Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Mr Peters.

To say this is my first day of teaching I haven’t been nervous. I get on with most teenagers and well it isn't exactly a century ago I was one, my mind is still practically in teenager form. What made me nervous was that I had kept a student behind. I thought I'd never do that especially to one who didn't even look like she should be behind.

I watch her stand up and look her up and down. She is quite tall for a girl and a little on the thin side but I know most girls nowadays try to look a certain way. She gives me a small smile and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear as she pulls her bag onto her shoulder. I can't help but notice the faint bruise not too far from her eye and the broken look in her smile. The same broken look my wife had.

I sigh as I watch her walk out of my classroom and then look at her desk. There were little scribbles on it and then water. I look at it a little confused. She didn't have a bottle of water on her and she didn't drink anything in class. In fact she hardly moved, she just sat looking out the window and did the work I set. Had she been crying? I wipe the desk with my sleeve and decided it’s time for me to eat something too.

Walking into the cafeteria I notice I’m the only adult in here except for the lunch staff. I look around and stand in the queue waiting patiently. I could have just gone to the front but I'm a fair person and well kids come first don't they?

"WHAT!!" I hear someone shout. I turn to see it’s Megan's friend Melanie "THAT BASTARD I'll KILL HIM, I'll GOUGE HIS FUCKING EYES OUT AND FEED THEM TO HIM" she pauses, she doesn't seem to care everyone is now looking at her "I'll RIP HIS FUCKING HEAD OFF AND SHIT DOWN HIS NECK HOW VERY DARE HE AND HOW CAN YOU JUST KEEP THIS FROM ME" angry didn't describe how she looks. I notice Megan trying to calm her down and then I notice the foul language that just came out of her mouth.

"Melanie" I say walking over to the table and standing with my arms folded "you shouldn't use such language"

"SUCH FUCKING LANGUAGE YOU'D USE THIS LANGUAGE IF YOU JUST FOUND OUT YOUR FRIEND IS GETTING-" she gets cut off when Megan stands up and pull her hair. My eyes widen, are they going to fight?

"Shut the fuck up" Megan warns now looking her friend in the eye. Melanie huffs and pushes her away. Then it starts they are fighting but not in an enemies way of fighting in a way of I'm pissed off at you and you're still my friend so I don't want to hurt you kind of fighting. I notice a lad grab hold of Melanie and pull her away. I look at Megan to see she’s holding back tears; I sigh and pick up both of their bags.

"You two follow me please" I say walking out with their bags, I turn to look at them "now" I say with a hint of authority. They nod and follow, the boy that had pulled Melanie off Megan puts his arm round Megan and follows with them while asking her if she’s ok.

I decide to go to the art room instead of the English one. I find art rooms more comfortable. They both look at me and the lad is now holding Megan's hand "could you leave please..." I search my memory for his name but I don't know it.

"Tyler," he states "and… ok" he looks at Megan worryingly and then walks out. I sit on one of the stools and put both of their bags on one of the art tables.

"Care to tell me what all that was about?" I ask now, looking at them both. I notice Melanie go to say something but look at her friend before hand making her stop"Please tell me it isn't over a boy because if it is that is just plain stupid" they both shake their heads "so you're not going to tell me?" I ask. Megan shakes her head but Melanie seems like she really wants to tell me. I sigh and run a hand through my hair "Well I can't just let it go," I say thinking out loud, I tap the table with my finger trying to think on what teachers used to do to me "ok" I say sitting up and looking at them "I'll phone your parents and tell them you have detention" as soon as I say it Megan's eyes widen.

"You can't" she says quickly "I mean err" she looks down at the floor and I look at her a little confused.

"What do you have next Melanie?" I ask, looking at her now.

"Art" she says, smiling a little. I smirk.

