Portia // Wattys2019

Portia

"All of you shut your mouths and listen up!" The six foot tall man in the front of the room ordered.

"I'd rather not." Yawned the boy sitting behind me.

The man glared at him, "What was that Jones?"

"I said I would rather not." The boy answered, louder, I could easily imagine the smile on his face

"Come on, Everett." The girl beside me hissed, "He's never going to tell us what he wants if you don't shut up!"

"Yea, man!" A boy across the classroom complained, "Just shut up already!"

Having lost his audience Everett stopped talking, his desk scooted forward and bumped mine. I assumed he'd put his head down.

"As I was saying," The man continued, surveying the classroom, "You have a new classmate." he gestured to the girl standing next to him.

The class showed no interest. Students came and went from Leberi Boarding School for Troubled Teens all the time. It was uncommon for anyone to spend any longer than a year at the school.

"You can sit beside Carl." The teacher, Ms. Mika, told her stiffly, while gesturing to the seat beside me. I waved at her while leaning on my other arm.

She smiled at me and walked through the two rows in front of me. As she slipped into her seat, I noticed the tip of a tattoo from under her sweater sleeve, but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Why don't you tell us your name?" Ms. Mika asked the girl as the man exited the room.

"My name's Portia." She answered quietly, as if suddenly becoming aware of all the people studying her.

"What are you here for?" Everett asked loudly

"Everett!" The girl beside me hissed, "You're not supposed to ask that!"

"Shut up, Carrie!" Everett shot back, "You're just upset no one had to ask you that!"

Carrie put a hand over her swollen stomach. Her cheeks turned red as she faced the board and looked down at the open text book on her desk.

Ms. Mika didn't say anything to either of them. Instead she walked to her desk in the back of the room, plucked a yellow ticket off of the corner, walked through the rows and placed the ticket on Everett's desk.

"Come on, Ms. Mika!" He whined, "That's the third time you've made me go up there this week!"

"It's the third time you've insulted a student in my class." Ms. Mika answered back coldly, "And if your not out of my classroom and heading towards the head office in two minutes or you'll be getting another slip."

Everett packed up his things and scurried out of the room. Not five minutes went by after the ordeal before the bell rang, signifying the end of the period.

"Are you OK?" I asked Carrie as we left the room.

"I'll be fine." She sighed, tugging her messenger bag onto her arm, "It just hurt because it was true." She stared at her stomach.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, "Excuse me!" A high pitched voice squeaked, I turned around to find Portia standing behind me, "Do you know where this classroom is?" She asked Carrie and I pointing to a number on her schedule.

Carrie leaned over and looked at the paper, "Oh! Thats where Carl's going!" She looked at me, "See you at lunch?" She asked.

I nodded and looked back at Portia, "Common, You can walk with me."

Carrie split off from us, waddling down the opposite direction.

"So what this teacher like?" Portia asked anxiously, fiddling with her sleeve.