To Jared O’Riley there was only one thing worse than science with Ms Butz, and that was maths with Ms Butz. The psychotic forty-something-year-old cackled like a witch, pegged white board markers at students and did hilarious guineapig impersonations. She made the whole class laugh, cry and cringe in fear all in one seventy minute lesson.
Not in maths though. In maths they did not talk about guineapigs, so no need for impersonations. In maths everything was silent, not including the first two minutes during which Ms Butz marked the role and told the class what chapter of the text book they’d be working from. Maths was boring as all hell.
It was a terrible way to start a Friday but unfortunately Jared had no choice. If he wanted to be a doctor, maths B was a must for the rest of his high school career. So there he sat, trying to fill the unbearable silence by drumming his fingers on the table. Jared’s fingers twitched to his MP4 in his pocket, but by now he knew that when Ms Butz catches him listening to it, he wouldn’t get it back for the rest of the year.
Jared couldn’t concentrate without music, or talk, or some noise other than the second hand on the clock ticking round and round. A second beat joined the ticking. Knocking. Just a short rap, but everybody’s head snapped up to see who dared interrupt Ms Butz’s lesson. Ms Butz’s blonde eyebrows almost met in the middle in a scowl. Her high heeled shoes clip-clopped against the lino flooring as she made her way over to wrench the door open.
“Terribly sorry to disturb you, Ms Butz,” even the tall, balding head master was intimidated by the stout lady. “But you have a new student joining your class.”
Every one’s heads turned back to their work, uninterested. New kids came and went so regularly, no one really cared anymore. A folded piece of paper thunked onto Jared’s desk and he looked up to see who threw the note.
“Pass it on,” Ruthie mouthed.
He chucked it to the girl next to him, Jessica, and got a glimpse of it as she opened it. New kid is HOT! Jessica grinned and nodded at Ruthie.
Jared noticed the new kid was handsome as he breezed past his desk. There was an air of confidence about him, but also solitude. He was dressed in black from head to toe. Great, another goth, Jared thought to himself.