"Well you seem like good friends and I'm guessing you haven't fallen out" they both shake their heads "well I won't phone home," and as I say it I notice Megan let out a sigh of relief "how about you just write me lines for now Melanie you can write 'I should cool down on the foul language and very nasty threats towards others'" she smirks as I say that "and Megan how about 'I shouldn't physically attack my best friend especially in school' is that ok" they both nod "ok go get two sheets of lined paper and I want you to write on every line on both sides of the paper ok?" they nod and do what I tell them.

Half an Hour later

The bell goes for fifth period and students start to flood the room, mostly girls. I watch as everyone sits down and the boy named Tyler sits down next to Megan. I watch him ask her if she’s ok and she just nods and carries on doing the lines I had set her.

Looking around the room I notice a few faces from my English lesson and a few from just around. The class goes quiet pretty quickly as they all turn to look at me and end their conversations. I clear my throat and start to introduce myself for the fourth time today.

A girl shoots her hand up after her friend nudges her "yes?" I ask looking at her with a small smile

"My friend wants to know if you are married as you have a tan band across your marriage finger...so are you?" she asks a little nervously. I smile slightly and shake my head.

"No, no I'm not anymore my wife died" a whisper 'aww' came from the girls mouths and the lads just sort of look away disinterested.

"How did she die?" one of the lads ask.

"Jordan" Melanie snaps "you don't ask something like that" she hisses.

"Its fine" I say and sit down getting comfy "her parents killed her," I say and almost every face in the room is shocked. I look to where Megan is sitting to see her looking down lost in her own thoughts "they used to abuse her and one day well every day they went too far but one day they took her to hospital and she was put on life support machine and well she's dead now" I say looking down and fiddling with the pen in my hands. I then look up at all them "now you all have to tell me something personal about you" I say with a small smirk unaware of the little argument Megan and Tyler were having.

"Tyler shut up please for crying out loud just shut up about it" I hear Megan say and it seems most people heard her. She turns her body fully away from him, I see him mutter something under his breath and then frown.

"So when I call out your name you tell me your favourite artist or type of art and something personal about yourself and whatever anyone says we all have to keep it in this classroom ok it doesn't leave these four walls is that understood?" I ask, they nod. "If I do find out anyone has told one of their friends who isn't in this class about someone's personal life then that person will be severely punished understood" they all nod again "and also call me Logan in this class room art isn't as formal as English" some girls giggle at each other and some just nod.

Half way through I get to Tyler's name, I look at him as I say his name. "Don't really have a favourite type of artist I do like surrealism and well I urm" he looks at Megan to see she still had her back to him "I'm a dick sometimes" I chuckle slightly as I could tell he was trying to say sorry to her but she wasn't having any of it.

"Something less insulting to you" I state.

"Ok I have a weird guilty pleasure" I cock an eyebrow and I saw Megan laughing "I err I like Britney Spears songs especially toxic, my ultimate fave is Sometimes," he says looking down and turning a bright shade of red. Some of the lads start laughing and I watch as Megan turn to look at him, he just shrugs and burry his head on the table.

"Ok I think it's time we moved on to someone else" I say trying not to laugh a little. After a few names I got to Megan's name. Tyler nudged her a little and she turned to look.

"My favourite is pop art and I like Roy Lichtenstein" she says and looks down.

"And something personal about yourself or in your life" I say looking at her more intently.

"My mother died just over two years ago in a car crash and now it's just me and my dad" she says and looks down at the paper in front of her scribbling things.

"Ok" I say, and turn to the others. After I have gone through all the names and there were some funny ones and some quite sad ones. I had now told the class to draw something that resembles how they feel.

45 minutes later

I notice everyone starts to pack away; I look at the clock to see it is five to three. I look back at the class "ok bring your pictures to me and then you can go" they smile and they all start to give me their pictures one by one until no one is left in the room. Well I thought no one, but I see Megan waiting.

"What's wrong?" I ask. She looks at me then looks down and bites her bottom lip.

"I can't leave yet" she says and slowly puts her stuff away.

"I say you could go though" I state.

