Chapter 5, A Day In Front Of Others

I hate doing orals...

They were nude, all of them were nude. Even the girls, the young children and the old people, all nude. But you couldn't see their sexual organs; it was like a nude colour suit they wore over their bodies. It was tight fit, covering every inch of their bodies. The way they walked looked uncomfortable, almost like constipated chickens running away from the butcher who tries to slaughter them. The world around them also looked different, almost technological. There was no grass, no tree, not a living thing except for the humans, in sight. I couldn't walk, I just stood there while hundreds of faces walked past me; not even acknowledging me. I looked different from all of them, but they didn't give a fly's s**t about the guy with the yellow shirt in the middle of the street. I tried to talk to someone, but all that came out was squeals, barely loud enough for them to hear. Their eyes. Black beads look straight into mine, emotionless. They walked faster than the normal human would walk down the street; almost seemed haste. Their faces portrayed a different story, they looked...

"Wake up!" the sharp pencil almost pierced my skin when Timothy tried to pinch me with it. "You need to do your speech thingy," the moment he stopped, my heart started to beat faster in my chest, and my hands started to sweat. The class quieted down when I stood up from the chair in the back of the classroom; you could hear a needle fall to the ground. The silence didn't hold very long when the first inappropriate comment was made. "Please don't kill us all," the voice hit my ears from the other side of the class. I don't care what they call me, or whatever they say to me, but sometimes it still hurts, the feeling that you are unwanted in the play you need to feel at home because you spend half of your childhood here. But I didn't feel comfortable. I hated it.
My mouth dried up, my head rumbled over all my words for the oral, but I couldn't find the order they needed to be in, my hands moved up and down my sides and my heart pounded furiously. If things couldn't get any worse, my chest closed from the mini panic or maybe stress attack. "You may begin now, time waits for no man," the teacher told me after a while I just stood there. The first words that escaped my mouth was unhearable, the classroom's breathing was louder. I tried to imagine all of the people nude like people said, but it made things worse. I tried to imagine that no one was there, but that also lead to no other than failure.
"Uhm," my first word and the last, or that was what I wished. The rest of the oral went from bad to worse. I ended up in the bathroom with the water running from my face. I hate school.

Reviews

[Liza]

a day in front of others was a telling perception, to start off the scene as being naked is what most feel when mirrors are reflecting back to us, we feel vulnerable - not sexual - but open when on the platform; we are evaluated and observed for our thinking and mental courage to express that...that is school

[Cascara (aka Sprint Goe..]

Such a sad chapter.

[Robbie~xoxo~]

I agree! Its very intimidating to give an oral report... something that can't be avoided. We all deal with it in different ways... Love how you have depicted the characters angst... makes him vulnerable. I sympathize whole-heartedly. Well done!

[EMF]

Stunning opening, with a lot of tension and latent fear. A great first paragraph. The snap back to reality though is just damn good. I hope you see that as no criticism. If it were broken up a little, to give it a heavier punch, it would be great. Overall superb work though.

[Dahlia Phoenix]

The feeling is equal. When they interrupt our imagination with their unimportant s**t...it aggravates me. Trying to undermine us in front of others causing everything to be a challenge. Great chapter.

[Suicidal Slow-Mo<3]

i definitely know how that feels. Good job.