The Ties That Bind - Finn Shelby

Chapter One

I was staring into space when something small but hard hit me on the side of the head.

"Ow!" I yelled, before glaring around me to identify which of my classmates had the good aim.

"Problem, Ms. Caine?" asked our tight-lipped teacher Mrs. Changretta. She had been writing something on the blackboard at the top of the classroom. As she spoke, she turned around so that she was facing me, last seat of the aisle, nearest the door. She had a stern but curious look on her face. 

"No Mrs. Changretta. Sorry Mrs. Changretta", I mumbled uncomfortably. I knew subconsciously that she would let it slide, she knew that I was a hard worker and rarely disturbed the class unless there was a need to.

She turned back around to the blackboard and continued writing up her notes on the discovery of the light bulb. "Fascinating topic", I thought to myself, and started to copy them down, raging that I was so far behind.

I heard chortling laughter behind me. I glanced around quickly, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention from Mrs. Changretta. Seated a few rows behind me were Finn Shelby and Isaiah Jesus. They were clearly the source of the laughter, but as I glared at them they immediately stopped laughing and pretended like their concentration had not broken at all. They had a piece of chalk in front of them in the inkwell of the desk, and Isaiah was breaking it into little pieces. As I watched, he chose one and decided to throw it hard at the blackboard at the front of the room! 

I gasped as the sizeable piece of chalk soared through the air above our heads, and clattered against the whiteboard very close to Mrs. Changretta's head. She whirled around in a rage, slamming down her own piece of chalk on her desk as she did so.

"Who threw that?!" she demanded of us. No one spoke. Mrs. Changretta turned to me. 

"Chrissie", she said, "who threw that?"

I could feel the rest of the class roll their eyes. It was a common opinion among my classmates that I was a 'snitch' because another boy in our class brought Tokyo to school and was trying to sell it to me. I went and told immediately. I didn't do it to get him in trouble, as was assumed by my classmates, but rather that I didn't want anyone to hurt themselves. But, as was understandable, the class turned against me and my reputation as a 'snitch' began that day. And every day since.

"I didn't see who it was, Mrs. Changretta", I said defiantly. I looked around and saw a few raised eyebrows. They certainly hadn't been expecting that response. "I promise." I said.

"Very well", she said. She fixed her thickly framed glasses on her nose and placed a hand to her hair. "Everyone will stay behind after school and write me an essay. A thousand words on Benjamin Franklin. There will also be a pop quiz on him and his work on the light bulb some day this week. I shall not reveal which day." She said this quite smugly. 

The class groaned, and collectively twenty heads swiveled to the back of the classroom where Finn and Isaiah were seated. Isaiah stared obstinately back at them, but Finn had his head down and his ears were going pink.

He looked up eventually and caught my eye. I glared at him and mouthed the word "Dickhead". I saw the embarrassment fade, and cockiness took its place. 

"Piss off", he mouthed back. 

This was my first interaction with Finn Shelby, and I hoped it would be the last.