I'm Sorry (Watty Nominated 2019)

1.

Chapter 1
Amelia Cunningham

My day started off totally fine.

But then i just had to get math at 9am in the morning.

One thing i am thankful for is that this is my last year of high school. Next year, I'm off to university. I've already applied at quite a few goods ones, but i am aiming for Yale. It's always been my dream to go there and i have absolutely, no idea why. I am doing my best, i just hope my grades are good enough.

"Amelia!"

My eyes snapped to the front of the classroom where my math teacher was standing and fuming, a impish looking guy standing next to him. I gulped.

"Sir?" I asked quietly, trying to avoid his beady glare. His let out a sigh of frustration.

"This is Nikolai King. He's new. He's your new assignment partner. And you'll be escorting him all day." He drawled in an annoyed voice.

A few kids in class openly giggled at me. My face heated up as i kept my eyes trained on the man who fails all my math homework. He rolled his eyes, patted the boy on his back and then turned back to his work on the black board. Nikolai gave me a cautious smile and i immediately averted my gaze, pretending to be totally absorbed in my maths book. I heard his footsteps approaching my desk and each step was louder than the next.

It was echoing in my ears and resonated around my mind. I'd have to spend the entire day with him, with a complete stranger. I tried not to cringe at how awkward and embarrassing i knew it would be. Not because he was with me, but because i knew what kind of a social outcast i am. I could barely hold a conversation or speak louder than a whisper.

The thought of having to be around another human being all day had me gasping for air, my lungs giving up on me completely. My mind reeled as i pushed back from my desk, sweat damping my clothes and my face. My eyes darted around the room frantically only to find everyone staring back at me like i was crazy.

I vaguely felt a hand on my back and my eyes focused on the face directly in front of mine.

It was Nikolai.

Concern was etched into his face and he was saying something that i could barely make out over the consistent ringing in my ears. I barely registered the teacher approaching me before i high tailed it out of the class, not caring to take my books or my bag along with me. Because i knew what was happening. I knew it would only get ugly.

I barrelled down the corridors until i found the girl's bathroom. I fell through the doors as my head began to spin. I tried to push myself up but i got a huge whiff of the vertigo effect and it felt like i was about to hit the ground. I thanked God that the bathroom was empty as i crawled towards the nearest wall and tried to pull myself up.

My legs were shakey as i stumbled towards the basins and looked into the mirror. My frantic green eyes stared back at me from the mirror. I didn't even realise i had been crying until i spotted the tear streaks down my face. I tried to take deep breaths before rinsing my face with some water. I needed to calm down.

I needed to calm down!

My fingers gripped the basin as a strangled cry broke from my lips without any warning.