uniforms | muke

Chapter 51: What are friends for?

Michael

It was just over a week later, when I was at school on a Tuesday afternoon. I was on my way to study with Luke, Calum and Ashton, but first I had to visit my chemistry teacher, Mr Arthur, to hand in the homework he set me a few days ago. Since I came back to school, most of my teachers had been giving me extra work to do, but I had completed the chemistry work earlier than the rest. Doing homework actually wasn't too bad.

Once I got to Room 32, I knocked on the door, waiting patiently. Soon the light-haired man appeared, opening the door.

"Michael", he smiled. "Hello."

"Hi, Mr Arthur. I have the homework you asked for.", I gestured to the booklet in my hand.

"Oh, of course! Why don't you come on in and we can take a look at it?"

I didn't expect him to say that. I wasn't really in the mood to see what marks I got, but for some reason he seemed excited, so I walked inside.

"Um, okay? Sure."

I followed him, and watched as he leant his body against his desk. I handed him the booklet, placing my hands in my pockets awkwardly.

This was sort of weird for me. Oddly, I had never really spent time with teachers, unless I had done something bad, and most definitely didn't stick around when giving them my homework.

The man looked at the booklet, flicking through it intently. I watched as he studied each page, his eyebrows wiggling up and down, then side to side, before he looked at me curiously.

Great. I must have got everything wrong. I guess I wasn't getting better, and I wasn't as good at chemistry as I thought-

"Michael?", Mr Arthur spoke, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"These answers...they're very good. In fact, this is the best work I've seen you do so far."

I raised an eyebrow. "It is?"

He nodded. "I think you're ready to take the exam next month, instead of next fall."

I smiled slightly, scratching the back of my neck.

"Oh...Mr Arthur, I don't know about that. I mean, I'm only just catching up, I have loads more to study."

"Then keep studying. Because if you keep doing it, at this rate you'll have no problem."

"I um..I don't know."

Mr Arthur placed the booklet on the table before looking at me.

"High school, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's less than a school, more like a jungle. Hundreds of boys and girls...All working towards a future they really have no idea about.", he crossed his arms.

I nodded slowly, figuring he was trying to give me a pep talk.

"I mean, most kids just want to pass, but you'll always have the sharks. The students who will do more than anything to get an A, like it's the most important thing in the world. It's tough, swimming in that water. I can imagine."