Chapter 1-TMA

Chapter One: Marie Trevlington

My eyes cracked open, inviting in the bright morning of 5 o’clock. I always got up to go for a run in the morning. It’s my way of rejuvenation. I swung my legs off the bed and shivered when they met the cold carpet. I turned on my lamp, then padded my way to the bathroom. I heard a creaking noise, I glanced down the hall and saw my mom. She was wrapped tightly in her rob walking towards me. She smiled softly, and I did so back. “I just have to pee, then you can get in.” She nodded and leaned against the wall and waited. She must have to work at 7. My mom works at Burlington Coat Factory. She gets paid at least 4 hundred dollars every other week. My Dad works in the Pharmacy at Walmart, which adds another six hundred to that every other week. After I was done with my business I kissed mom on the cheek and went back to my room to change for my run.

It was nearly 6 o’clock when I came back, I had to get changed quickly. My bus comes at 6:45. It wouldn’t be pleasant being late again, Mr. Brown, my Chemistry teacher,  is obnoxiously rude. He’s always yelling at somebody. He knows that I absolutely hate talking in front of the class, but he doesn’t care. He called on me the other day, and I stuttered like crazy. I wanted to cry so badly. I trudged up to my room to grab my clothes and then jogged to the bathroom. “Morning Mar.” Said a voice. I smiled, “Morning Justen.” He was my 6 year old brother, the sweetest thing alive. “Go get dressed. I’m going to get a quick shower and then get us something to eat, okay?” He hugged my waist and then happily ran to his room.

Vanilla was the only scent you could smell in the bathroom. I loved my body wash. I can’t stand bar soap. Ew. I walked to my room, and then changed before going down stairs. “Hey you.” Justen swiveled around in his chair and smiled. ‘Look what I did Mar, I made us some cereal.” I clapped my hands and kissed his cheek. “I’m so proud of you honey.” I sat down beside and munched on my Cheerios.

“Justen! Marie! The bus!” I looked at my phone and muttered under my breath. “Crap! Justen let’s go.” I frantically grabbed Justen and I’s backpack. He ran ahead of me and made it to the bus stop before me. Thank goodness for kids and their energy.

I shuffled down the hall to Mr. Brown’s room. The late bell rang and I groaned. I fasten my pace and pulled the door open. Mr. Brown stopped mid-sentence and stared at me, along with the rest of the class. I put my head down and traced the tiles on the floor. Continuing to walk to my seat, Mr. Brown went on with his speech and didn’t make eye contact with me for the rest of the period.

~Time Skip~

Lunch time finally rolled around. My routine was always the same. Grab an apple, a water, and then go to the way back of the room to sit. I never sat with anybody. I don’t really like the concept of interacting with other people. Two reasons: 1. I stutter horribly and 2. I never make sense. The cafeteria was buzzing with gossip today. It was much louder than usual. I did hear about the new student we are having soon. Suddenly everything was quiet. There were light whispers here and there. I didn’t bother to look up from my tray. “Okay. We have a new student. I’d like for every single one of you to treat him with respect and help him if he needs it.” I slowly looked up. He seemed to be about 20 years old. Probably because of the tattoos, or the piercings. I slouched my head back down and finished eating my apple. I loved being the shy, awkward person, nobody bothers you. I glanced at the clock, I had 5 minutes before the bell rang for next period, geometry. One of my worst subjects. I threw my backpack over my shoulder, picked up my tray and made my way to the trashcan. The bell rang and I groaned. My heart started racing when I noticed Liam walking towards me with a confused facial expression. I put my head down and walked faster. “Hey, wait!” A husky voice shouting. I mentally disappeared. I kept my gaze appointed to the ground. He dug in his pocket and handed it to me. With shaky hands I took it. “Do you know where this,” he pointed to Room 212, Geometry,” is?” He finished. I nodded. He puffed out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “Are you going to speak!?” He shouted. I stepped back and widened my eyes. I hated when people yell at me. I started to turn around, but he grabbed my arm, rather harshly, but eased up afterwards. “Wait. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Can you please just tell me where it is? I can’t be late.” His words were so jumbled together I had to strain my ears and pick out the words he was saying. I just nodded my head slowly and motioned for him to come along. He sighed of relief and followed me. “Thank you.” A smile tugged at my lips, but I shooed it away. 

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[Patrick Jinks]

School is often an incredibly boring time of someone's day/ life- and doesn't need retelling in so much detail. Small details like whether Geometry is the best or worst subject, it does not matter, but people will not care unless it bears some degree of relevance or value. A lot of this chapter could be summed up in a few sentences before reaching a main event which is more detailed- I feel the encounter at the end would've been a lot more powerful if it took up the bulk of the chapter, since there doesn't really feel as though there is an event or focus- it's just a diary of what happened rather than plot.

A good thing about this is how you show, rather than tell (in the main) the relationships between characters by describing actions and emotions between them, rather than saying 'This is mum, she is nice, I like her', and the same with the encounter at the end.