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Chapter 4: Awakening

Things are going to start picking up pace in this chapter.

Word Count: 1,615

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I stood outside on the side of the school in the shadows, trying to comb through my ratty wet hair with my fingers. It was useless, giving up I braided it in one long french braid down my back and used one of the very few elastics I owned to tie it off at the end. After fluffing out my braid I stood tall and braced myself to go into my first class that had started twenty minutes ago. I couldn't risk not going. With my luck, they would call my foster parents and there would be yet another punishment.

I held my head high as I walked into my first class. All eyes were on me, again. Just like yesterday. Mr. Hansen spared me a quick glance before returning to the board as he continued to write out an equation that everyone else had been in the middle of jotting down in their notes.

Dean looked at me with a questioning look as everyone else looked at me in disgust. I knew I looked like a mess. Soccer shorts and a boys t-shirt in the middle of a rainstorm in October was borderline insanity. Add my half hazard braid and my drenched appearance; I probably looked like a lunatic.

Purposely ignoring Dean's stare, and everyone else for that matter, I slid into my seat and pulled out the only paper I owned that was covered in yesterday's notes.

Class went by much too fast in my opinion. It was incredibly hard to catch up on all the notes I missed at the beginning of class. When I finally finished and looked up the classroom was empty except for Mr. Hansen who was waiting patiently at his desk for me to finish. I hurried and shoved my paper and pencil into my bag banging my knee on my desk as I stood up in my haste to leave.

"Don't rush on my account," Mr. Hansen interrupted my panic attack. "This is my prep hour, go ahead finish your notes and I'll write you a note for being late to your next class."

"Thanks, Mr. Hansen I'm finished," I replied as he pulled a notepad out and began writing me a tardy note. "But, I seemed to miss the assignment."

"Problems 1-15 on page 131." He said handing me my note. "Do you have yesterday's assignment?"

I shuffled nervously on my feet fiddling with my tardy note. "Umm yes and no," I answered looking up at my teacher who was giving me a quizzical look. "I didn't have any paper so I memorized my answers. I was wondering if I could either recite them or write them on the board."

"Why don't you have any paper?"

"U-umm," I hesitated still fidgeting. "I left all my old school stuff at my last home and haven't been able to get any here yet."

Mr. Hansen gives me a knowing look before nodding at the board for me to write my assignment out in dry erase marker.

"Very good Ms. Wolfe," He congratulates me. "Not one wrong, impressive. Here for your next assignment." Mr. Hansen hands me an empty notebook. "Now hurry off to your next class."

After thanking Mr. Hansen for the notebook I bolt for English which I am indeed very late for. Even though I handed Mrs. Stanley my tardy note she was still very upset I was late and sent me to the library for the remainder of the class. Art was amazing as ever. I desperately missed getting lost in my drawings and paintings.

Nerves ran through my body as I stepped into Biology. Part of me was excited to see Dean the other part was embarrassed to be seen in what I wore to bed last night. Quietly I took my seat next to him and fought hard to ignore his eyes boring into the side of my face. I pulled out my Biology book and my notebook, tuning Dean out as I began following along with the teacher.