Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Nineteen

Lily's day passed with a mindless blur. After her heart-warming chat with Ryan in PE, she couldn't think straight during English. It seemed her day was throwing tests at her, both physically and metaphorically.

First, Isaac drew attention to her unexplained lack of wounds in science. Then he brought up her family, and his disrespect had been weighing on Lily's heart for the rest of her time at school. What she desperately wanted to do was go home, hug her aunt, and hide under a mound of blankets while fiddling with her sisters' old jewellery. 

But she had to get through the elective first. Lunch was easy, she just had to sit there and try and swallow her emotions. PE had somewhat calmed her mind talking to Ryan, but listening to Isaac's booming laugh across the cafeteria with his friends slapping his back and encouraging his nasty jokes? The sneer on his face sent anger heating across Lily's skin.

She wanted an apology. She didn't want this to be swept under the rug and to have him go on like he hadn't hurt her, like he didn't do anything. That he could laugh it off.

Lily tried her best to engage with her friends but Isaac's presence fired off her nerves. 

When her last lesson finally started, Lily breathed a sigh of relief. Isaac wasn't in her class, neither were all his friends, so she could work on trying to calm herself down, to relax.

To her surprise, her teacher was Miss Winters. She merely waved the students entering her class to the mats on the floor. Everyone quickly got the idea, and Lily chose the mat closest to the open window, Jack quickly grabbing the mat next to her, and Karen on Jack's right.

"So, in this class, you basically sleep." Jack explained. "And I definitely need one after that horrid English lesson."

"Trouble with that essay?" Karen asked quietly as they all sat cross-legged facing Miss Winters, who was scowling at the small class. 

"Apparently my conclusion wasn't strong enough." Jack huffed. "And the sentence, 'If you have a different opinion you're wrong.', isn't appropriate."

"Wasn't your essay on a comparison of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and She's The Man?"

"Yeah. It's illogical. It's completely obvious she's not actually a boy and the fact that no one spotted it? They're all blind!" Jack blew her hair out of her face. "It's rubbish."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "You didn't watch it."

"...Of course I did!"

"What was your favourite scene then?"

Jack blinked. "...When the two blokes have to drink two goblets on a hill?"

"That's The Princess Bride."

"Same thing." Jack dismissed, Lily cracking a small smile, as Miss Winters cleared her throat. The class fell silent, some students fidgeting on the squeaky yoga mats.

"Meditation is a beneficial and useful tool." Miss Winters said. "You'll use it for the rest of your life. It clears your mind, helps you focus, and calms your soul."

Miss Winters placed her hands on her knees, pinching her thumb and forefinger. "Pressing your finger and thumb together like this prevents you from sleeping because of the pulse points. You can sit like this, or have your hands together, or whatever is comfortable."

"What? I can't sleep? This is rubbish." Jack hissed under her breath. Karen rolled her eyes at her complaining.

"I'm going to play a quiet track of the ocean with some whale songs," Miss Winters said as she pressed a button on her laptop. Soon, the sounds of waves crashing against the shore softly drifted to Lily's ears. "All you have to do is shut your eyes, clear your head, and breathe out longer than you breathe in."