Breathless

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Disturbance

It felt like I was drowning.

My head felt heavy and my lungs ached. The constant words of my fathers plea for me to run echoed through the back of my mind, weighing me down like an anchor. I knew I was dreaming, and yet, it almost seemed as real as the night he left.

"Excuse me. Miss Oslin?" I lifted my head groggily from my nap and wiped at my eye. Everyone was staring at me again. No surprises there.
I wasn't exactly picked for teacher pet. Nor was I ever picked for anything. Over the years, settling into a new tribe had been tough on the whole family and I managed to set myself up with a pretty bad rep without hardly doing a thing. I had been thrown against people on purpose by the 'fakes' to start fights but I always ran away from them, hiding in the bathroom for the rest of the day. I guess to some teachers it always seemed like I was truanting the lessons and with nobody there to defend me, I managed to end myself up in a lot of teachers bad books.

"Yes?" I asked, looking up at Mr Colony. His stern gaze didn't bother me anymore.
"Principles office. Now" he ordered, pointing his finger to the door like I needed reminding where it was.

The principle, Mr Garven, received regular visits from me. He was the only teacher who was ever nice towards me while all the others have given me the cold shoulder even before I did anything. Mr Colony was different though. I quite enjoyed pissing him off. Whenever he got mad it got me our of class and maths just wasn't fun at all.

I gladly gathered my things and tried to to race out the door as quickly as possible, ignoring the snickers from classmates. The principles office was a small room located at the front of the school next to the front office and sick bay. Mr Garven's door was always painted bright colours which he changed every odd week. This time, it was sunflower yellow.

I knocked lightly on the door and stepped inside. Mr Garven was sorting through paperwork as usual and I flopped into the seat in front of him.

"Back again Aleisha?" He asked but didn't sound all that surprised. "Let me guess", he stayed quiet for a few seconds before returning with his answer. "Asleep in class?"

"Yep. Mr Colony woke me during my mid-maths-nap and sent me here. I mean I knew he was grumpy but he doesn't need to be rude about it" I tapped my nails on the arm rest of the chair.

He laughed. "Have you always had this good of a humour?"

"Oh yes" I said, smirking at the idea of me being funny.

"Well you know the drill Aleisha" he looked up at me, setting his glasses on top I his head. "Afternoon detention for sleeping in class" he pressed his lips together "but if you promise me that you won't do it again all week. I'll let you off with a warning"

He seemed to always let me get off with a warning which made me think if he ever truly gave out punishments at all.

He reached under his desk and pulled out a jar of lollies and hard candies he always had for his favourite students and I smiled.

"Alright I promise"

"Thank you Aleisha and I hope the next time I see you it will because of something good next time"

I nodded and grabbed a lollie from the jar. They were always the same peppermint and strawberry, but I never said anything. I thanked him and walked back to class. Maths wasn't that far away so I took my time, walking as slowly as I could. I rounded the corner to the maths demountables, stumbling backwards as I ran into a wall. Which was funny because I didn't remember a wall being there.

I gasped quietly to myself as someone grabbed my arm, stopping me from falling back. A current of hot electricity ran up my arm and I shuddered. I presumed it was a teacher about to tell me off from being out of class, but was shocked to find that it wasn't.

I looked up and saw a boy who I have never seen before, so I knew that he was new here. He, like most of the boys attending school, wore the button up white shirt and tie. Even though it was two sized too small, it suited him, showing off the tight muscles on his chest and ebony of his arms. His grip on my arm loosened and I stepped away from him, his honey crested eyes still looked on mine.

"Sorry" he smiled, the corner of his mouth turning up slowly "I wasn't watching were I was going"

"It's fine" I tried to sound pissed off at him, which was easy knowing what people were like at this school "I should probably be going" I looked down trying to escape his gaze but he caught me by the arm again.

"Wait, it didn't get your name"

"That's because I didn't give it to you" I rolled my eyes and pulled away from his grip, walking away from one of the only boy who was ever kind to me.