Julianna Catching Fire

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Three

Finals were done and over with last week and there was around a week left until graduation. With only a few days of school left for us Seniors, we were all buckling down. Attending all of our classes, having last minute sessions with guidance counselors, cramming in a few more community service hours. To the say the least, it was hectic.

And I was loving it, only because it kept my mind off of Alex.

We still hadn't completely resolved things. We hadn't fixed things after our little spat at my house before he left. I think there was more to our hard feelings besides me wanting to spend the day with him. I think we were both a little fed up with the way things had kind of been blowing up in our faces lately.

We'd both tried to contact each other numerous times, but it never worked out, one way or another. When I called Alex he would be in the middle of class or holding a study group. Whenever Alex called me I'd me be doing extra volunteer work or sleeping. We did want to make things better, but we were both making excuses. I wanted to work things out - I really did - but I don't think either of us was quite ready to move on just yet. We both had things to figure out about our future, our selves...each other.

I wasn't quite sure what it was. All I knew was that I was still pissed at him and he was still pissed at me. But I loved him still. And I'd hoped that he still loved me.

***

"Get up," Abby whispered, nudging me with her elbow.

I opened my eyes, blinked a few times, then yawned. "But I'm sooo bored," I said back.

We were in English class and the replacement teacher the school found recently - Ms. Lakato - was literally boring me to death. Before I came into her class I was happy, joyful, and alive. But now I felt like all the life, and my soul, had been sucked out of me.

She chuckled. "Come on. Class will be over in thirty minutes."

I groaned internally. That was it? Thirty more minutes? It felt like I had been sleeping for days! I rolled my eyes before miming shooting myself in the head with a gun. "Kill me now," I mouthed.

She chuckled again.

"Julianna," Ms. Lakato called in her deep, boring, raspy, yet nasally, voice.

I groaned and then shut my eyes once more.

"Julianna," she called again.

"What?" I demanded.

"Am I boring you?"

"Yes," I told her matter-of-factly.

Her eyes widened in surprise. The class snickered.

"Well that's too bad for you," she told me lamely.

"Whatever," I said, about to lie my head back on the desk.

"Do not put your head down again," she told me, seconds before my head was on the desk.

I lifted my head slowly, picked imaginary pieces of lint off my sheer white J. Crew tank top and cut-off Victoria Beckham denim shorts, and then looked at her. "Or what?" I challenged.

"Do not question me."

"Or what?"

"Julianna, do not test me."

"Or what?" I demanded one more time.

She stared at me silently for a few more moments. "Or you may get out."

I scooped up my black leather Alexander Wang bag and walked toward her, the sound of each step of my leopard print Tury Burch pumps echoing off the silent classroom's walls.