I reply, “I will, I’ll sit in the back, so I don’t disturb anyone.”
Walking to the back of the library, I place my bag on the table that I’ve officially claimed as my own. No one comes to this part of the library anyways. It’s full of old historical books that only history buffs like to read. The area is filled with the aroma of old books. Some people like the smell of gasoline, freshly mown grass, or flowers, but I love the smell of old books. The yellowing pages and rough covers fascinate me. Books have many stories to tell, on and off their pages. The words within the binding take me to a world much different than my own. When you get lost in a book, you forget about all your problems because you’re so engrossed in the character’s lives. They are full of fact and fiction, fully intertwined to create a masterpiece of unthinkable proportions.
I sit down at the table and open up my lunch sack, pulling out my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I take a bite out of it and reach for my book to flip through it one last time. I learned in my psychology class last year that cramming and last-minute study sessions don’t actually help scores any, yet we all still do it. After about ten minutes, I hear footsteps in the row beside me and a man starts whispering to someone.
“No, I don’t know for sure if it is her yet, but I’m pretty positive it is. She doesn’t appear to know anything though. No, I’ve only spoken to her that one time. You were with me, you know what happened.” He sighs, “I’ve been trying. I haven’t seen her yet. Fine. Fine. I understand. Class is about to start, I have to go.” I hear the sound of a phone shutting and then footsteps walking away from my vicinity.
I stay quiet for the next couple of minutes, afraid that whoever that was will catch me eavesdropping. When no one shows up, I pack up my belongings and walk towards the front of the library. “Did anyone come in here during this block?” I ask Mrs. Templesmith when I stop by her desk.
“No, I haven’t seen anyone. Why?”
“No reason. Just wondering. Thank you. I’m going to head to class now. Bye Mrs. Templesmith!”
“Bye dear, good luck on your test.” She smiles and waves at me. She is always in a good mood. She’s one of the only people from this school that I will actually miss once this year ends.
“Thanks!” I walk out of the library and down the hallway, staring at the floor as I go, not wanting to meet anyone’s eyes. Most people avoid me anyways. I enter my third block class, Government with Mr. Zane, right as the bell rings. He gives me a stern look. He hates when students are late to class.
Mr. Zane is old. Large glasses, about half the size of his face, magnify his eyes. He reminds me of Geri from the Pixar short Geri’s Game. He can’t hear very well, so he talks incredibly loud. Apparently he thinks our hearing is as bad as his. To top it all off, his lectures are incredibly boring. His monotone voice drones on until the very end of the block.
Still giving me the stern look, he walks over to the door, shuts it and turns off the lights. The only light comes from the PowerPoint presentation being projected at the front of the class room, but because the background is white, it gives me enough light to continue my doodles.
An hour and a half later, he turns the light back on and the bell rings. I close my notebook without fully looking at it, gather my belongings, and walk out of the classroom.
I am the first student in Mrs. Applegate’s classroom. The look of surprise when she sees me is priceless. I’m rarely on time to class. I sit at my desk, patiently waiting for class to start. Mrs. Applegate keeps shooting glances at me, most likely confused about what I am doing. I am determined not to fail this test. When the bell finally rings, I get a number two pencil out of my bag and stare at the board in the front of the room.
Mrs. Applegate stands up and walks to the podium, bringing her attendance list with her. Because my last name is Arden, I am always first. When she is done taking