Chapter 2

Meghan realizes not all of the teachers are as great as the letter advertised them to be...

Chapter 2

 

My classes for the second half of the day went pretty well. I didn't run into the other Mrs. Amanda, and I hope I don't have her tomorrow. I haven't really looked at the top half of my schedule but I'll worry about it in the morning. I stuck with Emmeline on our down time and she gave me an explanation of how the school operates while we played hopscotch in the courtyard.

 

"Sometimes when you're really bad like seriously bad, you go to the punishment room. I think it's in the basement or something but I've never been there."

"Do you know anyone who went there?"

"Not personally, but I heard there's this boy named Eric, his family has a history of being frequent visitors in the punishment room." She said gently tossing the rock across the hopscotch boxes. Once it was my turn to toss the rock I threw it and it landed on ten.

“That doesn’t sound fun at all; I’d probably leave if I had a horrible reputation before I got to school.” I said once I reached the last box.

“Meghan, be careful there’s a teacher!” I heard Emily shout but I wasn’t paying attention resulting in crashing into whoever decided to walk in front of our hopscotch area.

“What in the world~” The other Mrs. Amanda gasped.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there…” I apologized and that usually pleased my parents, so I thought everything was alright, I bent down and picked up the rock preparing to throw it back to the first block.

“What are you doing?” She asked grabbing my hand.

I thought she was asking a trick question. What does it look like I’m doing? “Playing hopscotch,” I answered cautiously. “Everyone else is playing in this courtyard and Emily told me this is where we play for recess so that’s what I’m doing.”

“You don’t know anything do you?”

“I’m not stupid if that’s what you’re trying to tell me.” I took offense to what she said and I don’t care if she doesn’t like my tone of voice she’s being mean to me.

“You didn’t apologize properly and you’re going to go back to playing like you’re some kind of princess?”

“I said I’m sorry before! I didn’t see you there and I’m sorry for not being careful but it’s not like I knew you were going to walk right in front of the hopscotch blocks!”

Her face flushed red with anger, I backed away from her slowly I don’t think talking to her will calm her down.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful next time…” I repeated hoping she’d leave us alone.

“Is there a problem?” the nicer Amanda asked walking over from the jungle gym area.

“She was running around like an idiot and refuses to apologize for crashing into me.” Amanda LaBriola lied.

I gasped, “That’s a lie and you know it! I was not running around like an idiot! I’m playing hopscotch with Emily and you walked in front of the last block as I was about to land there!”

“Meghan shush you’re making it worse!” Emily hissed running over to me. “We’ll go play somewhere else for now, we’re sorry to cause trouble.” She apologized and tried to pull me away somewhere else.

“That’s not fair she gets to make up lies about me and we have to go play somewhere else.” I complained while we walked away from the two Amanda’s. 

“She was going to hit you, you’re lucky I pulled you away.”

“Why would she hit me?” I asked in shock, I didn’t do anything wrong in my eyes. Mrs. LaBriola was at fault in this situation; she walked in front of our playing area and didn’t move out of the way. It’s like she set me up for trouble.

“She doesn’t have the same amount of patience the other teachers have. I know you’re new here and she does too but after you get here there’s not much time to act like you’re new. I don’t know how or why she has the expectation that you can magically adjust to a new lifestyle in a few hours but that’s what she expects… I suggest you avoid her at all costs until you’ve adjusted to living here.”

“But what if I have her as a teacher?”

“You will have her as a teacher and she’s in charge of teaching math for the first year students as well as third year students, but her third year class caters to the advanced children.”

“I’m scared of her; I don’t want her as my teacher.”

Emily hugged me, “You’ll be fine, you’ve had a day to test your feet in the water. Tomorrow’s another day with a clean slate and to learn how to please the teachers.”

“What if I don’t like it here?”

“You go home, there’s really no other option.”

I can’t go home! I don’t have a home to go to my parents aren’t there most of the time. They have to work in the city therefore I have to stay here for my education and for a roof over my head. I have to be strong and brave without them.

 

* * *

Our dormitories are huge and we sleep in bunk beds, four girls to one room. I haven’t met the girl I’m bunking with but she already claimed the bottom bunk so I have to take the top. After the hour of downtime following dinner we assemble in one line by whichever year we’re in and the teacher in charge takes us to the bathrooms. We shower and take care of our bathroom needs for the night. Once that’s completed we line up again and travel to our dormitory.

“Meghan, come with me for a moment.” Mrs. LaBriola pulled me aside once we arrived at our dorms. She didn’t look angry but I had no idea what she wanted with me. We didn’t go very far but we left the dorm area completely, and now we’re alone in an empty hallway of the school.

“Patricia Herb complained saying you were singing in the shower.” She said with a stone expression on her face.

“I was humming a song my mom sang to me when I was a baby. I felt homesick and it made me feel better.”

“We don’t sing in the shower, you go in there wash yourself, and then get out.”

“I know but I miss my parents!” I felt tears forming in the corner of my eyes. I can’t comfort myself without someone telling on me. What kind of school is this?

“Don’t do it again… You’ve exceeded your three strikes for this whole week today but unfortunately I can’t do anything about that now, by the end of this week you might not be so lucky.”

“Are you going to hit me?”

“That’s the rules; you should really read the guidebook to avoid future punishment. Now go to your room, you’re on the top bunk with April Hollins.”

 

I don’t want to be hit… I shouldn’t be hit I’m only a child… my parents never hit me when I did something wrong, they sat me down and told me why I shouldn’t do it again. The only time I ever felt pain from them was when I tried washing my hands by myself and I didn’t know you had to turn on the hot and cold water. My dad noticed the steam and slapped my hands away. It hurt for a second and I cried for a moment but he kissed my hands and told me that if I stuck my hands in the water I would have had a bigger injury on my hands.

 

Depending on who I mess up in front of, I might get hit for curtseying wrong, or not apologizing properly, or not having chameleon eyes to see in various directions.

“Are you Meghan?”

I looked up and noticed a chubby dark skinned girl smiling at me.

“Yes, I’m Meghan.” I sighed and quickly curtseyed so no one would yell at me.

“Don’t worry about being official, its night time and I don’t care how you greet me. I’m April Hollins, I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you until now.”

“I just want to sleep; I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay.” I felt so overwhelmed by the events of today. I couldn’t handle anymore, I needed to sleep and pretend this day never happened…

Author's Note

I really would like to finish this story I had so much planned for it, but it's died again and I don't know when I'll pick it up.

Reviews

[Gina]

Please pick it up, I'm hooked here! This is really good. I believe this could go in with some drama and the school-wide thinking sytem thing changes

[Gina]

HELLO???? ANYONE HOME???? WANT MORE!!!!