When everyone tells you that you talk too much, you take notice and work to fix that. That’s what people used to say to me. Now they don’t say anything to me. I’m pretty much invisible. Sometimes I think I’m dead. People don’t notice me much. I'm ignored at home and at school, but I watch everything, I hear everything. I know everything about everyone, but no one knows a thing about me.
“Ahh!” Katie screams, pointing at the table she’s sitting at with a long, manicured fingernail. “A bug!”
Katie used to be my best friend. I changed for her. Now the whole table is screaming. All because of a silly little bug. I’m not scared, but I don’t move. I sit in my plastic chair. The clock on the wall ticks slowly. The sound vibrates in my ears with a ringing. I want the class to end.
Our teacher puts her hands on her hips and tuts. One of the boys gets up and puts his arms around Katie. Katie begins to sob. I watch, not saying a word. Another boy comes to the table with a heavy book. It’s his math textbook from the lesson before. He slams the book down on the bug. It's dead.
I haven’t moved. Neither has anyone else since the bug was killed. I think that was many minutes ago. I think time has frozen. I look up at the clock. No, it’s still ticking away. The teacher walks over to Katie and grabs her by the collar, muttering something about insolent girls and bugs. Katie yells something about child abuse.
The teacher puts her outside and closes the door. She’s mad, we can all tell. No one dares to move. We’re frozen until she yells at us to get on with our work. I raise my book back up to my eyes and read. I’m not reading, just pretending to. I’m really watching the teacher and class. Everyone is silent. The girls are whimpering in their seat, and the boys are passing notes between the tables. The teacher is behind her desk, glaring at everyone. Nobody dares to move. The bell goes, a loud buzzing rings throughout the school. Nobody moves a muscle. The teacher doesn’t let us go. We continue reading. She stands up. All heads jerk upwards.
“Behave yourself next time,” she hisses. “I don’t want anymore of your tomfoolery. Now get out before I give you all detentions.”
Everybody stands up and walks out the door. I’m alone in the room with the teacher. She doesn’t acknowledge my presence. I lift my things and make my way for the door. She’s still doesn’t say anything.
I open the door.
"Wait," she says.
I turn around, a little suprised at being talked to.
"Thanks."
I nod and leave, always silent.
