Drop Dead Gorgeous (YoungWritersPrize)

Forever Your Angel

I was staring off into space, lazily scribbling down some notes that passed me by in Mrs. Lawinski's class. I couldn't get focused on anything, really.

It's been a week since everything went down.

The job.

The apartment.

The court hearing was today, though. Lucas had been excused from school for that. Goddess, I hope my mom doesn't freak out over there. I couldn't help but to feel a bit sad because Lucas was leaving, well not that I wasn't happy for him, it's just...The past few weeks were great. More than great. What's the word I'm looking for here...Awakening. Something like that.

I remembered Lucas sneaking into my room one night, and snuggling under the covers with me, for an hour or so. I loved just laying there, in his arms, feeling that warm, strong body...I felt like I was protected somehow. He wasn't my knight in shining armor, he was my armor. It felt like he was making me strong. All the problems just disappeared. All the sick, twisted jokes from the past. All the past. Everything. Why does yesterday matter? Or today? Or tomorrow?

The only thing of value in this world is to love and  be loved.

»Mrs. Monroe?«  

»What?« I lifted up my head way to quickly.

»It's – yes, please?- not – what?- .« Said Mrs. Lawinski with an annoyed voice. »Will you please come to the blackboard?«

The blackboard? Oh crap. I hated this. If I won't be able to solve the problem, she'll mock me. In some ways, teachers weren't that different from bullies. Well, math teachers at least.

I got this heavy, burning feeling in my stomach, swallowing what seemed like a bunch of nails being shoved down my throat.

»Today Mrs. Monroe, today.« She shook her head and flicked through the notebook.

I walked towards her, already feeling the burning gazes of my classmates, probably being so happy it wasn't them who walked down math death-row. I spotted Virginia with a corner of my eye. Just enough to see her smug smile. Ironically she was Mrs. Lawinski's favourite. Probably because they had similar personalities. Or interests.

They would take five minutes at the beginning of the class, while everyone else would solve math problems, and comment on horoscope in Journal, always complaining about their love life. How they never got three hearts, always just two. And then Virginia would bake some cookies for her, and she would compliment on her new shoes...you get the picture.

Anyway, together they would make the perfect evil scientist. Who wears high fashion shoes.

»Page five, equation seven.« The devil's little helper handed me the book.

I started at the problem and I instantly knew that I couldn't solve this. Not in a million years.

I took the tiny piece of white chalk and started writing on the blackboard. I figured I could at least stall my humiliation a bit.

»This is not calligraphy class, Mrs. Monroe.« Said the teacher while she turned another page in today's Journal. »Speed it up.«

Okay. Okay. I can do this. I can try. Oh goddess, I can't do this!

Okay. Okay. The first part seems good. Well, decent at least.

And if 36 goes here, that means that x equals...4?

Did I solve it?

»Are you done?«

I turned around. »Um...«