I hate our twentysomething year old, too happy math teacher, Ms. Laughlin. She likes to stand in front of the class and toss her lustrous blonde hair from one shoulder to the other like she should be in a hair care commercial instead of teaching 10th graders how to count. She said with a fake smile, “Today, we have a test.” She liked to keep things short. More time for the hair flip. Chris Crocker would be proud. She handed out the test and I looked down at the used-to-be tree. I picked up my pencil and started the sixty question long test. The first fifty questions were so simple; my 7 year old sister could do it. But then I got to question fifty-one. The question said:
51. What is the sum of 2 times x to the third power times pi plus 3 times
y to the eighth power times pi squared when x is 3 times the sum of y
and pi and when y is 8 times pi?
What? I looked over to my friend, Chandra, to see if she was stuck on that one, too. She was still on number twelve, which was:
12. What is 12 times 15?
She looked over and saw that I was on fifty-one. Her eyes grew twice their size when she saw my paper. She glanced at the clock. Her eyes got wider. I looked up, too. I had 5 minutes left. I just guessed on the last ten. Then the bell that I have been waiting for finally came. The end of 5th period! I gathered my books and my black iPod Nano that just happened to be in my sleeve and had found its way to my ear. I shoved all my stuff into my Marilyn Manson bag that doubled as my purse and made my way to the door with the sea of others trying to run away from the math. I was halfway out and a hand landed on my shoulder, holding me back. I turned around expecting it to be Chandra, but it was Ms. Laughlin. She tossed her blonde hair and said, “Duvessa, can you see me after 6th period?” Hair flip.
“I’m on the other side of the school for sixth period.”
“I know, but do you think you can stop by on your way out? I need to give you something.” Hair flip.
“M’kay.”
“Thanks!” She said with a smile that even Barbie would think looked artificial.
I ran out before she could say anything else. I saw Chandra at her locker and told her about the meeting with Laughlin. She told me that she had to go, too. Chandra opened her locker and random papers from September flew out of her locker and displayed their D- faces on the hallway floor. She looked at something in her locker and her eyes darkened. They turned from bright sky blue to midnight blue.
“Chandra? What’s wrong?”
“Bathroom. Now.” She said. Her face paler than usual.
She strolled to the only empty bathroom in the whole school; the girls locker room. I had to basically run to keep up with her stride. I was out of breath by the time I got to the bathroom. She checked under all six stalls twice. “Stay,” she said to me in a voice that was unfamiliar. She walked to the entrance of the bathroom, opened the door, and looked around. I probably looked terrified because Chandra saw me and started to laugh. Then, she was gone. I kept telling myself, Don’t be afraid, Duvessa. This is Chandra. She wouldn’t hurt a freaking fly! It started to work, until Chandra came back in. She was wearing a midnight blue dress that was almost the color of her eyes. It was very low cut in the front. The top half was corset-like with long, flowing sleeves and the lower half was a silk midnight blue that barely touched the floor. Chandra had two other girls in tow. One had long, brunette hair pulled back into a ponytail with a dark green ribbon that matched her eyes. The other had short black hair. Her eyes were blackish-brown. They all had matching dresses except for the color, which changed depending on their eye color. Chandra said “This is Apollonia,” and pointed to the one in green, “and Gwendolyn,” and pointed to the one in brown.
As she talked, I caught a glimpse of the sharp, pearly white canines. A rush of emotions ran through me.
Points: 1040
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