Saving Melanie Deen

Chapter 2

I sat there in what seemed to be the worst Literature lesson of my life, wondering what awaits me at home. Once I get there from work, that is. But I had nowhere else to go...so I would eventually have to come home anyway. So I might as well think of my options.

If Nick continues drinking all day long, it won't last long because he'll be too drunk and tired. If he sleeps it out throughout the day, it'll be brutal and will last quite a long while. Either way, I won't be getting out of this one.

"Ms.Deen, care to pay attention?"

I looked away from the window, switching my attention to the incredibly annoying teacher. Don't get me wrong, I respect teachers and what they do for us and our society. Unfortunately, this one screwed up somewhere along the way. She has proven multiple times that she is the most inconsiderate and disrespectful teacher I've ever had teaching me. 

I used to be an excellent student, my grades consisting only of A's and B's. I found joy in doing well at school. My child-self thought that getting good grades at school might make my mother love me. I never lost hope that she would stop bringing new guys home every night. I dreamed of her waking up one day as a whole new person, willing to change her life for the better. But then I matured and realized that she will never be the mother I want her to be, no matter what I do. Nevertheless, I kept up my good girl act. Despite all the abuse I endured from all of my mother's previous boyfriends and one night stands, I still tried my best to succeed in school. All of that hope and determination kind of went to hell when my mom met Nick. He is her fifth and by far the most abusive out of all of the boyfriends and one night stands she has had since my father was killed in jail.

I can honestly admit that I gave up. I just gave up trying to pretend I was a good girl from a nice household with a bright future ahead of her. I matured and finally accepted the truth. I was a lost cause. My father was a criminal and my mother was an all-round addict. I wasn't fooling anyone.

Once I matured and stopped pretending, everything set into place. The teachers started to look, speak, and grade me differently. Let's all ignore the fact that this kid is clearly going through hard times at home and just write her off as another typical delinquent with no potential in this stupid world. That's our high school for you!

"Any suggestions for what Shakespeare play we should begin our study with this year?" The teacher asked, eyeing me like a hawk. I shrugged, pretending that I had nothing to say. 

In reality, I had a lot to say. I knew that the majority of the class didn't even know who Shakespeare was. The few of them that knew who he was, would probably say 'Romeo & Juliet', because that's most likely the only play they know of. Which is also the play I despise the most. Two naive teenagers see each other once and think that they are madly in love. Haha, what a shitshow.

"I don't think my question was complex, Ms.Deen" She raised an eyebrow, becoming aggravated. Well, that's a great start to a new school year.

I remained silent, ignoring the bitchy stares coming from all the bimbos around me.

"I see the years go by, but your attitude stays the same" The teacher spoke once again, shamelessly wandering off in her thoughts despite the presence of other students. See, this is what pisses me off. She has never ever even reached out to me. Never once tried to find out what's going on with me. Never even reported any of my behavior to the principal, so he could figure out what's the matter. Yet she takes it upon herself to voice her dislike of my attitude and how much of a problem I am to her and her lessons. Professional teaching, at its finest.

"How about...Romeo and Juliet?" Trish, a typical blindingly bleach-blonde bimbo exclaimed. I guess this is her annual attempt at trying to convince everyone that she's actually smart, not just someone to sleep with at a house party. When in reality, she probably has absolutely no idea what the play is actually about.