melancholy town | h.s

forty one

I'm sent to Mrs Addington's office for 'disrupting the class' again. Apparently making faces at someone in another classroom is distracting. I flip Liam my middle finger as I pass his classroom as I leave mine. This was the second time this week and it's only Wednesday morning. My dirty white converse squeak against the wet floor as I carry my destroyed book under my arm.

It's been raining all week non stop. I slow down my pace, not wanting to trip over the mucky footprints that were scattered everywhere. Metallica plays through the shit headphones that I found at work behind the desk. I accidentally broke my good ones a few days ago when I stepped on them.

My eyes fall down watching the floor as I turn the all too familiar corner. My book falls out of my hand as I bump into another student. My head snaps up to meet the last person I wanted to see right now. Alexis.

Her lipstick stained lips start moving suggesting that this bitch is trying to talk to me. I roll my eyes and pull out my headphone to reveal her obnoxious voice.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Watch where you are going you almost made me spill my coffee!" Alexis yells, showing me her coffee cup then pointing at her exposed cleavage. Who in their right mind wears a bandeau and a skirt to school?

"Damn that sucks." I shrug kind of hoping that she had of spilt the coffee on her.

"You are so fucking rude honestly." She almost growls and I hide my smirk.

"You're one to talk." I say and she rests a hand on her hip. Here we go.

"You could've seriously burnt me! Do you really not have any humanity in you to realise what you could've done you animal!" Her voice grows louder and I hold the temptation back to grab the cup and drown her in the coffee.

What the hell was she talking about and for the love of God will she just shut her face?

"Do me a favour and just fuck off. I don't have time for your shit." I say, picking up my book from the floor. But it falls out of my hand as Alexis kicks it out. Oh she's going to get it.

She starts walking off but I quickly stick my arm out, tripping her over completely. A loud thud and the spill of the coffee sounds like music to my ears. I erupt into laughter, struggling to stand to my feet as I watch her.

"Oh my God." I hear my brother's voice and I turn around to face him stress-fully running his hands through his hair and a laughing Harry by his side.

"Carey what the hell did you do?!" Ethan groans and walks over to Alexis, crouching down to help her up like he gives a fuck.

"She's a psycho." Alexis announces once she gets to her feet and I roll my eyes.

"She bumped into me and knocked my book out of my hands so I retaliated." I respond not being able to hide the smirk on my face.

Alexis starts brushing over herself and my brother scowls at her. I hear Harry's boots click against the floor before he stops right next to me. I turn my head to look up at him.

"Stop messing around with her she's not worth any type of attention." Harry tells me and I start to say something but he presses a finger to my lips. I quickly grab his finger and pull it away. What the bloody hell was he doing? My brother was right there!

"She's a bitch and I don't tolerate bitches." I say and Harry smiles. His green eyes were covered in a glaze of red and I could smell the faint scent of smoke. He was stoned.

Before I could ask Harry if he had any bud on him I hear heels clicking coming from the office area. I turn my head to find my principal standing at the end of the hallway. Fuucckk.

Harry notices and quickly turns the corner along with my brother leaving me with a pissed off Alexis. Great. This is the top of my morning.

"Miss Graham. Miss Reid. My office. Now." Mrs Addington points at the two of us before heading back into her office.

"This is your fault." Alexis spits and I roll my eyes.

"Shut the fuck up before I spill another lot of coffee, this time on your face." I threat before storming my way into the office, sitting down in the all too familiar chair.

Alexis follows in after me, huffing in annoyance as she takes a seat next to me. I slide my chair further away from her, screeching as it moves against the floor.

"Alright. I have had enough of whatever is going on between the two of you and I have dealt with it for as long as I can and I am done. You two need to sort out what is going on between you and stop bringing it into the school." Mrs Addington glares back and forth at me and Alexis as she basically growls at the two of us. Ew. The two of us. Someone get me a bucket.

"Well maybe if she minded her damn-" Alexis begins but is immediately shut off.

"Miss Graham I do not want to hear the end of that." She says not sitting down at her seat even though she's right at her desk. If she was going to keep us in here for another second she better strap herself down.

"She pushed me!" Alexis whines. Actually whines. Like a 5 year old.

"Shut up you idiot you pushed me first." I laugh but my laughter fades when I take a glance at Mrs Addington's extremely angered face.

"Both of you quit it! For the love of God you sound like children! Get out of my office and if you both end up in here again I am not giving you another warning. Suspensions will be enforced. I don't tolerate this behaviour. Both of you detention on Friday." Her voice is loud and full of venom. Alexis swallows hard, probably not used to someone being on a higher horse than she is.

I honestly wouldn't mind if I got suspended but judging by the look on Alexis' face, it was probably the worst thing in the world she's ever heard. Alexis scrabbles to her feet, basically running out of the office. I don't move from my seat as I was meant to be here in the first place.

"Carey unless you set fire to the school or killed someone I don't really care. Just go sit in the library." Mrs Addington sighs loudly and I smile, getting up from the seat.

I go back towards my locker, the stain of the spilt coffee is still on the floor as I pass it. Another smirk creeps back on my face but I shove it off. Alexis is lucky that I was just finishing my period. If she messed with me 2 days ago you'd still be looking for her body pieces.

I grab my deck of cigarettes and a lighter before sneaking out of the back of the school and out to the closest park. The rain catches up to me but I find a small undercover space near the park benches. I put my headphones back in, continuing my music before it was interrupted. 

I go through about 3 cigarettes, plotting my many ways on how to get myself suspended without hurting my record. I could really do with a few days off. Maybe if Nessa and I fought we'd both get suspended and keep each other company. I text her my idea but she texts me back telling me that I'm insane.

I'm half way through my fourth cigarette as a family arrive at the park. Who takes their children to a park on a rainy day? That's just sad. However I find myself watching the family, pangs of jealousy hitting me like a brick in the face. The parents splash around with their offspring in the mud, showing them endless amounts of affection. 

One of the blonde toddlers wave at me and I give a small wave back, hiding my cigarette. He giggles loudly, his cheeks turning a hot pink against his fair skin. I can't help but get lost in my own thoughts as I look at the happy child. I was, and never have been that happy. His mum cuddles him in the largest hug I've ever seen, planting his small face with kisses and I almost choke on my cigarette smoke.

People actually affection their children like this? I thought it was something in the movies. My jealousy gets the better off me and I get off my seat, heading angrily back into the rain stomping my cigarette out on the way.

I was jealous. Why couldn't I be brought up like that? Why did I get put with parents- a parent who doesn't give a shit about anyone but herself? I turn up my music, feeling like the whole world is against me.