"For homework, I want you to do page 358, numbers 1-45. Due Monday," Mrs. Gunner said. The whole class groaned in unison, me included. Forty-five questions for homework? Are you kidding me? That was just crazy, but then again, Mrs. Gunner was crazy. "Now, now, class. You have the whole weekend to work on this. Whine some more, and I'll make you do 45 more- " The bell rang, interrupting her threat. Thank God for that bell. Saved by the bell. So true.
I gathered all my books from my desk, and dumped them in my bookbag. Then I hurried to my locker, where a herd of girls swarmed. Not again, I thought. This was the fourth time since Monday that this happened. Why did my locker stand right next to Mackenzie Lowell's? Pure bad luck. Bad luck did run in my family. Ever since Mackenzie broke up with the Oh-so-famous Wesley Woods, a whole bunch of her friends had felt the need to comfort her every second of every hour of every single day.
It was annoying, so so annoying to me, and time wasting. Sometimes it felt like a year before I even made it to my locker. Those girls with their mini skirts, shorts that looked like underwear, and belly-button revealing shirt, were so callous of others; especially me. Why they hated me? I didn't know why, but maybe it was because I wasn't a dumb retard like they were. But what I did now was that I didn't have time to wait for them to get away from my locker.
As I shoved my way through the crowd of girls, which earned glares, I heard many dirty names being thrown my way, but I held my composer and ignored them. Finally, I made it to my locker. I kicked it, the way I always got the old locker open, and opened it; successful. The thing was, that I wasn't expecting a skunk; a live skunk. I screamed, hearing giggles behind me, and jumped as far away from my locker as I could, pushing the devil who had done it at the locker. Of course she had done it, she hated me so much. Maybe she was racist, or just a fag, probably both. Who knew. She wasn't giggling anymore, instead she was screaming. Surprised, I saw the skunk let out a spray of green mist, right into Mackenzie's face.
I couldn't help but laugh, I knew it was cruel, but I did it anyway. She deserved it. My laugh echoed into Mackenzies ears, and through the halls. Mackenzie stopped screaming. I stopped laughing. She slowly turned to me, her face as red as the ripest tomato. A whiff of skunk spray came my way and filled my nose. I waved at it. Another laugh escaped me, and that's what set her and her freinds off. They started angrily toward me, ready to kill, but I didn't have time for this. Maybe another day, but I didn't want to die...yet. I ran, knowing they wouldn't run after me- of course they wouldn't want to break their precious heels- at the high-schools front door.
"Shizuko!" I heard Mackenzie cry behind me, her voice was filled with anger and distaste(I was surprised she even knew my name). A smile grew on my face at her voice; so high pitched and panicked. So lame and so puny. God, I could go on and on. And that was the last thing I heard coming out of her -ever- as I disappeared into the Manhattan streets.
The water surprised me first, okay, second. The cold air, first, hit me like a slap. My coat. God my coat was stinking in my locker. Even if I went back to get it, I wouldn't be able to wear it. The smell would be too repugnant for me. So nasty. All because of those dumbasses I wasn't able to keep warm. At least I was wearing long jeans and a sweatshirt, but that barely helped. Stupid, stupid, they'll pay for this. And I would pay for what I did to. School would be miserable if Mackenzie and her friends started doing pranks on me.My day was going horrible. First the homework, second the skunk, and third the water!
I couldn't imagine anything worse.
But the water was at least knee high, almost thigh-high, for me at least -I was only a startling 5'7, which wasn't that bad for a Japanese girl- and it was rising fast. I pushed through the water, gazing at the scene around me. Cars sat still in the road, people struggling out. Luggage, food, and other various items floated by. There had never been a flood in New York during my life-time, the 17 years I'd been alive, and this was the first.
I groaned in frustration. Bad luck certainly did run in my family. My violin practice was soon, but I wouldn't be able to catch a cab with all those cars in the way, and I couldn't afford to miss it. Four of my practices had already been canceled, due to family emergencies. Well, due to my moms emergencies. She had several brain tumors, all to risky to get rid of via surgery; I remembered the day I visited her at the hospistal. One of the worst days in my life, in my mothers life.
"Miss Origashu," Dr. Forman began. "We took the scans again, and we have interpreted how long you will live. It's the same as before, of course. And I'm sorry to say this but-"
"Shizuko, I don't want you to hear this. You can go now, go back home. I'll be fine here alone," my mother said. I couldn't believe my ears. She expected me to leave her there? Really? She wouldn't get rid of me that easily.
"No mom," I said, taking her hand in mine. "You can't make me, I wont leave." Tears forced their way down my face, landing with a plop on my shoe. I felt like a wimp, but everyone cried at sometime-excluding when they're born- right? My mom nodded in understanding; she knew she couldn't convince me to go anywhere. She needed someone with her as she went through her sickness, through her pain.
I remembered that day very clearly, very perfectly. The doctor had only given her two months to live. Two. Months. Almost 8 weeks. More than a month had passed since then. She only had 2 weeks left. Why was I so unfortunate? Why was she? I had already lost my father, and I didn't want to lose my mother. Who would I live with then? I had never met my mothers sister or brother, and my dad had no siblings at all. All of my grandparents were dead, and I knew no one else I could live with. Maybe I would live on the streets; alone. Alone just like- Someone pushed me from behind, interrupting me from my thoughts.
Then I noticed that people were running. Screaming. Running from something, running from... I craned my neck behind me, interested in what freaked everyone out. Was it some sort of animal? Had something escaped from the zoo? A tiger? Maybe it was a jaguar! They were my favorite animals. Or maybe there were aliens coming to invade! Possibly a zombie apocalypse. But no, it wasn't any of those, it was worse. Okay, so not as bad as an alien invansion or zombie apocalypse, but close to my standards.
It was a wave. Not one of those puny little waves that surfers rode on, but the type of waves that could send Moses running. The type of wave the freaked the hell out of everyone. The type of wave that stood higher than buildings. The type of wave that could chew up a building and spit it out. The type of wave that was heading straight toward me. Huh, I guess this could be considered worse than the skunk... Maybe I won't have violin practice after all.