isabelle

Upon completing a 2 hour long test, I finally walked out of the examination hall after handing out my answer script. The test went really well and I hoped to ace it. 

While walking through the crowded halls of my school corridors, I spotted a huge crowd forming around a running figure. 

It wouldn't be a normal day at school if Ryan was not being chased by an angry professor,  I thought to myself after realising that he was responsible for the ruckus. Apparently today, he called our History professor's wife through the latter's phone and said, "You piss me off, bitch!" He hung up soon after those words left his mouth because the professor had spotted him.

"I think she does piss him off though, like he's grumpy every morning and gets irritated whenever she calls him. Oh my god, this is actually great! I can write an article regarding marital problems and use our teachers while citing examples! People would love it, don't you think?"

That was my best friend, Ava. She's part of the school's editorial team and if topics were chosen up to her preference, the tabloids would have been banned. Once, an article regarding our principal was written. It talked about how she was a 'baddie in her school days', that 'everyone starts off in the same way' and 'what we did in our past should not influence the decisions we make in future'.

Even though the intention was good, our principal did not appreciate it. The tabloid had pictures of her partying with a bandana over her head and a beer in hand. She felt that it would 'promote unwanted behaviour amongst children during their school days'. 

"People would love it, yes. But the teachers, not so much. As much as I want to embarass Mr Arnold, I would rather not have you expelled," I answered her.

"I guess so," she shrugged.

"Pretty sure that he is  having an affair though. I've seen him get out of Ms. Lane's car one too many times"

"You're kidding! There's no way our English and History teachers are getting it," She exclaimed. "Come on, you can't do this to me. I can't even write an article about it. I'm sick of writing about puppies and skincare routines that help during exam season. The tabloids need  something spicy," she whined.

"Ava, the students love reading about 'the anatomy behind jumping dogs'. If you start talking about humping teachers, you'll lose your target audience," I mocked her.

She smacked my arm and said, "Shut up, you and the editorial team are my only audience. How do I get people to read my articles, Isa?"

I tried to think of a serious answer for her. Ava loved writing and gossip. It was why she started writing newspaper articles. What she did not know was that the teachers put a lot of restrictions on what could be published and circulated around the school. Ava has been brainstorming for the past few weeks, trying to come up with something that both students and teachers would love. This was important to her.

"You could write about what's going on in school right now. I'm not talking about the 'who's shagging who' drama. But, you can talk about the pranks people have pulled on each other or about some pre-game rituals followed by our school team?" I suggested.

"Can't talk about pranks, another one of their restrictions," she frowned.

"You'll just write about the pranks that have already been done. By the students, on other students. Doesn't have to do anything with teachers. It'll be entertainment for all of us."

She hummed in agreement, "You're right. I'll pitch the idea in today's meeting and we'll see how that goes. The pre-game idea is pretty cool too. I'll draft something for it during lunch time. Thanks Iz, but I gotta run. See you later!" Ava left the crowded halls as the bell rang.

I gathered my books from the locker and walked into my history class. Mr Arnold was already in the room, his face a bit red. Maybe because of chasing Ryan around the school, I thought. The culprit himself was sitting at the back of the classroom with a huge grin on his face while a girl whispered stuff into his ears. I looked away, trying find an unoccupied seat.

As Mr Arnold fixed his tie and cleared his throat, I placed my books on a desk. A sigh left my mouth when he started teaching. History was one of my least favourite subjects. I had to try really hard to keep myself awake during this class. Barely anyone ever listened to Arnold; everyone talked amongst themselves, mindlessly scribbled in their notes, scrolled through their phones or infuriated the teacher. 

"Arno, man, even busy ass kings took more care of their wives than you do," someone yelled out from the back.

A bunch of cheers erupted around the classroom, making Arnold furious. "Ryan, you better get out of my sight before I do something worth regretting," he said in a threatening tone.

"Hey man, save the action for your wife!" said Leon, Ryan's sidekick. 

The entire class was now filled with laughter and whisperings.

"Both of you, out now!",  Arnold exclaimed with an angry expression. "Now, if anyone else has more smart comments to pass around, I suggest you keep them to yourself," he said after both the guys left his room.

Even though I wasn't a fan of Arnold for obvious reasons, I still felt kind of bad for him. Being troubled by a bunch of teens. It had a funny element to it, of course, but it saddened me. His personal matters were his. I don't know if I could tolerate a bunch of teens talking and joking about my life right in front of me. Actually, I do know. I would slap them right then and there. In my head.

After both guys left the class, our teacher took a few long breaths and continued his lecture. When only 5 minutes of the class remained, Arnold made an announcement :

"This month, I want a total of 15 presentations from you guys. Since there is 30 of you, this presentation is to be done in pairs. The topic of the presentation needs to be your favourite moment in American history. By the end of tomorrow, I want you to submit the name of your partner and topic of presentation to me." 

The whole class was filled with excited talks while everyone tried to find a partner for the presentation. I packed my bag and left the classroom. This presentation was not going to be fun. I did not know anyone on a personal level in this history lecture. It was going to be a hard task, - finding a decent partner.

~⨯~