Chapter three

Don't dawdle or hurry. Just act natural, Keep your cool, and stay calm.

 

People wore that demeanour when they were about to skip Science class and sneak out of school.

 

The school was fenced with a proverbial brick wall, covered with spools of barbed wire, the kind that was certain to cut a person to ribbons if they tried to scale the barricade.

 

What happened between Fiona and me was the calm before the storm. I wasn't stupid enough to wait for the volcano and storms to erupt.

 

I finally reached the famous spot behind the school garden, where Vince and his friends had cut the fence and pulled a few bricks down from the wall.

 

A silver of hope burrowed through my heart when I saw it open and noticed no one was looking. 

 

I looked behind one last time at the school building, the garden and the flowers. And my blood boiled silently at all the unhappy memories the Bullies had created in my life.

 

I just wanted the whole school to undergo some down warping and sinking with everyone, starting with Mr Thomas. Was that too much to ask from God?

 

I looked closer to see Vince and his team crossing. They were in a hurry and seemed quite anxious. As the last boy passed through the barbed wire, I stuck my head in and looked at them hopefully.

 

" What are you doing here?" One of the guys asked, annoyed.

 

"Let's go. We are going to get caught. That girl is full of bad luck," came another irritated voice. He said it so vehemently that I began to wonder if it was true or just hatred for me.

 

"Hey, please hold the fence down for me; I promise I'll go my way after this," I tried to plead with the world's greatest bastards.

 

" You think we can help you?" Brian mocked, laughing slowly.

 

" I told you, she is a real wacko with several screws loose," Vince finally gave the closing comment, the way he always did.

 

I saw the cold hint of a smile covering his lips as he winked at his friends. What could be so funny that I missed was my head inside the barbed wire.

 

" I'll hold it for you," he finally said.

 

It sounded like a plan. Maybe it wasn't. It was me with trust issues.

 

He bent down and pulled the fence up with some pliers that he was holding.

 

This seemed so wrong but so right at the same time. Sneaking out of school was right, but Vince holding the fence was wrong. 

 

A locket fell from his neck and dangled in the air, glittering as it caught the light from the afternoon sunshine.

 

As soon as I was halfway through the fence, my head and hands were on the other side, and my legs were inside the school. 

 

He let go of the fence and moved to the other side to tighten the wire.

 

" No, please," I cried as the sharp barbed wire painfully sunk into the skin on my arms, and hot unbidden tears filled my eyes.

 

I watched as he twisted the wire again to make it tight, and the wire sunk into my back, piercing my skin in a clean line.

 

" What did I ever do to you," I asked in tears. At least someone had to have a reason to invest all this energy and hate on me.

 

" This is for Fionah," Brian whispered in my ear," You thought we would let you go?"

 

" To us, you are a stranger; if you fell off the earth, we wouldn't care."

 

" You lecherous old fart," I roared on his face. 

I looked at Vince and noticed he was watching silently, not revealing any emotion, his face neutral. 

 

" That's Fatrez, sobber up," Brian said as he dragged him away.

 

****

 

" Well look what we have here," Came the principal's voice.

 

My bottom and legs were stuck inside the school, and my head was on the other side.

 

I was sure my stocking was torn. It was such a sorry sight, with blood dripping down my arms.

 

After helping me out, he took me to the school nurse and kept quiet on our way there.

 

I kept quiet as the nurse stitched my back and arms, not betraying any emotion, be it pain or sadness.

 

This was my last day in school, and I was going to stay strong till the end.

 

After that, I followed the principal to his office.

 

Panic rose up my throat, but I swallowed it down and let it settle on the pitch of my stomach.

 

As we passed the classes, students stood up to look at us through the window, wondering what on earth I did.

 

For the principal to be seen escorting someone to his office meant they were dangerous.

 

" I didn't try to burn the laboratory or kill my Maths teacher, all I wanted was to be free," I shouted at them mentally.

 

" The Flowers, do you think they are beautiful?" He finally spoke.

" Yes they are," I answered calmly, assuming a poker face not giving away any feelings.

 

" Huh, I thought you were dumb or couldn't speak." He said.

 

He was trying to get into my head and find a chunk in my armour ( weak point).

 

We arrived at the office and found my Father's car parked in front.

 

So he was here.

 

I looked in to find my stepmother standing inside the office.

 

There was no pung of regret inside me as I looked at her.

 

Her skin stretched tightly over the bones of her face, and she waved her hands in the air as if swatting a bothersome insect.

 

" Shall we start," the principal announced, signalling us to take a seat?

 

After being filled on my impending adventures, she turned to look at me, and I looked straight ahead, staying calm and betraying no emotions.

 

As if that wasn't enough, I locked all the words they were saying out of my head and went on a daydream with my eyes open. All I could see were their lips moving, but my ears couldn't get the words.

 

Finally tired of the sight, I stood up and smiled at them as I started going out.

 

" You little miscreation, where do you think you are going?" My stepmother stood up, furious.

 

That was it; each person has a certain store of patience, and the whole world, including her, had snapped mine into half, just broken clean through it.

 

I got out and banged the door, making sure the windows rattled after me.