The Bus Ride

Chapter Fifteen

As I slide into my seat for first period, I can sense the stares that I get as others start to arrive. I look down at my hands and notice that I'm trembling. That conversation shook me up more than I thought. I close my shaking hands into fists and open up my notebook. I stare at my plans, as well as the diary entries from the incident. I read over them absent-mindedly and when I get to the part about Dallas I feel tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing, but one or two escape. I cannot cry here. I will not cry here. Angrily I rub my eyes and close my notebook. When I lift my gaze I see at least five people staring at me, most of which hastily look away guiltily when I look up. I sit in the back, so it is very noticeable when someone looks at me. I stare back at the few people who continue to stare, and we have a mini staring contest, until one by one, they all turn around. I've always been told my stares are intimidating. I guess I still have it.

The teacher walks into the class, and very awkwardly, tells me that he is glad that I'm back, and that he is sorry about what I went through, although, he has no idea. No one does, except for Luke. I mumble an equally awkward reply back and the lesson starts. I'm largely ignored by the teacher for the remainder of class, which is just fine by me. I don't think he knows what to do with me. The atmosphere in the room is extremely awkward. I don't even pay attention during class. I doodle in my notebook until the bell rings. When the bell rings I am the first one up to leave the class, but the teacher stops me.
"Celia, can you stay behind for a second?" He asks, and I reluctantly follow him to his desk. "Celia, you have missed two weeks of school, therefore I will have to give you all the work you missed. Your grades have suffered extremely, and I know you are a good student. Just hand them in, and your grade will go up." I stare at him in disbelief. Did they seriously just put zeros for the assignments I missed? That is ridiculous.
"I'm sorry, but did you seriously put in zeros for the assignments I missed?" I ask.
"Well yes, you weren't here to do them. All of the students who were absent were treated the same." He says sheepishly.
"You say that like we were skipping, or slacking off! We were being held hostage by homicidal maniacs for a week, and for the other week we were recuperating from said maniacs! When were we supposed to do homework?" I ask loudly, and his expression changes from friendly to annoyed.
"I am giving you a chance to make up for it. Do not use the terrible incident as an excuse, it will not be tolerated." He says sternly, and I am at a loss for words. Does he really think I'm using the incident as an excuse for me not doing my homework? I would rather do a years worth of homework in a week than go through that again. Before I can answer him he pushes on. "Your little outburst brings us to another issue. The school counselor has recommended that every student who was involved in the incident start mandatory weekly therapy with her. Before you say anything, no, this is not optional. This is mandatory, and you will do this. You are dismissed." I turn around and walk out of the room still processing the news. Talking to a shrink is the last thing I want to do right now.

The morning progresses much the same as the first class, people staring, teachers treating me like a fragile object, a ridiculous amount of homework, and me sitting there without a clue about what is going on. Finally lunch comes, and I realize that this might be the worst part of my entire day. Lunchtime, where anybody can come up and talk to me.

I walk into the cafeteria with my lunch bag and scan it with my eyes, quickly spotting my friends. I head over there, but before I can make it someone steps into my path, and I bump into her.
"Watch where you are going!" She shrieks, then looks closer at the girl who she just smacked into. Her eyes light up in a way that I can only describe as the lion looking at the lamb, and before I can react, she wraps me in a hug. Her perfume chokes me, and I start coughing. I don't think she knows that you are supposed to spray on perfume, not bathe in it.
"Celia! How are you? I heard about what happened, and I feel so bad for you!"
"I'm fine Alexandra, thanks for asking. Now if you would excuse me." I mumble and try to duck around her, but she grabs my arm and pulls me back, still smiling. Alexandra was one of the mean girls who plagued me before the incident, and I have no idea why she is being so sweet, but I know it can't be good. I look over my shoulder and see two more of her minions standing behind me. Great. I'm trapped. Like wolves, they hunt in packs, and I'm their prey.
"So I heard about Nicole and Dallas. I'm so sorry about that!" She says, putting her hand over her heart sympathetically, but she still has that cruel look in her eyes.
"Yeah its awful!" One of her lackeys chime in, and I stay silent.
"So everybody's wondering, how did they die? I mean, surely you know. You were one of their closest friends after all." I notice she is using past tense. You were one of their closest friends.
"It doesn't matter how they died. Now leave me alone." I say, and try to push Alexandra aside, but fail. My cheeks burn in embarrassment and rage. If I can't handle a mean girl, how on earth am I going to kill a gang lord?
"Well of course it matters. So, tell us!" The rest of her lackeys join in with comments of their own, and before long it seems like all I can hear is their voices, asking too many questions. I feel so overwhelmed, and I can't take it anymore. This is why I didn't want to come to school.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! For God's sake, leave me alone, and quit being such nosy little brats!" I shout, and the whole cafeteria goes silent. I feel everyone's eyes on me, and I stand there for a few seconds before bolting from the cafeteria. Out of the corner of my eye I see Luke get up from his seat and sprint after me, and I hear the laughter of Alexandra and her friends behind me.

I make it to the bathroom before the waterworks start. Luckily I'm wearing waterproof mascara, or else I would look like a melting panda. I slide to the ground and put my head between my legs. For a while I just quietly sob, even when the bell rings for class. It's Gym. I don't care about gym. I don't need to go in there and have more people stare at me. I can't handle this right now. Everytime someone mentions the incident, I think of Dallas, and I shut down. After a while another bell rings, and I realize that it is band. If one thing can cheer me up, it's band, so I dry my eyes and step out of the bathroom. Thank goodness I'm a pretty crier, because you can barely tell that I've been crying. I smile weakly at my reflection, and head to my locker.

Band was everything it should be. Just playing my flute relaxed and calmed me, and everything disappeared. For a whole hour and a half, there was no Alexandra, no gang leader, no guilt. There was just me, my flute, and my music, and it felt great.

Poor Celia! Her first day back didn't go very well did it? At least the day ended on a high note. (Get it? Notes, music, band?) Also, I apologize for not updating on Friday, I had a crazy project I had to do.Thank you all for reading, and remember to vote and comment.
Cat