This Is Me

This morning I actually felt like getting up for school so I humored  Dad with his ' you should really care more about your attendance record' speech. Even though I still managed to maintain an A average on a normal basis, I didn't care about showing up much. With a photographic memory, I didn't see the need to be present everyday.

" I know Dad, I should care more." I said reciting my reply to his daily morning lecture.

" I know you know, but do you listen to me?" Dad said shaking his head.

" Bye Dad,"  I glanced in the mirror just like I did every morning, but this time I dropped my keys.

" What is it this time Syd?" he asked, coming out of the kitchen with a half-eaten piece of toast.

" I have a pimple," I wined.

"Well you don't have time to run upstairs to do thousands of things to your face, " he said sternly.

" Just five minutes," I begged. I couldn't go to school like this.

" No, you'll be late for school." he said handing me my forgotten keys.

" Fine, whatever." I said bitterly before swiping up my iPod and messenger bag.

Mom would have let me go up.

After getting through all of the morning traffic and the Trensdale High parking lot, I gathered my things and headed to my locker before meeting my girls in the courtyard.

"What happened to your face?" Alex said in her drama voice.

"What?" I answered blankly, not in the mood for her drama this early in the day.

"You know exactly what," Shae said in her sassy tone.

" Yeah that zit is the size of a crater." Kayla blurted.

" Oh that, my dad wouldn't let me grab any cover up." I said bitterly.

"Here Syd, I have the best cover up." Vanessa said handing over the cover up and a mirror.

" Thanks V." I said while dabbing on the creamy makeup. A shrill group of rings echoed throughout the courtyard. I just now noticed that we were the only people still out here.

" Is it really 7: 45?" Shae asked.

" Yeah, and we will all be late if we don't get up." Kayla said standing.

" Bye guys," I said walking with Vanessa towards the English and Science hall.

"Bye,"



"Well I'm late for Chemistry AP, " Vanessa said sadly.

" I don't even see why you are in that class. Its for Juniors anyway." I said rounding the corner.

" My physical science teacher said that I wasn't being challenged in his class," Vanessa stated blankly like it wasn't a big deal.

" But you were already in Advanced Honors. Wasn't that enough? I know it was for me last year. I barely pulled a B in that class." I said recalling my overwhelming freshman year.

" I know, but science is my thing." Vanessa said with a smirk.

" Bye girl, I have to cut through the science labs if I'm gonna be able to beat the skip bell." I said leaving her as she walked into her class.

" Bye Syd,"


"And why are you late this time Miss Hall?"  Mr. Falser, my English II teacher, asked with his usual monotone of a voice. He's on my name at the role again. I thought. Mr. Falser always managed to be on a person's name every time they are late. Sometimes I wonder if he skips around until they show up.

" You see what had happened was-" I began before he waved his hand to silence me.

" Save it Miss Hall. We will discuss this after class." Mr. Falser said firmly ending the matter before anyone caught on to where I got the stall from and started to joke around.

Classic Madea move. I thought with a smirk. He never lets anyone finish their excuses.

" Nice stall Syd, so you watched Madea last night too then?" Jay said smiling as I took my seat behind him.

Jay was the star of the basketball team, and Alex's new boyfriend. He was 6'1, muscular, and fine as hell.  He had also been my secret crush since the beginning of ninth grade. You could say we  had quite a bit of history.

Jessica, Jay's mom, and Angela were best friends and college roommates. After Jay and I were born, we became fast friends as toddlers through our moms' weekly play dates. The friendship between us began to grow and flourish during our kindergarten and elementary school years. We were best friends until the start of seventh grade.

Jay's hormones started kicking in, making him into the fine brotha' he is now. He also discovered that he had a few skills in the game of basketball. The girls started to come at him, so I was pushed aside. I went from best friend, to occasional acquaintance that year. His basketball teammates became his new crew. I met my girls a few days afterward, and so we sort of drifted apart. Jay and me still stayed on good terms and all, we just weren't as close as we used to be.

"Well you have to hit the teachers with the classic stalls, cause' you probably won't even have to finish them. You save the new ones for when you get caught breaking curfew or something." I whispered in his ear before Mr. Falser called his name.

" What? Oh, here" Jay called, bored.

" Take out your notes and add these new ones. They are over the material that will be on the quiz for Friday." Mr. Falser said closing the role book, and going to sit at his desk.

Jay automatically turned around to ask his almost daily question.

" Syd, do you have a pencil?"

" No Jay, I don't have a pencil. Or a pen... or a piece of paper." I whispered fervently.

" I have paper, I just need a pencil. You always carry extra pencils anyway." Jay said knowingly.

" Here Jay, now turn around before you get me in trouble again. This will be the third time this week if we get caught talking."  I whispered frantically glancing up at the board.

" Chill Syd, he's not even paying attention. He's too busy on the computer." Jay said still not turning around. Mr. Falser was on his computer, but he always catches us somehow.

" Just because I'm on this computer, doesn't mean that my ears close." Mr. Falser said looking up from the computer to see who was whispering. Sure enough, he saw Jay's back turned.

" Mr. Dawson, why do you insist on speaking to Sydney every morning instead of copying the notes that will prepare you for the quiz tomorrow?" Mr. Falter asked getting everyone's attention turned toward us.

" I was just asking for a pencil," Jay answered, still with his back turned.

" Since this is the third time this week that I have gotten on to you two about the talking, you will serve detention during your lunch period today." he said getting a few snickers from the class.

" What, I can't miss lunch today! " I said not believing that Jay dragged me into this. I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning because of my late start.

" Me neither, coach is treating us to pizza today." Jay said indignantly, not trying to miss out on his favorite food.

" Well you should have thought about that before you started chatting during my class." Mr. Falter said firmly. He wasn't used to anyone objecting to his punishments.

"  That's messed up all the way, Mr. Falser" Jay said loudly, not letting it go.

" Will two days fix it then?" Mr. Falser asked with fire in his voice.

" Hell no, it won't. You do mean two days for him right?" I said starting to get angry now.

" Did you just cuss at me Ms. Hall?" Mr. Falser asked writing me up for language.

" You deserved it," I said loud enough for him to hear.

" What did you just say?" he said not believing that someone was talking back to him this way.

" She said that you deserved it, " some kid said from the back.

" Mr. Dawson and Ms. Hall, get out of my class and go to the library to serve early morning detention for the rest of the period." Mr. Falser said dangerously close to raising his voice.

" Whatever. I'm out of this boring and easy class anyway," I said before grabbing my messenger bag.

" Just for that remark, you will serve two weeks!" Mr. Falser yelled right before I slammed the door.

" I'm out too." Jay said before following me out the door.

Damn, I hate him. This was not a good start to a Thursday.