Sticks n Stones
© all rights reserved to Monica P 2010
Amberley sighed as she looked at her school shoes - it was another weekday and she had to force herself to walk along that main country road in order to get to her school. It took thirty minutes of the morning to get there, however it was a good walk that helped her to wake up. She sucked in a tired breath, and then hurriedly she slipped her feet into her black shoes. After a moment she had left the room, and left the house.
Amberley walked upon the dusted road, and stained her black shoes orange. She grimaced at the amount of dust that shrouded the tips of her shoes, however she forced herself not to nit pick. It was one of those things that would be overlooked once she was seated in the school room, and it was the board and books that would divert any unwelcome attention if someone decided to be nasty.
Amberley walked into the school gate, and hurried to walk into the correct room. A stack of faces turned to her as she walked in, and she almost shrieked at the eerie sensation she got from being late. Her teacher Mr Peter Ashbourne glared at her with steel eyes. He placed a hand on his hip and tilted his head as though he were going to make a mockery about her intrusion, however instead of a brisk tease he simply swiped his hand to a desk at the front row.
Amberley wrinkled her nose as she spied the chair that sat directly in front of the teacher's view – she often tried to nab a seat near the window so that she could gain some reprieve as the day passed; however at the front there was nothing but the board to stare at in order to gain some mental sedate.
“Do you have a problem Miss Aldon?” questioned Mr Ashbourne with impatience on the tip of his tongue.
“No;” gasped Amberley before she scurried to the seat in order to crash her weight upon it.
The school day moved slowly, and everyone groaned as the last hour took forever to pass. However the seconds turned into minutes, and they slowly made up a full hour. When the bell finally rang everyone jumped out of their seats as though they had springs on their bases.
“Miss Aldon please stay;” muttered Mr Ashbourne as he threw the chalk nub into the chalk bucket.
Amberley bit her tongue as the will to argue rose inside her throat, and she slowly stood as the teacher moved to close the door after the last student raced out of the room. Amberley looked at the teacher as he stared at her from a distance, she felt a gulp swell inside her throat as something about him chilled her bone marrow. The teacher walked around the room and leisurely closed the blinds and straightened the tables and chairs. After he had made a full circle he sat down at his own chair while he stared at her with what seemed to be quiet contempt.
“I would ask why you were late, however I can already guess;” he muttered as he took out a yellow envelope from under his desk.
“I walked to school – I thought I left on time;” whined Amberley as she felt a sudden chill take hold of her skin.
“That's pretty much what I guessed;” uttered Mr Ashbourne as he took a letter out from under his desk. “I will assume this will not happen again.” he muttered as he looked at her with a dagger stare.
“No;” Amberley muttered as she shook her head in a stiff and rigid manner.