal Craig who is walking down the hallway laughing and texting on his phone. Kat taps Natalie on her shoulder and points to Principal Craig, who doesn’t realize that they’re in the hall. Natalie steps in the way of Craig and Craig runs into Natalie. She takes off her sunglasses and crosses her arms. Fraig nervously says, “Hi Ms. Clay,”
“Where are you supposed to be?”
“Physics, but I’m going to the bathroom.”
Natalie starts to laugh “Sure, and your phone happens to be a part of that?”
“Yes?”
Natalie starts to obnoxiously pop her gum, “Wrong answer. This sucks, but I’m going to have to take your phone, you know they’re not supposed to be out during school hours.”
Mr. Craig closes his phone, but takes the battery out before giving it to her. “Oh no you don’t.” Natalie says, holding her hand out for the battery. Slumping in defeat Mr. Craig hands over the battery.
He starts to pout; he crosses his arms and says, “This isn’t fair,”
“Life isn’t fair son.” Natalie replies as she returns to her spot next to Kat. Craig stomps off to the bathroom while Kat and Natalie exchange high fives before returning to their crossed arms stance.
After standing in the hallway for a few minutes, I got over the fact that Principal Craig just took my phone away. I mean it’s not the end of the world; I’ll get it back at the end of the day…hopefully. I stopped walking when I reached the big window in the middle of the hall. Leaning on the wall, I started to stare out at the trees blooming green leaves in the courtyard. I watched the clouds cruise slowing across the sky, and I watched the birds play around on the grass, like kids in a school yard. I plugged in my earphones, pressed play, and I took it all in.
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