CHAPTER 4 ONE YEAR LATER
I walk down the street, holding my coat tighter. I don't know why but today seemed a lot colder than yesterday. Freddy didn't wait for me today as he had soccer practice at school.
I take slow steps towards my school, Horace Green School. It can now be seen, a large dark building with many classrooms. I quickly cross the road and then notice a van that was never there before in the school parking lot. I begin to wonder what would it be doing but then I hear being called, "Amelia, come quick or we will be really late, and stop staring at the van." I turn and see Freddy waiting for me near the doors. I run up to him and rub my hands. Gosh it's really cold today.
I notice something different about him. Yup it's his hair, he has it combed. What! Freddy never combs his hair. And then I see him staring at me. I rub my hands on my face to check if I had something on it. Maybe it's because I left my hair in a high ponytail instead of its usual braid as I was very much late today…stupid clock. I snapped my fingers to him and then motioned my hands to ask what happened. He just shrugged and pushed me into the building.
It has been a year since everything changed.
I had stopped talking since the day I had screamed when I saw them getting burned down along with the house. On the day of the funeral, I just sat there watching first my brother go down, then my mother and lastly my father. I felt like someone had stabbed my heart multiply times and was still not satisfied, so took it out and burned it.
Each and every person I knew was there for the funeral including some of my parents' co-workers. I didn't let anyone come near me except maybe Uncle Jack and Freddy. His family was there too. They were the ones who helped my uncle arrange the funeral. He had sat next to me and his family and Uncle Jack had looked after the guests. I hadn't eaten for days and became like a live zombie that was walking in the house. My uncle begged me to talk but I just looked at him with my hollow eyes and he would just breakdown or moved away.
It was Freddy who broke my shell and took me out of it. He was there all the time. Firstly I didn't even look at him, but he would still sit on my beanbag in my room and waited out until I fell asleep. After many days he took me to the garden and the fresh breeze somewhat made me relaxed.
He tried to speak to me but I wouldn't even budge. So one day we were walking an unfamiliar street and then went inside a building. I later came to know that it was a class that taught sign language for dumb and deaf people. I was very angry at first but then I came to know his motive. He understood me that I needed my space and my shock had temporally made me mute. We would go there every alternate days and I became hang of it and so did Freddy and Uncle Jack.
Soon, that is after a month and half, I came back to school. Everyone saw me like I had gone crazy or something but Freddy just strolled by me like nothing is going around. He was my rock all the time. He was the reason I came to school coz he used to get a lot bored without me and also I missed school too though our principle Ms Mullins was annoying. We had become best of friends without telling each other.
Now back to the present. We entered the school and went to our class. I noticed that our teacher Ms Dunham had not yet come. I took it as an advantage and quickly went to the backseat where usually Freddy and I sit. I took out my songbook and started writing the lyrics of a song I was on for a long time. I kind of like romantic songs but I love rock songs especially Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. But Uncle Jack won't allow me to listen to rock as sometimes it had vulgar words. I had to sometimes sneak out and buy some CDs from the store with the pocket money he gives me.
I was currently about to finish a line when the class room door opened. Everyone quickly rushed to their seats and I rolled my eyes and closed my book. In came our principle Ms Mullins and a really fat guy with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, wearing red scarf around his neck. She announced that he was Mr Ned Schneebly our new substitute. I felt something different about this guy like if something might change in my life because of him. I smiled at him but frowned at my thought.
"So Mr Schneebly, why don't you write your name on the board?" He took the chalk and then somewhat hesitated to write his name on the board. He started to write something but then rubbed it to Mr S and asked to call him that. We all nodded and then he asked, "One more thing, when is lunch?" I was shocked at first but soon giggled by seeing his figure. "The children just had their lunch." Then she and Mr S did some talking and then she left the room.
"Okay who's got food in here?" he asked looking around at all of us. "You are not going to get in trouble…I am hungry." Slowly Tomika raised her hand gave her half turkey sub. Mr S gladly took it and even complimented her. I reopened my book and continued writing my song. I could clearly hear Mr S talking about being drunk and what not and then Freddy and Mr S bicker but my head shot up when he said "Freddy Jones…shut up!" I giggled softly and then Freddy told me to shut up. I glared at him and sat stiffly in my seat and finished my song. I sat up and listened to what Mr S was saying.
"The point is you can all just chill today. We can start on this 'crapola' tomorrow." I raised my eyebrows and then looked at Fred who looked bored as hell. After a second, Ms Know-it-all aka Summer Hathaway raised her hand. I really like her but sometimes she can be a bit too bossy.
"Yes Tinkerbelle," Mr S asked. Tinkerbelle, cute pet name but knowing Summer, would freak out if anyone else said it. "Summer," she corrected. Ok now the bossy attitude is coming. "As class factotum, first I would like to just say welcome to Horace Green." Yup there it is and I am 100% sure Fred rolled his eyes and would start imitating her.
While Mr S ate his sandwich, Summer babbled on and on about the schedule and discipline charts and course and what not. Mr S kept down his sub and went towards the chart and Leonard informed him about the demerits. Mr S looked at it knowingly and suddenly tore the chart and Summer gasped loudly. "As long as I'm here, there would be no grades or gold stars or demerits. We're going to have recess all the time." He said as a matter of fact. Freddy hollered at this and gave Frankie a high five. Ms Know-it-all still argued but Mr S silenced her by saying that he was in charge and that meant recess.
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I continued my writing and was about to finally finish my song. This one that I told you about was about a girl who almost killed herself because of love. So creepy I think.
But I am still angry at Fred. How can he just snap at me while I didn't do anything of sport? I just wanted to finish my song and was about to complete my mission. I ignored Freddy the whole day and was into my song book the whole time. Only now about half a minute was left to strike 3 and I quickly packed my things. As the bell rang Mr S jumped from his seat, startling me a bit and then giving high fives to all the front bench students. He acted like a kid. Whom am I kidding?
But I too grabbed my bag and left the classroom after him before Fred or anyone could stop me. I heard his voice ringing along the corridor but I just had to get out of this school. I quickly wrapped my coat around me more tightly as a gush of cold air blew as I came outside the school gate. Finally out. I walked down the pavement down the road from school to my home. It was still weird to call Uncle Jack's house my home. I passed Freddy's house and then stopped. I closed my eyes and blindly walked straight. I passed two more houses with my eyes closed; I knew I reached my destination as the house next to Uncle Jack's has a cat and it always meows whenever I pass by.
It was still difficult to see that now empty spot which got converted into a small baby park. I had never been there most of the time but that place has haunted me since they died. They died in that house. My mood became gloomy as I thought about it.
I grabbed the keys from under the carpet and opened the door. Luckily for me my uncle wasn't there to look at my sad face. I went directly into my room and took a long bath and went to take a nap. I didn't feel hungry that much so I watched some TV while eating cookies. