The school bell rang, waking me from a math-induced coma. "Okay class, I expect you guys to study your notes and be experts on rational functions for the test tomorrow," Ms. Kimbrell said from her position in front of the podium.
How long was I asleep? From the disapproving look my math teacher was giving me, I've been out for quite a while.
"Please try to stay awake from now on, Alice," my teacher said as I walked passed her to exit the room. "I will not feel any pity for you when midterm grades come in if you do not straighten up."
Instead of replying to her, I just continued out of the classroom and headed to my next class. It wasn't that I didn't care about my grades, I was just too mentally exhausted to form a coherent reply.
Most of my night had consisted of trying to sleep in the fire escape to avoid my drunk roommate. We usually tolerated each other when she was sober, but we were from two different social classes. While she was popular, I was considered a misfit. Neither of us spoke outside of our dorm room and even then, it was only if we absolutely had to speak.
"Alice! Where are you going?" My friend Gwen asked from behind me. "English is the other way."
I was so zoned out that I had passed by my next class. "Sorry," I murmured as I changed directions. "I've just been really tired all morning."
Gwen laughed. "Did Tracy bring guys to the dorm again?" For some strange reason, my friends were always fascinated with Tracy and her minions. They observed the popular crowd as an alien species they could crack the code to.
I nodded, "they blasted music the whole night."
How Tracy managed to stay awake in class, I will never know. Sometimes I like to imagine her as a vampire. It's really the only logical explanation I can think of at this point.
Before Gwen could question me further, the warning bell rang and we shuffled to our seats.
Our English teacher clapped her hands together to get the class's undivided attention. "I hope you've all completed reading your monthly reading list because today we'll be talking about the dynamic characters in The Great Gatsby."
I smiled in excitement. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels!
The teacher scanned the room, "now this is going to be a debate so choose who you want to defend wisely." She continued to look around the room till her eyes landed on an unsuspecting victim, "Kimberly!"
Kimberly's head shot up, "yes?'
"Who do you believe is a dynamic character in the novel The Great Gatsby?" Our teacher asked as she walked down the aisles of desks.
"Umm... Daisy?" She answered, her tone unsure.
Daisy? DAISY?! You could have picked any of the characters and you chose Daisy?
Mrs. Tucker nodded, "interesting choice." She wrote something down on her clipboard and looked back to Kimberly, "give your defense."
"Well Daisy changed throughout the novel. She began as a innocent lady of high society and became a bitter wife who comprehended the dark side of her husband," Kimberly said. Her argument was valid, but had obvious holes.
I spoke up, "actually, out of all the other characters, I feel that Daisy is the least dynamic."
Mrs. Tucker smiled, "well alright then, let the debate begin!"
"One of the main things that made F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel unique was that most of the main characters don't change," I said. "Daisy had countless opportunities to change, but in the end, she remained the same woman Nick meet at the start of the novel. This was already after she was aware of her husband's infidelity, however."
Some in the class gave me nods of agreement while others just gave me blank stares. Mrs. Tucker eyes glimmered with excitement, "ooh this is going to be a good one!" She pulled out a chair and sat down, "Please continue! What is your rebuttal Kimberly?"
"Daisy was dynamic because her personality did change from a charming lady to a guilt-stricken woman," Kimberly said, her posture and tone challenging me to counter.
I smiled, "the problem with that statement is, she didn't ever feel guilty. Even after she ran over Myrtle and let Gatsby take the blame, she still acted like her old self." Mrs. Tucker nodded, urging me on so I continued. "In fact, Daisy is so careless that she doesn't even go to Gatsby's funeral."
Daisy is one of my least favorite fictional characters. I could literally rant about her for hours. Just thinking about how she was so inconsiderate of Gatsby while he was fully devoted to her....
"Daisy had potential to change, but ended up rejecting those chances and went running back to Tom," I continued, my tone remaining serious.
"Major nerd alert," someone from behind me murmured so only I could hear. Her insult didn't even bother me at this point. It's not like I haven't been made fun of before.
Mrs. Tucker clapped her hands, "well done ladies! That was a wonderful debate! Would anyone else like to add anything?"
A perfectly manicured hand shot up, "I will Mrs. Tucker." Her sugary sweet voice could make anyone throw up. I could already feel the bile building up in my stomach as she turned to face me, "Daisy can technically be considered a dynamic character because she does change over the course of the story. Regardless if it's in a positive or negative change." Kimberly was about to add something to what was said, but the girl just kept on talking, "Daisy could seem sweet and innocent in one chapter while another chapter she could be manipulative."
"That seems like a great defense, but the main word I heard from you was seem," I said contradicting what she had said. "There are countless ways you can view Daisy, but it's all a façade! She uses innocence and playfulness to hide her true self. Which doesn't change at all in the novel."
"Daisy had to have changed if she claimed to love two different men at different times!" She argued, her sugary voice turning into a more bitter, callous tone. "You can't love two different men without going through a drastic change."
I shook my head, "honestly, I don't think Daisy truly loved Gatsby. She merely loves the idea of him."
"What are you, an expert on literary classics?" She sneered, causing her face to scrunch in a strange way.
Mrs. Tucker clapped her hands together, "okay, that's quite enough. Well done ladies!" Her hands started gesturing excitedly, "I can't believe how much you guys know about Daisy Buchanan... How about everyone write a paper on this ambiguous character?"
Sighs could be heard throughout the room, but Mrs. Tucker just waved them off. "Aw, stop whining. You ladies didn't get put in this exclusive class to waste your talents slacking off!"
Before any more protests could be voiced the bell rang, ending my classes for the day.
I gathered my books and was walking out the door when something collided with my back shoulder, causing my books to scatter across the English room. The students acted as if nothing had happened and kept walking through. Because they ignored me, I had to wait till they all filed out before going back in to retrieve my dropped objects.
Mrs. Tucker was already on the floor retrieving some of my dropped papers. "You shouldn't let them push you around like that," she said as she handed me the sheets of paper. "I wish you'd stand up for yourself as much as you do in debates."
"It isn't worth it," I replied. "No matter what I do they'll still act this."
My young teacher frowned, "haven't you heard of never baking down without a fight?"
"What about 'turn the other cheek'?" I countered.
Mrs. Tucker laughed, "that's true, you've got me there."
As I was about to leave, she spoke up again. "You're very knowledgeable when it comes to The Great Gatsby," she said, her tone matter of fact. "Why are you so interested in it?"
"I don't know, " I answered honestly. "The characters just feel so real. Like you could identify with all of them."
Mrs. Tucker nodded eagerly, "they're real alright! I've dated men like Tom before. "
"Too bad there aren't any real Gatsbys out there," I mused aloud.
"Who knows? Maybe there's a Gatsby in your future, " Mrs. Tucker said, a smile spreading across her face.
Suddenly, she picked up her purse and started walking out the door. It was as if something urgent had come up. "See you tomorrow Alice," she said as she waved goodbye.
I waved back at her and left the classroom.
The hallways were empty as I left the building. Where did Mrs. Tucker go? She couldn't have just disappeared. I had only been a few seconds behind her.
After a few seconds of looking around, I gave up and left the school.
Just like the in hallway, the parking lot was basically vacant. Only one car remained on the lot.
without warning, the car's engine revved and screeched towards me. I tried to move out of the way, thinking the vehicle just didn't see me, but as I moved, it followed.
My adrenaline kicked in and I started sprinting and swerving away from the car. I could hear the car getting closer, but couldn't do anything to evade it. The safety of the sidewalk beckoned to me. Perhaps I can reach it... If I could just move a little faster...
Almost instantly, I felt the hood of the car hit my back legs and send me hurtling through the air.
One second I was in the air, and the next I felt my head collide with the parking lot pavement.
.....
"Wake up! We're going to be late!"
My eyes opened.
My vision was blurred, but began to clear as I continued to blink. As my vision cleared, I came face to face with a girl I didn't recognize.
She had brown hair that was cut to her jawline and makeup that I could only describe as very, very, heavy. "Come on! If you want a ride there you need to get up," she said as she pulled at my arm.
'Where am I?' I wondered. 'Shouldn't I be at the hospital?' My stomach churned with nerves, 'am I dead?'
"Who are you?" I asked.
The girl looked at me like I was crazy, "I'm Cordelia. Remember? You wanted me to give you a ride to the party? "
Okay, this is clearly a hallucination from my head hitting the pavement. "What party?"
Cordelia gasped, "why Gatsby's of course!"
Yep, I'm definitely going crazy.
Hi everyone! So this is the first chapter in my new story. If you enjoyed this please vote and comment!!