Frozen Tears

Chapter Two

I can't seem to get those endless eyes out of my mind as I wander through the hallways, searching frantically for the room where my maths class has surely already started. I'm so late, and it's only the first class of my first day. Finally, slightly out of breath from the rapid walking, I find the door and push it open. Immediately, a chubby old man turns towards me which leads the rest of the class to do the same.

"Miss Sanders, glad you could make it. Please chose a seat." I nod at the teacher, slightly embarrassed, and divert my attention from him. I scan the room for an empty chair, attempting to ignore the curious and already judgemental stares from the others. 

I notice the blond guy from previously and he waves at me, smiling brightly. Okay, so he must not think that I'm that weird. That's good, I hope. The girl seated a table away from him notices his gesture and sends me a murderous glare.

Great... I'm already making enemies. 

I walk over to the back of the classroom, where there are only two seats at two one-seat desks available. I take the seat closest to the window and pull out my maths notebook and a pen, my gaze hardly leaving the grey sky outside of the glass pane. My mind wanders to some place far away for a moment, but then the teacher's booming voice brings me back to attention as he continues his lesson about whatever it is he's teaching us about. Honestly, when it comes to maths, I have no clue.

Several hours seem to pass by as I try my best to focus my hearing on Mr. Arwin's incomprehensible sentences about foreign numbers and equations that have my brain shattering to pieces, even though it's only been twenty three minutes and ten seconds. 

Eleven seconds.

Twelve seconds.

Yes, I'm counting. Don't judge me, I don't get anything at all. 

The teacher must notice my absent-mindedness and the way that I keep my gaze locked on my wristwatch, since his voice silences down, before coming back out in an entirely different tone. He's interrupted the lesson and I can feel his eyes directly on me. The rest of the students instinctively turn in their seats to follow his gaze and I suddenly find myself the centre of attention. Exactly what I wanted to avoid. 

"Having trouble, Miss Sanders?" The teacher asks, making his way towards me. Feeling everyone staring at me, I flush a deep red, attempting to hide my face from them by using my blond locks as a shield. 

"Miss Sanders?" Mr Arwin repeats, slight annoyance creeping into his tone. He is now standing right in front of the table, scanning my blank notebook and making a quick analysis in his mind. I can hear his disappointment screaming through his thoughts, and the sounds bring great pain to my already painful headache. His features contract as a frown forms on his face.

"I suggest you take notes to be able to understand this class." He settles with that sentence instead of voicing the obvious words that he's thinking in front of the whole class. 

Take notes? Yeah, well I'll do that when I'll actually understand a single word you're saying. I bite my tongue and refrain from saying that, from fear of being sent to the head mistress of the school. I've heard horrible things from the minds of fellow students during my way through the school's halls, and I'm in no hurry to land in her office any time soon. 

I don't say anything, but nod quickly and bury my face in the notebook, listening to his retreating foot steps. I try to set my mind on the class in front of me but the thoughts all mix up like scribbles in my head, and I feel the urge to bury my head in water and drown to stop the pain. 

I try to set up barriers to hold the thoughts out but they all come tumbling in again. 

And then they're gone.