Physics class

Phoebe exhaled finally when she arrived at the school's gate. She knew she was late and probably must have missed two classes but she took to her heels as she raced to the class.

Before stepping into the class, she huffed in and out, cleared her throat, beat her chest to relax and cracked her knuckles. She was so nervous.

Finally stepping into the class, she met with different looks from the students and the noisy class soon turned quiet. What an awkward situation. Everybody's eyes followed her and she could see them. Some were of pity, some were with mocking smiles and some? She couldn't read their expressions.

She looked down, trying to avoid the scorching gazes. She almost tripped but bumped into a male student who was about to head outside and he pushed her away from him like she was some kind of disease.

"Watch where you are going to, nerd, use those windscreens on your eyes properly or you would have some missing tooth". He warned her, glared and avoided having in contact with her as he passed to walk out of the class. She heard some students guffaw and her face turned red from embarrassment.

" Hey Ashley, look potatoes sacks clothing is in school and late as of that. Didn't mommy bring her to school? Oh my bad! I forgot mommy is poor". Phoebe's eyes shot up to see the girl who had spoken. It was the same girl, who had called her a nerd in the heartbreaking scene. What was her name again?. She had forgotten.

She saw Ashley give a mischievous grin as she chewed the bubble gum in her mouth and Phoebe pictured her as a cow. She was surprised she didn't say anything as of yet or probably was preparing a jab for her.

Not looking left or right anymore, she went to her usual spot at the end of the class to find it occupied, she had always stayed here to avoid everyone else.

...Shit! The major reason why she arrived at school so early was to avoid situations like this. What was she to do? She saw the girl give her a stupid look, which made her shut up instantly and moved away from her and she heard some students giggle at the scene and she felt like crying.

Ashley was about to speak when the physics teacher; Mr Garrison arrived in the class and Phoebe saw the girl who had occupied her seat, stand up and move to sit closer to the girl, who had called her a nerd. They were bullying her and she sighed.

"Please take your seats, everyone". His loud voice resonated, causing all attention to fall on him.

When seated, Phoebe's eyes moved around the classroom and she realized all this while, that Ava was seated with Ashley; together and where was Logan?. Well, that was none of her concerns. Her attention was on the desk, She realized there were no books or backpack on her desk and her heart sank. Had her bullies taken them?. At the thought of it, she became scared.

What was she to do?. Was she to confront them or report them?. Trying to grasp composure, she placed her back on the chair as she faced the teacher. She saw Logan step in with his friends, muttering words, she couldn't hear to the teacher, who quickly gave a nod and then ushered them in. She let her eyes trail after him and stopped on Ashley's glaring eyes which made her look away and then began to scribble on a piece of paper, she had let out from her pocket.

She felt her heart sting on recalling the times, Logan had made her believe were sweet and memorable moments. She had seen pictures of Logan and Ava, swimming together and holding each other in intimate positions on his phone and was quickly reprimanded by the angry Logan, who snatched his phone away and then walked away without offering another word to her and it had taken him, three days, three good days for him to apologise.

She was so stupid. Why hadn't she seen the red flags all those while?. She was so stupid, so stupidly infatuated by his looks.

Sighing for an umpteenth time, the teacher's quick eyes took notice of her as he paused his words to stare more intently at her.

" Miss Markins?. Would you please tell the class, the last word I had said?". He frowned at the girl who had widened her eyes. It was obvious that she hadn't been paying attention to the lessons being taught and he was annoyed.

He saw her stand, her face down as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Miss Markins, you are wasting the class's time". He saw the girl raise her head with the large and oversized screen on her eyes and It took the teacher some seconds to realize it was truly an eyeglass. This girl was weird.

She opened her mouth and then shut it close and he was irritated. Phoebe was already feeling sweaty. She hated physics. Who wouldn't hate physics, except they were aliens?. What was she to say? What was she to say?. She continued to question herself in her head.

Mr Garrison was still staring at her, expecting her to speak up. "Miss Markins?". She heard him call again and her heart jumped. " How about the word before the last words?. Attempt, you must have probably heard something right?".

She saw the students all turn to face her, some laughed, some smiled and some made faces at her and more particularly, she saw Ava and Logan not turn to stare at her. She felt their conscience was against them.

"I am so sorry, Mr Garrison. I wasn't paying attention to the last words".

" How about the words before the last, miss Markins?". He repeated his question, folding his hands and relentlessly staring at her and now she truly wished the land to open up and then gobble her, right this instant. She hadn't even been paying attention, from the very instant Mr Garrison, stepped into the classroom.

She didn't even know what today's topic was and she had tried searching the words scribbled on the board while she stood, but she couldn't find any. Great, she had messed up. Another bad day was coming up and a quick wish was been made in her head. 'Mr Garrison, please do not include the topic in my questions.

"What do you expect from someone, who just experienced a heartbeat, Mr Garrison?. The girl is mentally exhausted, please give her a break". Phoebe heard Ashley speak up. Finally, the jab was out from the cow's mouth. She thought and she wished that she had some supernatural power, she would have flung her away like a piece of paper, through the window and landed her into a truck of garbage; where she belonged.

She saw some students snicker and she could also see Ava's eyes widening and Logan shifting uncomfortably in his seat. It was obvious they were reacting to what Ashley had blurted out.

" Well miss Markins, if that is the actual case here, please exempt your emotions during the time of academics. Am I understood, miss Markins?."

"Yes sir, it won't happen again". Phoebe was quick to agree, the heavens had smiled on her and she saw him gesture her to take her seat and she was more than happy to comply.

" Mr Garrison, you are funny. She would never_".

"That's enough miss Fredman. One more word and then comes detention". Mr Garrison threw a look at Ashley and she instantly closed her mouth and then he turned to pick up a chart.

Phoebe wanted to stick out her tongue to her and then boo her but she held back. She couldn't express how grateful she was to Mr Garrison, for shutting up that crazy mule's mouth, who was trying to humiliate her and in the end, humiliated herself and why wouldn't she shut up when the punishments were scary. Imagine asking the rick kids to wash the toilets or scrub an entire floor. She gave a little satisfactory smile to herself. This was the first time she was laughing at someone's humiliation. She thought. Something was gradually changing in her.

And while the class continued with its lessons and students chattering behind the teacher's back and the serious ones scribbling notes down, a tall shadow moved away from the glass window of the class, which it had been peeking through and then disappeared like it never, was there.