Nimkii, a terribly persceptive girl learns that there is more to life than books... |
"Welcome Back, Everyone! I see we're all fresh-faced and tanned from the summer sun. Anyone care to share a story or two about their summer vacations?" Just about everyone that met Mr. Mervyn's gaze, looked away, not wanting to be the first one to speak. Finally, Mr. Mervyn rolled his eyes and pointed to the over-active cheerleader, ironically named Calm. "Yes, Calm, stop waving your hands above your head like a crazy person. You're liable to take out, Miss Tuttles eye." Calm just smiled happily and burst out, headlong into a verbal tirade of her entire summer vacation. When she was finished she smiled about the room, satisfied that her vacation was the first to be told. "Next!", Mr. Mervyn shouted from inside his folded arms that layed across his desk. After that, Timmy S. Masterson; the school's football captain, was next to spill. He told the class about his wild summer with his wild cousin, and all the wild and crazy and stupid and wild stuff they did. Only, he didn't say "stuff", which prompted Mr. Mervyn's left arm to raise, index finger pointing to the sky. So Timmy corrected himself. And then apologized. Mr. Mervyn already regretted starting the class off this way. He knew he'd hear the same old story, from everyone of his students. To different degrees of wild. It was the same every year when they came back. Suddenly, there was a small knock on the now closed door. Only he heard it while his students sat and gabbed aimlessly about their summers and how much alcohol they drank. Lifting his head, he heard a second knock at the door. So, slowly getting up and moving brisquely towards the wooden door, his students not noticing or caring, he grabbed the handle just as it was opening. And quicker than he realized, because the door suddenly smacked him in the face. The next thing Mr. Mervyn knew, he was surrounded by his class. Some laughing, some nervous and some genuinely concerned. Having not only been hit in the forehead with the door, his head also hit the floor with a loud, echoing thud, that made everyone stop and run over to him. Mr. Mervyn tried to move, and wished he hadn't, because once he did he instantly had to turn his face to the side and puke. Everyone groaned and made a face, except the person who walked in through the door. Also, the person who's shoes Mr. Mervyn puked on. Mr. Mervyn looked up at the girl's face, showing how deeply apologetic he was, and was caught off guard to find the striking blue-gray eyes, that seemed to swell with an ocean storm raging inside them. It was the first thing he noticed, but not the only thing. Suddenly, he was being bombarded with questions from Nurse Guthrie and the hulking janitor named Ted. When the students told them what had happened and that he puked when he turned his head, Nurse Guthrie immediately sent for the neck brace and stretcher in the nurses' office. Moments later, Timmy and Janitor Ted, gently lifted Mr. Mervyn on his side and slid the stretcher underneath him. After Nurse Guthrie attached the neck brace "as a precaution", Mr. Mervyn, Ted, Timmy and Nurse Guthrie headed out to the front of the school. There an ambulance waited to load Mr. Mervyn and take him to the hospital. Inside the ambulance, the emergency technicians gave him a pain killer, through a tube that was connected straight into his vein. Mr. Mervyn found himself half-dazed and half-dozing. All the while thinking, "What a way to start the year." _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- |