Girl awake

oversimplify

HADLEY

"So I hope all of you are clear with the classifications and if anyone of you have any doubt then you can come after school and clear them . Now turn to page 278 "

There is a dead tree in the ground of our school . The branches stand out just like they do in paintings,  with many small sub branches and pointed tips .

I have been seeing this tree like this from the day I stepped in this school . That time I thought about all the haunted,  tearful memories it carried and the dark thoughts that are carved into it - the broken words of a person who failed another test , the horrifying words of a nerd for his bully , the one sided love of every guy who wanted to be with the head cheer leader. 

I wanted to bring an axe and tear it down, relieve it from all the memories, all the stories that it carried and all the secrets that it knew.  But I wasn't able to get an axe .

I'm sitting at the back seat and Mrs Francis isn't paying any attention to any back bencher so I start looking outside again.

A dark brown coloured small sparrow is sitting at the tree now,  eating some piece of fruit that it brought in it's beak . The bird is fragile , a person holding it wouldn't even realise it's weight. I look down and see how the narrow branch of the tree is shaking and I want to scold the bird . The branch is not strong enough to hold any thing more , the pain of the tree has made it too shallow .

And then suddenly the branch snaps and many people glance at the tree but then look back again.  The bird flies away the branch falls down to the ground .

And this is how the end comes . This is how much the people care .

This is what most of us deserve .

Mrs Francis starts teaching again and every thing goes on as usual . The people worried about academics are taking notes , those worried about life are listening and the ones that are just physically present are fighting with different urges in their minds . Some good, some bad , some shameful , some guilty .

The loud buzzing of the hell signals the end of the class and everyone begins to pack their bags without even glancing once at Mrs Francis and if someone does , she just nods,  encouraging them to get out of her class .

The class empties quickly . Some have to go to their next class , some just have to escape from this place . But nevertheless,  most of the people leave quickly . 

I sit back and see everyone leave . I have to talk to Mrs Francis so I stayed.  She is sitting in her seat now , checking her notes or something cause she expects all of us to leave by now .

I get up from my desk and go up to her .

"Ma'am can I talk to you for a minute ? ", she looks up from her desk and nods her head asking me to sit on the next desk .

"Yes Hadley?  Something wrong? Need help with the classifications?  Boy I thought you will get them,  you are bright enough "

This is a word I hate , enough. It never clarifies If the person is saying you are good enough or enough to be not said bad . Mrs Francis has a habit of saying this to everyone but I still think she also never thinks about in  which sense is the other person taking it .

"No ma'am,  I am not here for that. I actually needed to talk to you about any junior who needs a tuition maybe ? I will be happy to help him or her "

"Oh sure Hadley I know some . I'll tell them about you tomorrow and if they say yes then you can choose . But didn't you work at the library? "

"I left it ma'am ", I looked right at her without blinking so that she understands I don't want to talk about it .

"Oh okay, sure thing . Meet me after school tomorrow . I know you teenagers like a part time thing , don't want your parents to pay for your useless needs " , she laughs a little and I nod at her .

My eyes catch her hand and I see the small patches of chipped nail paint on her nails , a little golden in colour . I think about how maybe she plays guitar and got nail paint like this , how maybe she went to rock concerts with bad hair spray and a little black dress on in her days but then her father convinced how this all wasn't a real career and brought her bibles and encyclopedias to read .

But then maybe Mrs Francis is a mother of a toddler and when she feeds him,  he bites her fingers and that's how the nail paint gets chipped .maybe she left him with a girl like me right now , who wants the money for her useless needs . If the students don't agree for the tuitions , then I'll ask her about this .

"Hadley?  Darling ? Are you listening ? ", she snaps her fingers at me to regain my attention towards her .

"Sorry ma'am,  was just thinking.  What were you saying ? "

"I asked why did you leave the job ? I thought you liked working there ? ", she quirked one of her eyebrows up and asked politely.

"I did ma'am.  I just thought my work there was done "

Hey to the readers,
I know I'm just very lazy and very late to update but I hope you will be happy with the chapter .  I'm letting the story go a little slow so that every little detail comes out nicely and so that you understand Hadley and xander better.
Have a good read .

Love ,
Monxxx