A on my test in English and B’s on both my Government and Art History finals. The only final I have left is English. I just have to get a C to pass the class. So I’m not really worried about it, but I’ve been studying a lot for this test. I got another message from Jane telling me that she isn’t going to be home at all this week. She and Ross are going on a business retreat with their company.
I roll over and look at my alarm clock. It’s 6:55 a.m. My alarm is set to go off in five minutes. Groaning, I get out of bed and turn my alarm off. I won’t be able to fall back asleep anyways. The house is quiet while I am getting ready so, I plug in my iPod and dance around my room to pass the time. I am in a good mood by the time I have to leave the house. It is sunny when I walk outside and begin heading towards the school.
Entering the school parking lot in the morning isn’t fun. Most people are already at school, so everyone is talking with their friends. Because I don’t drive to school, I’m watched as I pass through the lot. More people are looking at me than usual, whispering. I meet a few eyes, but focus on the ground as I walk the remaining distance to the door.
I walk into the main entrance and walk down the hallway towards my locker. I get a lot of glances as I walk through the hall. No one ever looks at me during the school day. I’m the school outcast…the loner. The invisible girl.
As I get closer, I notice people standing around my locker, pointing and laughing. In bright red paint, someone had written the word FREAK down the length of my locker. I instantly know who did it. I look around and find Lily and Adam standing at the other side of the hallway, smirking at me.
I walk right past them all and into my first block class. Since it is the last day of school, most teachers don’t have anything for the students to do anyways. The teachers put a movie on just to pass the time. The day goes by in a blur. I don’t stop at my locker and won’t until school ends.
By the time fourth block comes around, I become even more anxious. This test is worth twenty percent of my grade. I am barely passing at this point, so I have to do well. My heart starts beating harder in anticipation. Each step Mrs. Applegate takes towards me increases my heart rate. When she gets to my desk, I am sure the whole classroom can hear it. She places the paper down on my desk and whispers good luck.
Writing my name of the final is the easy part, everything after that is a different story. On every question, I second guess all my answers. I know that I know them, but something in my mind keeps pulling me towards another response. The room is so quiet, that I can hear the clock ticking on the opposite end of the room.
Every pencil squeak, chair scrape, and shuffling of feet sounds a thousand times louder than usual. Every tick of the clock tells me that I am one second closer to the end and each one makes me more nervous. I keep fidgeting with the flame necklace, a nervous habit I’d recently acquired, while I stare down at the test. When the bell finally rings and it is time to turn it in, I am not as confident as I was when I entered the classroom.
I smile at Mrs. Applegate and wish her a great summer. Everyone is screaming, throwing paper around the hallway, excited for the summer. I turn to the left and walk around the school, hoping that by the time I get to my locker, everyone will be gone. A few minutes later, I turn right and walk down the math hallway—the hallway where my locker is located. The crowds have lessened by this time, but there are still a few people roaming the halls.
I stop at my locker and look at the word written across it, frowning. At least I didn’t have to see this everyday this year. I open my locker and grab everything out, shoving it into my bag. I carry around a large canvas tote bag that I had drawn leaves