Fly Away With Me

The teacher at my first class didn’t bother to read the slip. He continues the class as I sit in the back row. Maths has never been my strong point but I try. Mr. Stein has a monotone voice so it makes it difficult to learn when you are bored out of your mind. I take down the notes I should and complete the task set. The bell goes just as I finish the last question, perfect timing. We rise from our chairs but Mr. Stein tells us to sit back down. With a groan all the students oblige.
“The bell is for me not you” He tells just as he has for weeks “Now you may leave”
Each student gathers their books and moves from the room quickly. My next class is English, my favourite subject. The teacher arrives just as the bell rings, she has impeccable timing.
“Good morning everyone” She greets us cheerily as she unlocks the classroom door.
We all forward in and once again I take my seat in the back row. Why do I sit in the back row? Well that is simple, because then I can see everyone’s movements and easily monitor the exit with room to escape. Why am I so paranoid? Because I know that he [b/] will never stop until I am dead. I never used to be so vigilant and alert. Before my life was turned upside down I was a normal careless child.
“I trust you all finished your homework” the teacher begins but is interrupted by a knock at the door.
She opens the door and I can’t see around her. Who is there? I grip the edge of the table and slide to the edge of my chair ready to leap out the window at the back of the room.
“Alright, come on in” The teacher says moving aside.
I swear my heart stops beating. I’m frozen. It’s him. Just as I’m about to make a running jump out the window I notice that it couldn’t possibly be him. It is just a boy. He looks to be my age. A new student maybe? What made me ever think it could be that monster? I let go of the breath I didn’t realise I was holding.
“Class this is” She pauses and asks the boy for his name.
“Lucien” he replies nervously.
“This is Lucien, he is new to the school and I hope you can lend him a hand finding his way around”
As the teacher talks I look around the room. She is going to sit him near someone that she expects he will make friends with. There are only two spare seats in the classroom that aren‘t in my row. Yes the back row is officially my row. One is near a group of prissy girls who have already dumped their other books on the spare desk. The next is beside her desk which is only for those who misbehave during class. I guess you could call it the ‘naughty chair’. Well seeing as those are her only options I bet five dollars that he will be spending the lesson next to me.
“Lillian, would you mind having Lucien sit next to you for today?” She asks me.
The five dollars are mine. Of course she doesn’t wait for my reply and we begin the lesson again.
“Your name is Lilly, right?” he asks me once he is settled in his chair.
I clench my fists.
“Lillian” I correct him “Never Lilly”
“Right” He responds nodding “So, what’s the school like?”
He is terrible at conversation. What’s the school like? Who would ask that? Who, other then him.
“School-ish” I reply copying down the task the teacher has set.
This classroom gets very warm without air-conditioning. I pull my sleeves back slightly and he stops writing.
“That’s one nasty scar” he comments.
I sigh and pull my sleeves down again.
“What scar?” I ask hoping he will just drop it.
“How’d you get it?” He asks.
“Slipped with a knife in my hand” I reply trying to continue with my work.
“No you didn’t, it’s pierced the skin straight and a funny shape to be a knife” He argues
“How would you know?” I ask angrily.
“I’m known for being clumsy” He replies with a smile not seeming to care I am angry.
“Good for you” I say before putting my head down to finish my work.
“So what did you do?” He asks.
He is one persistent bugger.
“Fell onto a rock” I reply annoyed.
Why did I pull my sleeve up? I hate it when people see my ugly scars.
“No you didn’t, it’s too deep to be a rock” He argues with me.
I finish the task and drop my pen on my books.
“What do you want from me?” I ask quietly so I don’t get attention from other students but I let the annoyance seep into every word.
“I want to know more about you” He says with a shrug.
“Why?”
“Well I am new to the school and you are the only person not to fall over my great looks” He replies with a smirk as he brushes his sand coloured hair back.
I sigh.
“Let me guess, I’m the only student you have met so far?”
He nods and his hair falls forward again. It is short but just long enough to just fall in his eyes. He was wearing a red cap to keep his hair back but took it off once he was inside the room. His steel blue eyes are a striking contrast to his pale hair.
“Why are you so interested in me?” I ask “Can’t you see that I am an outcast? I’m alone in this school, so shouldn’t you be trying to get in with the ‘popular crowd‘?”
“Popular? Who actually wants to be part of that cliché?” He asks
“Rest of the student body, I guess” I reply
He shrugs.
“I’m not the rest of the student body” He says with a smile
The bell rings and I gather my books quickly.
“Neither am I” I respond before moving out the door swiftly.
He tries to keep up but I move in between groups and other people get in his way. I take a shortcut through a garden behind a building to my locker. After packing my books away neatly in my locker I pull out a sketch book and a small apple. It’s morning tea time and students are hurrying from their lockers to find their friends. I close my locker then open it before locking it shut. A small habit of mine that I never notice and can never stop. I grab my sketch book, pencil and apple.

I sit down with my back against a building looking across the small patch of grass. Now no one can approach me without walking across an open area. I hum quietly as I slowly continue sketching a baby dragon. Today I am working on the wings. I hum slightly louder as I get lost in my drawing.
“Do you sing much?” Someone interrupts me.
I jump and my pencil snaps on the page. I look up quickly ready to run.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were so jumpy” Lucien says with a smile.
I sigh shaking my head and drop my pencil.
“What do you want?’ I ask
“To sit and have my morning tea, when do I want it?” He responds “Now!”
“Very funny” I reply sarcastically.
I grab my apple and bite into it studying him carefully. After I swallow the bite I ask him what he wanted again.
“I don’t know anyone else and I saw you sitting alone so I thought I would join you” He says then sits beside me.
I move away from him.
“Why are you so, closed off?” He asks me studying me.
“Because I like being alone” I reply closing my sketch book.
He pauses watching me.
“No you don’t, you are unhappy and lonely” He tells me.
“How would you know a damn thing about how I am feeling?” I ask angrily.
“You try everything to shut me out but when your guard was down while you thought you were alone I could see how unhappy you, you hate being alone but you do it for a reason” He says analysing everything he has seen about me so far “Why do you close yourself off?”
“Because I like being alone” I reply bitting into my apple again.
“I just said that you hate being alone”
“So? Just because you think that doesn’t make it true” I tell him stubbornly.
“Are you always this difficult?” He asks me.
“Are you always this persistent?” I counter.
“Well played” He comments with a smile.
We sit in silence as I finish my apple. I break the silence finally.
“Why did you move to this school?” I ask him not caring that I might be prying.
“For my dad’s job, we move a lot” he replies unconcerned as he pulls out a blade of grass.
He pauses as if expecting me to say something else. I sit silently and he looks at me.
“What?” I ask
“Aren’t you going to say something along the lines of, ‘that must be tough’?” He responds.
“No, get real buddy” I tell him.
Ha! He thinks moving around with his family is tough? I have no family, how tough do you think that is?
“Oh, it’s just that most people say that” He says sounding embarrassed as he picks at the grass again.
“I’m not most people” I tell him as I stand up and grab my sketch book.
As I pass a bin I throw my apple core into it.

Just as I open my locker the bell rings. I grab the books I need and slip my sketch book away. Then I realise I must have dropped my pencil. Oh well. I grab the books I need for the next three classes then shut my locker twice before snapping the lock shut.