Survival

Part 31: Jeordie

Chattering voices filled the hall, echoing under the corrugated iron roof and creating a blur of white noise. I checked my earphone was still hidden by my hair as a teacher walked past, glaring down our row, on the lookout for any sign of a phone or iPod or word between friends. Tool's 46 and 2 played through the earphone in my left ear, loud enough to distract me but quiet enough to not be heard by anyone but myself.

The school band struck up a pompous song that probably belonged in Buckingham Palace as the 'official party' swept down between the aisles of students. All teachers of various special standing, they wore their graduation robes and gazed haughtily down the rows of us disapprovingly. I swallowed the need to tell them to pull their heads out of their own asses. The superiority they assumed they had earned was sickening.

I sat back in my chair, biting my lip ring subconsciously.

"Fuckin think their own shit don't smell." Randall drawled, watching the 'official party' with an air of disgust. His dark eyes were dull with boredom and contempt.

"Just cos they have power over a bunch of teenagers that don't even respect them." Megan rolled her eyes.

"Shh!" Miss Greene hissed from the side. We all gave her dark looks. She bristled but didn't dare disrupt the sacred ceremony that was the last assembly of the year. Valerie tossed her head next to me, flashing the teacher a dazzling smile. I didn't have to look to see the way she batted her eyelashes and shrugged as if to say 'boys will be boys'. Every teacher loved Valerie. That fact in itself had saved us from many detentions we had more than deserved.

"Welcome to the last assembly of this year," The principal said in his grand voice. "Our school has progressed..." His speech droned on and on. Bored out of my brain, I stared at the roof. Dusty old beams held up the soundproofed ceiling, painted in bright colours that were deceivingly cheerful.

"Jeordie! Mr Hale!" Mrs Greene snapped her fingers in front of my face. I briefly panicked at the prospect of her confiscating my iPod. No no no no no... "Focus! This is important!" Phew.

Why did I have to sit at the end of the row?

Up on stage the principal was still droning on about high achievers or something. The highest achievers were the ones that somehow got through this shithole alive, not the ones that won a spelling bee or debating challenge.

A light pressure on my thigh caused me to glance down. Valerie's hand nudged my leg again. I reached down and she subtly transferred a stick of gum from her hand to mine. I smiled at her, nodding in thanks. She rolled her eyes towards Randall. Of course. He always had gum. Randall saw my glance and winked mischievously, his dark skin crinkling near his eyes.

Covering my mouth with my hand, I pretended to cough, taking the opportunity to slip the gum into my mouth. Yum. Strawberry. Nobody seemed to notice that I had coughed. It was an everyday thing now. Coughs burst out around the hall randomly. Bloody virus. Practically everybody had it. Mum was probably at work treating people with it right now. Valerie and I's theory to our health was that we avoided most humans at all costs, therefore escaping everything from socialising to illness.

"Would all of you now pay special attention to our school nurse, Miss Winfrey's, as she has a speech." The principal backed away from the podium. Everybody clapped robotically. A few calls of 'Yeah! Oprah!' spread around the hall. Miss Winfrey smiled in self awareness. People from around us poked Randall as his mother approached the microphone. I felt sorry for him. Being dark skinned and having the last name 'Winfrey' would suck.

"Hello students and parents. I'm just here to thank you all for the lovely year and to deliver a department ordered message of caution regarding this virus affecting many of you currently," She coughed lightly to clear her throat. "It is rather contagious and I have admitted multiple students to the hospital myself, so please, wash your hands and don't get too close to infected people to ensure your own safety these holidays. The first signs of the virus are fever, fatigue and coughing," She looked up from her palm cards. "Thank you for your time." Miss Winfrey shuffled off the stage.