TEACHERS PET - Chapter 1: Chapter 1

2:54pm~
The clock ticked in the classroom in Nora Tilburry's school for girls. Rain pattered against the window,an incessant drumming that lolled Mandy to sleep .
It wasn't that the lesson was boring . To be quite honest this terms topic was quite interesting - the Cold War .
Mandys hand ran along the article written by George Orwell . She forced her eyes to stay open . In a couple of minutes she'd be out .
Her eyes went to the front of the classroom . Mr Moretti was finishing his sentence . The girls in the classroom hung onto his every word .
He was a fairly new teacher . Tall and slightly muscly. A soft voice and long feminine fingers . A dimple on his chin . He had dark curly hair and green eyes . He often rolled his sleeves up revealing tatted arms .
He was different from most of the teachers that taught at Nora . Most of them were old . Mean . Boring . Mr Moretti was young , funny , kind.
But Mandy couldn't stand him . Something about him annoyed him . She hated how he was always so happy .
Mr Moretti felt different about Mandy . He found her interesting . She was very quiet . Always had top marks in his class . He just wished she spoke more . Contributed in class . What she wrote on paper was astonishing and way beyond her years . He was fascinated with the way her mind worked .
The bell rang . The classroom erupted into laugher , chairs scraping back and phones ringing .
Snippets of conversations ran through Mandys head as she packed her bags .
"I got a 4 in science . That's so embarrassing!"
"Has anyone seen my lipgloss ?"
"Let's hurry up so we can see the boys at the bus stop."
"Who wants to go primark with me ?"
But nobody talked to Mandy . She didn't have a friend . She was the weird quiet girl . She pushed her glasses up on her face and began to walk out of the classroom .
"Mandy ." Mr Moretti said.
She turned around .
"Yes sir ?" She asked.
"May I speak to you ?"
She sighed and proceeded to his desk .
"Are you okay ?" He asked his emerald orbs searching her face .
She frowned.
"I'm fine ."
"Are you sure? You seem pretty distracted in my lessons ."
"I'm fine ." She repeated her voice dripping with steel.
"Okay . If anything you can talk to me ."
"Mhm mhm ." She nodded .
She left briskly .
Her backpack danced on her legs . As she opened the doors the wind encircled her legs making the little hairs stand up .
Her ponytail swung as she walked on .
Rain peppered her skin .
The trees danced ,their scrawny bony fingers grasping for her .
The autumn leaves shook having a carnival in a beautiful explosion of colours .
Hues of red , green and yellow .
She grabbed her i pod plugging in earphones .
Mitski filled her ears . She hummed , her kickers splashing through puddles . She arrived at the concrete steps .
Two sleeping lions adorned the entrance . Mary Seacole Public library.
She entered . The smell of books entombed her . A smile crept up on her face. This was her happy place. Her fingers thumbed across the paperbacks . She let her fingers tickle the spines of the book . She closed her eyes counting to 17. She opened her eyes and pulled out the book her finger landed on .
It was a book by Markus Zusak. She delved into her bag pushing away crumpled notes , an old vape, her charger , Oyster card , gum and finally she came upon her library card turning up her nose at the crumbs that had collated at the bottom of her bag .
She scanned the book and was on her way out . The rain was falling heavier . The sky was already darkening . She ran into the convenience store buying a box of flapjacks and cranberry juice .
She joined the rest of the parents in the queue to pick up the boys from their football game .
St Barts was a boys only school . A harrowing brown building with ugly gargoyles and iron gates . Little boys coated in mud streamed out. From the obvious buzz they had won . The muddiest boy approached Mandy .
"Miles !" She scolded .
He grinned .
"We won Mandy."
"Well done ." She says ruffling his brunette hair .
She handed him the box of flapjacks and he grinned .
"Don't eat all of them ." She warned .
He slipped his hand in hers as they began the 15 minute walk to the terraced houses they lived in .
Mandy mentally prepared herself for what she would see .
Her mother's scrawny frame sat in the same sofa with the same expression in the same clothes .
She would drink away her days pining after their father who was living obliviously in Scotland with his pregnant wife.
She would cook Miles dinner . He would go down the road to play with that tall disrespectful boy . She would do the laundry . Then Miles would come back . They'd eat . She'd complete some homework . Then wash up . Tuck Miles in and then retreat to her room where she'd read wattpad or scroll through Pinterest .
Everyday was the same . Monotone .
She opened her window sitting by moonlight . A fox scampered up the road . The sky was black tranquility married to a poetry of stars. It was the softness that called her body and brain to rest and let her heart go to its steady rhythm. Night came as a reward to Mandy , a restfulness above to calm her soul.
Nothing was required of her . She was peaceful . She found herself staying up like this more often . Perhaps that's why she was struggling to concentrate in class.
She sighed reaching for her phone . Her finger hovered over her dads number . She threw her phone back onto the bed . What was the point ?