"I know but the bell hasn't gone I can only go when the bell has gone"

"Why?" I ask out of curiosity

"Never mind I'll go if you want me to" she says getting up to leave

"You can stay I was just been curious"

"Curiosity killed the cat" she quotes and brings her drawing over to me. I look at it with wide eyes. It isn't what I expect at all. It’s a little depressing actually. It’s a picture of two eyes staring back at me with tears filling them up and the background was just black that was cracked like a mirror..

"You don't like it," she states.

"No, no it's not that. I think it's an excellent drawing,"

"But?"

"But I didn't expect it to be so sad," and then I look at her to see her looking down at the ground.

"Well my life isn't exactly a bed of roses," she mutters to herself but I hear it. I then hear the bell go, she jumps a little then looks at me.

"I have to go Mr Peter's bye," she says, running out of the classroom at quite a speed. I turn and walked over to the windowsI watch as the students run out of school, some walk home with friends, others are getting picked up and others drive home themselves. I notice Megan as she runs up to a black jeep and open the door. I can't see the person inside but it seems she knows them. I see her look down at her feet and then get in the car. Her expression changes suddenly as she looks out the window and wipes just under her eyes. Her eyes scour the school building until they meet mine. She holds my gaze with hers for what seems like forever. It’s like she is screaming help at me or something and I don't know why.

She’s soon out of sight and I turn to see a teacher standing at my doorway. It’s the other Art teacher and well I had rarely spoken to him really. He’s about 40 odd and I can tell he doesn't like me much. It’s probably because I’ve taken the Head of Art job.

"How are you finding it?" he asks.

"Ok actually, some of the kids are ok. I thought I'd have a few nightmares but I seem to have good classes," I state and start to pack my things away picking up the drawings as I did. He seemed to notice the one on top.

"Who drew that?" he asks. I look down at it

"Oh Megan Wright," I answered.

"Hmm she's a good artist, shame about her mother, she hasn't been the same since her tragic death," he states and walks out with me "I'm guessing you met Tyler her boyfriend?" he asks, I nod and look at him. "That boy is a little troubled too. He's always losing it. He's very protective of her. When they broke up he went right off the rails and hardly turned up to school or anything, she keeps him in check; I personally think" I raise an eyebrow.

"How long have they been going out?" I ask.

"About two and a half years they broke up when her mom died as she told him she needed to be on her own. He accepted it and he was there for her when she needed him and well they got back together about 5 or 6 months later," I raise an eyebrow slightly "but I'm sure you understand the young love you married your high school sweetheart didn't you?" he asks.

"How did you know?" I ask frowning a little.

"The new science teacher she says she was in your high school she's a year older than you I think" he says looking at me.

"Urm yeah I did, we were 18 and then she died six months later" and with that said I walk off in front at a quick pace.

Hours Later

I stand out in the garden of my aunt and uncle's house having a cigarette, I’m not a heavy smoker. I just smoke when I have something on my mind. It helps me think more if that makes sense. We have just finished having dinner. I come round about 3 or 4 times a week. My parents died when I was 13 and they took me in even though I was a handful and then when Stephanie died I did nothing but rebel all I did was argue with them and get into fights. Smoke, drink and do drugs. I was a mess but they helped me through everything so I come round every week to see them and see how they are doing.

A vehicle parks practically in front of the house. Tyler gets out and walks up one of the house's garden paths, stops, then turns back around and then does the same thing again. I look at him a little confused; he hasn't noticed me yet so I can observe a little more.

The door behind me slowly opens "Are you coming back inside?" I hear my aunt say.

"Urm yeah one sec" I pause and look at her "who lives there?" I ask pointing towards where Tyler is.

"Oh there you know who they are it's Jonathon Wright," I give her a blank expression, she sighs. "He has a wife and daughter, his wife is called Helen and his daughter is Megan" she states. I still give her a blank look "They had that black Labrador"

"Oh" I pause, "I remember." I then look over "Megan's in my class, she's my art and English student" I state and put out the cigarette on the wall "I didn't know they had a daughter" I state and walk back into the house. I notice Tyler get back in his car and drive off muttering to himself.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter