If I Fell (On Hold)

If I Fell- A Hard Day's Night (Chap 12)

“Julia Cox?” the teacher shouted out my name.

“Present,” I called from the back of the classroom. The teacher gave me a strange look, but moved right on down the list. Well, I’d rather be a present then here, so I thought it was fitting.

I hated health class. Not as much as gym, but it was still really stupid. Everything they teach you I could easily learn from a magazine, movie, or the Today show. I didn’t even know the teachers name yet. Mrs. Frill, maybe? She didn’t have very good decorating skills. She got the biggest classroom in the school, the one only for teaching health, and she hasn’t a poster on the walls. Poor walls.

 The room is huge; probably double the length and width of a normal sized class. And there are two entrances, with small hallways, almost, in between, so you could stand there without being seen from the front. The only reason why it’s so big is because there’s allowed to be more students in a gym class, so that all transfers over to health. I think there are about 35 kids? Give or take a few. I know a little over half of them, probably. If you count knowing as going to the same school as them for three years and knowing their reputation. All the same.  

Mrs. What’s her face is done with attendance at this point, and Kendra jabs her elbow into me to get me to look up.

“Alright, class,” the teacher says. I look behind her at the black chalkboard to see that her name is Mrs.Gill.

So I was close. Mrs. Gill is strange. She looks younger, maybe in her early thirties, and she’s wearing old lady pants, up past her hip, and a pink polo shirt.

“Today, to get to know each other better, you will come up to the front of the room, introduce yourself, and say one word that describes you. I’ll take volunteers to go first. Any takers?”

A hand shot in the air, to my left and all the way in the front. I looked up to see it was Ashley Gomez. Of course she volunteers first. I went to middle school with her, and had a couple classes with her. Her image is such a cliché. Blond, perfect clothes, rich, straight A’s, blah blah blah blah blah. It’s all an act. She’s slept with more guys then I can count on my hands and toes. And that’s just last year. That’s just downright nasty. Plus she’s rude. To me, at least. I’m too not normal for her, I think.

Mrs. Gill points to Ashley, and she stands up and turns around, already being in the front of the room.

“I’m Ashley Gill,” she says, in her sweet girl voice. Blond curls dancing around her face all the while, and her large necklace blinding anyone in the correct light. “and one word to describe me would have to be patient.” With that, she gives the class a smile and sits down. I just hope everyone else can see right through her act. I look to my left, where Kendra is seated, and she gives me a nod. She sees it too.

Mrs. Gill took volunteers. I don’t really remember much of what people said. There were the typical names, the Matt, the Courtney, the Tyler, the Ann. And they all used typical words to describe themselves. Funny, nice, outgoing, smart, athletic.  Nothing original. Mrs. Gill eventually had to pick random names off the list, seeing as no one wanted to volunteer. She picked Kendra. She stood up, walked to the front, introduced herself, and used the word considering to describe herself. Something a little different. I liked it. I gave her a thumbs up as she walked back to her seat.

 A couple of other people went, some I knew, some I didn’t. Among those people were Skyler and David. David described himself as musical. He’s in band, chorus, and orchestra, so it was true. Skyler just used the word different. I beg to differ; he’s not so far from normal as he puts off, but whatever.

 And of course, we reach the point where I had to waltz on up to the class and introduce myself. I still didn’t know exactly what I was going to say. It would come to me. So, when my name was called, I took my good old time walking up to the front, smiling at Mrs. Gill the entire time. When I got to the front, I dramatically turned on my heel, looking at the class. I love public speaking; I love people hearing what I have to say. Nerves? Didn’t have them. No point in having them, I think.