Fishy Felonies

B00b135_43v3r?

I really, really hate Mondays. My brain is kind of drowsy and I become acutely aware that I have pretty much wasted my weekend away, sulking in boredom.

I spend a good part of the day making sure my annoyance stays in my head and doesn't ooze out at anyone who's decide to make it their job to try to shovel lousy bits of gossip down my throat.

This Monday isn't as bad as usual. I've made it to the third period, which is right before lunch, without having to sneak off to the toilet to down a can or two of red bull. Maybe it's because I actually went outside this weekend, and not just for froyo and toilet roll. 

Despite the fact Stephanie isn't in this lesson and I haven't seen Constantine yet, I'm still on edge. I'd never admit it to him, but I'm sort of excited to solve this mystery. Like some weird twist of plot, it turns out that Tarmac and Constantine actually have lives, so I have to wait till we meet on Wednesday.

"Why are you jiggling your leg?"

Oh. I thought I was doing a god job of acting natural.

Luckily, it was Marie asking. She was a nice-ish girl with shoulder length brown hair, dyed semi permanent black, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. We were friends, not because we had anything in common, but more because we belong to the group people who weren't popular but weren't social pariahs either. I'm very proud of that status. It's very average and therefore suitable. It also meant we weren't very close so she wouldn't really press me to tell her anything, unless it was about some boy.

I whispered back. "I guess I'm just nervous about my GPA. I've got to pull it up this year and this class is killing." A very normal concern for any girl. 

"We're only three weeks in to the school year, it's too early to worry. I've already got a D in calculus."

The crusty curmudgeon of a teacher, who's name I had no intention of learning, cleared her throat to silence the whispering. I waited for her to resume writing on the board before continuing.

"Yeah, but this year really counts, doesn't it? Like colleges will be looking at our transcripts."

Oh, crap. I should have just shut my mouth. Now, I was actually touching upon an actual issue. I hadn't fully thought about what to do after high school. There were too many options and I hadn't figured out which one I was supposed to pursue.

The bell rang before I could full on panic in my head. Everyone quickly stuffed their books into their bags, eager for lunch.

"The bell does not dismiss you, I dismiss you."

The crusty curmudgeon might as well have stayed quiet; no one even slowed down.

I dashed out of the classroom with Marcie. We were both hoping to avoid a long queue.

"Have you seen Karen's new haircut? She's got the teeniest tiniest fringe. It's so daring."