Do I really belong

This is a true story about my life at kelso high in year 11

“Mr Hughes, you’re out of uniform.” Said Miss Jones.

“Where Miss” I asked.

“Your pants don’t conform with the school’s uniform policy”

That’s where it all started. Losing interest in school. Feeling that I no longer belonged. Teachers have made me feel isolated all year by singling me out for every little thing.

 For starters my uniform. Getting up me for having a white stripe on my pants I mean for all the talk of year 11 and 12 being the “most important” years in my life, why make such a fuss about white stripes. I don’t see how what I am wearing affects how I learn anyway.

 

I came out of role call and walked over to my mate Alaster and we walked to our first class.

“Hey James you look a little upset what’s wrong?” He gave me a worried look.

Turning to him I asked “Alaster you wear the same pants as me have any of the teachers picked you up on being out of uniform?” He looked puzzled for a second then shock his head “Oh ok well I just got yelled at for being out of uniform from Miss Jones.” I said walking into the class room.

“Well we have her now man lets see if she says anything.” Alaster walked into the class room, right past Miss Jones. She looked right at him and smiled, but she didn’t mention his uniform at all. Or the four other kids in the class with stripes on their pants.

All through the class she was cheery but as soon as the bell went she told me to stay back. Alaster said he would meet me in our next class so off he went. “James here is a card you have to get it signed every day for the next ten days.” She said handing me a purple card with slots on it for her to sign.

“Where Miss where am I out of uniform?” I asked frustrated “there are 5 other kids in this class with stripes on there pants why are you singling me out?” her body just tensed and she gave me a dirty look

“James just be in uniform and go to class.” I went to open my mouth but she interrupted me by pointing at the door.

“Fine” I said ripping up the card throwing it in the bin.

 

 

Great, English more poetry, if that’s not bad enough as soon as we sat down I our seat teach started going on about how the HSC is so important and how that we should study everyday and every night study, study, study….  I groaned aloud.

“Mr Hughes do you have something to say?”

“Honestly sir I don’t even know if I’m going to sit the exams next year.” I said.

Sir got red in the face and raised his voice to me “If that’s your attitude don’t even bother showing up to my class.”

 

Today started out really well me and my mates were having fun but already two teachers have singled me out for no reason, it sucks. That afternoon Patrick my older brother he asked me to play Tekken on the PS3 with him but I just felt like crap and went to my room. I only came out for dinner.

 

The Thought of English made me sick. I decided to take sir’s advice and sat out under a tree listening to my iPod during his class. It only took him 15 minutes for him to send Alaster out to get me.

“Hey bro teach is pissed you better get to class now.” Alaster said with a smirk on his face.

As we walked into the room. Teach told me to wait by the door, finishing what he was saying to the rest of the class.

“Why weren’t you in class.?”

“You told me not to come.”

“Don’t be a smart a*s.” His voice getting louder saying this

“Get in your seat and don’t cause anymore trouble.”

 

At lunch Patrick came over to see if I was alright.

“What’s wrong James?” he asked

“Apparently I’m out of uniform.”

“What do you mean I’m in the same clothes as you?”

“Well tell that to Miss Jones.” I said frustrated

    

Patrick saw Miss Jones walking across the forecourt. “Miss, Miss” he said running to her.

 “Oh hello Patrick what’s the matter?”

“There is something, why is it ok for me to wear these clothes and my brother wears the same and he is out of uniform?”

 Her eyes suddenly widened and then she let out a slight sigh.

“Patrick, you are a good student, you fly under the radar but your brother James is a troublemaker.”

That afternoon when we got home Patrick told me what happened. Feeling pissed off because I haven’t done anything that bad I decided to start wearing random shirts under my white top and leave it undone. Going back to school the next day Miss Jones told me I was out of uniform but this time my reply was different to normal.

“James why are you out of uniform I told you, you have to be in uniform for the next ten days” Alaster looked at me waiting for my reply.

“Well miss to be honest I no longer care. If you teachers are going to treat me different to everyone else I’m going to act different.” 

And from then on pretty much all the teachers had it in for me always yelling at me for the littlest thing for example I looked in a window to see if my class was in there and from behind “Hey you should not be disrupting the class rah rah rah” or just as I walk out the door of my classroom to go to the bathroom “hey get back into class right now.”

“But sir…”

“No buts, back in now”

“Look sir I have permission and I am going to the bathroom and frankly this school in the past few months has made me feel like crap.” I glared at him. ‘I used to feel like I belonged here. Now I’m so depressed I hate this place. So I am going.”

The teacher just stood in silence as I walked past.

 

 

         

 

Author's Note

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