I woke up with a bitter taste in my mouth. My head felt heavy with the pain throbbing and pulsing in my skull like a hammer over and over again. The killing ache in my brainwas enough to cloud my thoughts. I would never drink again. I did my morning routine in a hurry and headed to school looking like a zombie. I walked through the corridor towards my locker, dizzy by the unstoppable images from last night that keep showing up whenever I lower my eyelids. Megan greeted me with tons of questions about my disappearance and I answered lazily. “I’m fine, my mom picked me up.” I lied. The last thing I want is for her to worry about me. I waved her goodbye and started walking towards class, ignoring a bunch of students I recognized from the party that were ridiculously eyeing me.
I stood at the door scanning the class and trying to find a seat in the back. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to Mr. Jones go on and on about his fascination with old myths, so I decided that I was going to sleep through the whole class. My classmates were unusually silent today. I sat down and looked around. That’s when I noticed a tall and slim woman eyeing me. Her dark suit made her porcelain skin look paler and if it wasn’t for the thin grey lines in her long blond hair, I would’ve thought that she was in her mid-twenties. Her lips were firm and her eyes were sharp and determined. I didn’t know why staring at her made shivers run through my whole body.
“Hello, everyone! My name is Evelyn Collins and I’m your new Mythology teacher.” She spoke, “Any questions?”
An awkward silence filled the room.
“Very good.” She said with a smile that barely reached her eyes. And just when I thought that my day wouldn’t get any worse, Mrs. Collins spoke again. “Since this is my first class with you guys, we’re going to have a pop quiz.” Having heard the announcement, the class was filled with groaning and moaning noises that made my headache even worse.
I managed to answer most of the questions in a short amount of time and then I asked the new teacher if she would grant me the permission to go see the nurse. I grabbed my back and headed to the door feeling her eyes on the back of my neck.
I walked around a few hallways and then headed out of the university. I didn’t really need to see the nurse, what I really needed is to rest. I decided to walk back home because the fresh air made my pain ease somehow. I passed by a group of guys who were lighting up their cigarettes, and somehow the sight of the little flames that were coming out of the lighters distracted all my thoughts. The fire boy. I almost forgot about him because of all the pain I was feeling.I remembered how gracefully he carried himself, the way he walked through the burning flames made him look fearless.
I felt this sudden urge and need to see him again but I was too weak to walk to his place. I would be thankful if I could make it home.
I finally got home. The feeling of weakness was eating me up and the tickling in my stomach became more irritating, so I grabbed a slice of the pizza that my mom has left me on the counter then went up to my bedroom. I managed to grab a few bites of it but then I was too tired to chew. I threw myself on the soft mattress and slipped into oblivion.
