I never had a ton of friends growing up. Okay, let us be real. I did not have any friends. I did not hang out with the so-called "cool" kids at school. And do not even get me started on my mom's boyfriend, or should I say Chump? That was what I will call him now because, let's face it, the man was a complete idiot. And as for Chump's sons? They did not like me either. But you know what? I did not care. I did not need a bunch of fake friends or a toxic family to validate me. Plus, I always thought those cool kids were just trying way too hard.
I felt like I could never quite understand the way the rest of the world operated. It was like I was constantly on a different wavelength and, as a result, I found myself with zero friends. But I did not mind at all. It had been just me and my mother for the longest time. That was until she started dating Chump. Suddenly, everything changed, and I found myself feeling even more isolated and alone.
Walking down the hallway on Friday morning, I felt a serious sense of dread. The halls were completely empty. The usual hustle and bustle of students rushing to classes was replaced by a quiet stillness. It was a clear indication that classes were now in session, making me realise that I was once again late for my English Literature class. My heart raced as I thought of facing Mrs. Harries, who I knew would not be pleased with my consistent tardiness. She had already sentenced me to detention four times in the past week.
Last week Mrs. Harries pulled me aside and gave me this crazy ultimatum. She was like, "If you ever show up late for my class again, you are going to regret ever meeting me."
Come on lady, it was not like I showed up late on purpose. And it was definitely not my fault that her class happened to be the first one for the day. I already wish I had never met half the people in my life, so her threats did not faze me.
Making my way to class, a sudden sense of unease washed over me. I could not quite put my finger on it, but something just felt off. My flesh felt clammy and gross as if I had just run through a rainstorm. Despite the hot weather, I refused to take off my hoodie -- a habit I never break. But needless to say, the oppressive force of heat had proven to be my greatest foe.
Chump was always a hothead when it came to the heat as well. Whenever the temperature rose, he would get in these blown-up fits and take it out on my poor mother. It was almost like the heat was his kryptonite and he could not control his anger. Of course, I knew that there were also other factors involved.
Ugh! My lovely readers, my body felt like a total garbage dump. I swear, it was worse than any other morning before. I did not even feel clean at all. I was so uncomfortable, and I just knew that when I walked into class, the students might catch a whiff of me. But what could I do? I was already super late, so I could not stop and try to freshen up in the restroom. This was why I love winter! I would much rather deal with cold snow than heat. There was always the option of throwing on extra layers to keep warm, without having to worry about taking them off later. The kitchen was a sanctuary, always radiating a scorching heat that provided some relief. However, during this time of year in Brownsville, the heat was unbearable.
I confidently entered the classroom and closed the door behind me. The first thing that struck me was the unusual quietness. Mrs. Harries' class was notorious for being the loudest and most energetic in the entire school, so the peacefulness was quite surprising. In fact, it was a challenge for her to even get the students to quiet down for attendance before they would inevitably become loud again.
The stillness surprised me. Along with the unsettling observation that nobody uttered a clever remark as I made my way to my seat ... my head hung low as usual. It was evident that something was amiss, but I could not bring myself to look up and find out what it was. I paid little attention to those around me, knowing that if my classmates were planning a cruel joke on me, it was better not to see them. They have a habit of pulling these stunts on me, but this time, I simply settled into the back row and leaned against the wall. Lost in thoughts inside my head.
"Hello everyone. I am Mr. Cross, and I will be taking over as a substitute for Mrs. Harries for the next few days."
Suddenly, a deep and mature voice caught my attention, pulling me out of my reverie. Slightly shocked by the unexpected voice, my heart skipped a beat and dropped into my stomach, as if I were under some sort of spell. But even amid its effect on me, I could not help but stifle a laugh.
My darling readers, did I not say something was off? It totally made sense why everyone was so quiet in Mrs. Harries' class. I mean, it was full of horny teenage girls and a couple of junky guys. Like, what else would you expect? They were all about getting their flirts on and satisfying their raging hormones. So, of course, they were all hush-hush. And based on the sound of our substitute teacher's voice and the level of attentiveness displayed by the girls in the classroom, one could infer that he was either exceptionally handsome or possessed a certain skill at commanding obedience.
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