Flipped (L.T.)

Chapter 48: A Game of Pretend

<LOUIS' POV>

Day 1: first period exams and final reviews in third, fifth, and seventh.

I put down the exam schedule just to replace it with a list of formulas I'll need to remember for my math exam. All week-end I've been engrossing myself in nothing but scholastic books and written notes. This week was finals week and my educational career hung in the balance of these scribes of satan.

Our fall exams would also give our class ranking and I had to be in the top one hundred to even have a chance at a scholarship. Its never too early for universities to start recruiting students. If I score high on these, then they'll be put on record and I'll surely be a candidate. Its going to be tough with the competition in school, and with my lack of working due to..other circumstances, I have a lot to catch up on.

My only focus is getting through this test week; nothing else matters at the moment and I'd like to keep it that way. Letting studies cloud my mind was an excellent distraction from the issues occurring. I had locked them in a safe hidden in my head; dozens of padlocks and chains sealing them away so not a fraction of those thoughts would interrupt my concentration. However, I was well aware of the foreboding feeling of when the tests would end and there would be no guard to withhold their concealment.

Eventually I would have to face the inevitable confrontation and go from there. I choose not to think about it now. At the moment, I just needed to pass my math exam.

...

<ELIZA'S POV>

Lets see, its.. monday. Monday says I'll have a test in first period.. and reviews.

"Sorry." I murmur as I accidentally bump a guy in the hallway. "Pardon." I say again as I manage to run into another.

I've been tired all the time lately. I'm sluggish and my body is still trying to get used to the medication. Its like a numbing sensation all over me. I understand its supposed to keep my emotions stable but its like I was born without any. Not even the strongest stimulus affects me.

For example: this morning Noah had taken a considerable time in the shower, leaving the water cold when I stepped in. Now usually I would've been upset and angry, surly would have stormed into his room and railed him with insults. But I couldn't. I didn't have the will to do anything but continue with my shower.

I also had a hard time remembering anything. My mind was cloudy and it took a minute for me to gather my thoughts. The basics still came natural, but things like school and all this criteria was going to be difficult to recall. Luckily my first period was just math and that came easily to me. I just needed to look over the formulas a few times and hope I could picture them later when needed.

After about five minutes of aimlessly walking around, I find miss- I don't have a clue what her name is- class and wander in. Everyone in here seems to be too engrossed in their studying to notice my odd behavior as I try to determine which is my desk. Thank goodness because this may take a while.

<LOUIS' POV>

"I never knew just how many equations could be made up." Daniel exhausts. "There must've been over a thousand of them!"

"On the contrary, there was only a hundred and five." Ryan points out. "And its not like they were rough equations. I was actually quite surprised she took it easy on us."

"Easy?" Kevin scoffs. "Maybe for you Einstein. I didn't even finish."

"Perhaps if you stayed awake, you would've."

"Perhaps if I punched you in the face, you wouldn't be so damn cocky." Kevin retorts and I take the initiative of pulling him aside before he follows through with his threat.