The Heart Never Lies

The only sound that was present, other than the steady breathing of my fellow classmates, was the buzzing of a fly as it flew laps around the hot classroom. I was on the last question of my last exam. As soon as I finished I could go home and ask Tom to show me some more chords on the guitar.

The fly kept distracting me, though. Whenever I would put my pencil to the paper, it would zoom in front of my face, scaring the living daylight out of me. I put my pencil down and watched the fly buzz toward the window. The fly disappeared after that, but I kept looking out the window. I knew that I should get back to my exam, but I couldn't tear myself away. My mind began to wander as I watched four figures mess around on the football field, which was visible through the open window. They were being so loud, screeching and laughing, that it was really starting to bug me. The laughs all sounded different: a high-pitched giggle, a low chuckle, a donkey call, and the last sounded like the person was using all of their breath and energy.

I froze as I recognized those laughs; it was laughter I had almost grown up with. My horror increased as they got closer because I could see the sun reflecting off of Dougie Poynter's lipring.

Somehow, I think I knew I wasn't going to finish my exam on the correct day.

They weren't going in my direction originally, but something caught their attention.

"Adelaide!" My teacher screeched. "Would you care to tell me what is so interesting outside?"

"Uh... no."

Tom had given Ms. Pringle more than a rough time while he was here, and because of that she had always harboured an unfair hatred for me. Thanks, bro.

When I answered her, I was being dead serious, but she thought I was being cheeky. And, unfortunately, her squawking caught the attention of Tom, Harry, Dougie, and Danny.

"Hey, did you hear that?" said Danny.

"Someone shouted Addie's name," said Dougie.

"More like screeched," said Tom, and I could picture his face as he put two and two together. Seconds later, his face popped up in the window, brightening as he noticed I was sitting right next to it. "Hey, Addie. What's up?" Right after he uttered those words, Danny, Dougie, and Harry appeared next to him. Harry winked at me, Danny waved his fingers at me, head resting on his hands, and Dougie grinned, his cheeks that filled his dimples a bright pink.

"Adelaide Fletcher! Get back to your --" The elderly woman gasped and clutched her heart when she caught sight of my brother and our friends. "You!" she gasped, pointing a bony finger at Tom.

"Hey, Ms. P, what's shakin'?" The whole class and our three visitors laughed, knowing that Tom was only talking like to spite Ms. P because she taught English. Her face turned red, either from being laughed at or Tom's disrespect for her subject. Probably both.

"How dare you disrespect me and my class by disrupting it! I should--"

"Ahem." She slowly turned to face Dougie. "What?"

"I do believe it's 'my class and I' ." She became furious and slammed the window shut; Danny moved his hands just in time. She turned back to Tom, who had climbed through the window earlier to deliver his greeting.

"Get out!" she shouted.

"Aw, come on! What's wrong with visiting your baby sister?" Tom said, grinning at me.

"Everything when it's during an exam! I want both of you out of this school, now!" I felt the blood drain out of my face when she said this.

"But I'm not finished!" I protested.

"Too bad!" she said, snatching the small stack of papers from my desk. "You fail anyway! If I see you on this campus before graduation, if you are allowed to graduate with your class, I'll call the principle!" Then she all but threw us out of the room.