Young Writers Society

I walked slowly to school, headphones in full volume I was lost in a distant world, carried away by the beat of each track. Once I had arrived I meet Mrs. Perchard as she also arrived.
“Hi Maria, here early again?”
“Hi Miss, oh, yes I am.” I replied trying hopelessly to avoid an accurate answer.
“Would you like to some with me, have a chat? I haven’t spoken to you properly in a while.” Mrs. Perchard asked.
“Yes, okay, that would be nice.” I answered following the teacher who had found her way into my life to her office. It didn’t take long, she was lucky to have her office to herself. It was quaint, fit with a small sofa. We sat on it together.
“Maria, how are things at home, you live with your Grandparents now, right? How is that?” Mrs Perchard questioned trying to get me to talk to her, showing me we could talk about anything, but that was obviously what she wished to talk about.
“Well, they are, well, the same as what I have recently come to know as usual.” I paused for a moment before I began once again. “Work, work, work and the finally school work, that’s how it is. Nothing I could do to change it.” I finally finished, before I promptly blushed, once I had realised I blurted more out in the heat of the moment than I possibly should have.
“Oh, I am sorry sweetheart.” She replied stunned. “I haven’t really had a proper chance to say how amazing your reading was at the funeral, I could see it really touched many people. But how are you coping? It must be really hard.” She quickly said trying to make me feel better. I could see the real concern in her voice, the way she truly cared.
“Thank-you, it means a lot to me, knowing that you liked it. I am coping fine, I guess. I mean it’s hard, but I don’t really get a chance to think about it, I am so busy with chores and homework and revision.” I said blinking back the tears. I don’t ever get a chance to think about them and this caused me to think solely about them.
I could tell Mrs. Perchard sensed she was stepping on to difficult parts of my life, so she chose to move on. She swiftly changed the topic, once again.
“How is your schoolwork? Anything I can help you with?”
“Well actually there is. I have been struggling in chemistry recently, I don’t understand Mr. Whitelise’s lessons.” I said wishing she would offer extra lessons, I learnt so much with her.
“Maria, I don’t understand you got full marks in your last test.”
“I know I did, I can’t cope with the way he teaches, he is energetic and enthusiastic, but he explains something else whilst he makes us copy another part of the lesson down from the board.”
“Oh okay” She said smiling. “I will try and sort that out for you, I am sure it isn’t just you, don’t worry.” I knew I could always count on Mrs. Perchard to sort something out for me.
Suddenly the bell rang signalling it was time to make my way to lessons.
“Chin up honey, everything will be okay. Please remember you can always come to me for a chat anything trivial or serious, my door is always open.” She kindly spoke as I left.
I turned slightly to see Mrs. Perchard deep in thought.
Sarah Perchard was thinking to herself. What could she do, the poor child was obviously having a rough time at home, and she knew that was to be expected but not like this. This was bad. Maria seemed almost depressed, but not about her family but about her life, her new life. There wasn’t the twinkle in her eye, her continuous light-hearted laugh that managed to fill a room with happiness. Something was more than wrong, and she just had to find out the cause.
Once I arrived at my first lesson. I saw Beth, greeted her with our daily routine and sat down trying to keep up her brave and happy disposition, but it had begun to feel almost impossible. My mind began to runaway into a dreamlike world. Suddenly I was snapped away.
“Maria! Pay attention! I am trying to teach you and you persist in running off to play with the fairies!” My maths teacher snapped at me. I realised what I had to lose if didn’t pay attention; my GCSEs, the ability to get out of my current life. I was going to pay attention.
That day I was held behind at every lesson. I was told by each teacher, firstly how much they enjoyed the input and how they hoped it would continue and lead to my success at the end of year 11. That gave me the last bit of encouragement to finally help me increase my input to allow me to fulfil my potential.
As I walked out of school I let my legs take me, I didn’t pay attention to where I was going, all I knew was that I was moving. I thought to myself, what could I do to get out of this.
I suddenly heard a screech of brakes and found myself in the middle of a road.
“Get out of the road! I almost hit you. It is a good job I was paying attention, more people die in car accidents that you know.” The man shouted from his car. The impact of the words replaced what would have been the car. I knew all too well how many people die because of someone’s lack of attention.