Counting the Stars

Science class

I was met by a gust of cool air as soon as I stepped into the science classroom. I had heard that our science teacher was pretty rude and strict, and everyone hated her so I quickly sat in my seat. No reason to be the bad kid in a teachers eyes. All the other students knew his too, I realized, because I could hear them settling down as soon as a thin, wilty figure entered the room. It was so quiet all of a sudden, you could hear a pin drop. My eyes took in the strange look of my science teacher.

Her hair was light blond, thick and rolled back together in a tight bun on top of her head with a pencil. I admired her big eyes, the same hazel green eyes as mine, except her lashes were thicker and darker. Her nose was big but short and stubby, and her lips were stained in dark majenta lipstick. She wore a plain green dress and black and platform heels. I watched as she silently looked around the classroom, and realized I myself hadn't taken a look around yet. My eyes wandered around the big white room. I smiled at my friend, Madison, who I knew from my math class last year. I scanned the back of the classroom, but as soon as I turned back to the teacher, I realized I had seen a familiar face. I turned back around to see the guy that had punctured my bicycle and landed a fist on Dylan. Oh no.

"So, class." The teachers voice made me jump in my seat. "Good afternoon." I turned my focus back to her and murmured a quiet 'good morning' with the rest of my peers. I felt the weight of 2 eyes on my back, and I knew he recognized me.

Everything will be alright as long as I don't have to talk to that douchebag, I thought, as Mrs. Fitz was written across the whiteboard with a blue Expo marker, in big neat letters.

"I'm Mrs. Fitz. I have 2 kids. One is in college and the other is an electrical engineer in Michigan. I've been living with my husband here for the past 4 months. That is all you need to know about me besides the fact that I take teaching very seriously and will tolerate no mischief in this class," she said to us in a very matter-of-fact way. Her voice made chills run down my spine. I already knew she would be the type of teacher to pick on the back bencher kids and expect the most out of the front-rowers.

"I don't think you need to introduce yourselves right now, your classmates and I will hopefully learn your name once I start pairing you up for the rest of the semesters." She continued. I hoped I would get Madison as my lab partner, since I wasn't very good with talking to people I didn't know. "When I'm done with the pairing process, you may raise your hand to tell me if your name has not been called. Keep in mind that you are not allowed to change your partner until the second semester, when I might reconsider the pairings, but only under certain circumstances." She made everything she said sound important, and I had to take in a breath of air as she started calling names together.

When she called the names 'Madison Zimmerman' and 'Josh List' together, I knew I was doomed. We shared a quick look of sadness before I turned back to Mrs. Fritz.  She had called out many names and I knew she was nearing the end of the list when she still hadn't called out my name. I was beginning to form a way I would tell her my name hadn't been called in my mind when her voice broke my chain of thoughts.

"Audrie Beckett and Christopher Weiller." I dreaded the fact that it was a boy and looked around to see who Christopher Weiller was when my eyes met with the Toyota guy. One look at his red distorted face and I knew he was Christopher. My jaw dropped and I had accidentally let out a 'no' too loud.

"Is there a problem Ms...." she looked down at her list to confirm my name. "Ms. Beckett?" She finished off in a rude voice. I wondered how she knew who was who.

"Uh, no, ma'am." I said quietly and looked down at my balled up fists under the matte black table.

"That's what I thought. Sarah Gills and Mick Nguyen." She continued as if she had not just sneered at me.

5 minutes later when she was done pairing us, I still couldn't believe I had to be partners with Christopher out of the 21 other people in this class.

Unlike all the other teachers, Mrs. Fritz didn't lecture us about rules and regulations, but instead gave us a thick packet that we spent the rest of the class period going over independently. The dismissal bell rang fiercely, loud enough to almost knock me out of my chair.

As soon as our torturous science teacher had dismissed us, everyone tried to rush out the door, until she yelled, "Stop!" We all stopped immediately and I couldn't help but notice that my science partner was right beside me. I sighed loudly and crossed my arms over my body as soon as he looked down at me. He was so tall, that if I turned sideways I was sure to run right into his chest.

"What is the meaning of this!? Walk out of the class like normal civilized humans, not jungle animals!" She screeched and we all slowed down. As soon as I was out of the room and the vision of the crazy woman, I sped-walk to my locker, right outside the hallway. I was glad to find Evie there.

"You will not believe what I just had to go through!! You know that bit*h I told you about that punctured my tire? He's in my science class, and get this he's—," I was interrupted by a surprised Evie.

"The guy who punched Dylan!?" She squealed.

"Yes. He's in my science class and he's my lab partner for the next 6 weeks! This cannot be happening!" I whined into her locker.

"Holy crap, Aud! But you hate him! Tell your teacher, I'm sure she'll change it around a bit." She said. I laughed at her innocence.

"What?" She asked irritated.

"If I do so much as speak a peep to her about changing partners she will personally pull my head right off my eyebrows." Evie raised an eyebrow. "I got the new teacher as my science teacher. She's a witch!"

"She can't be that bad!" Evie said, quietly, aware that she was that bad.

"She's the worst." I sighed, grabbing my stuff from my locker and heading out of Hemmley High with my best friend.
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So that was predictable and all, right?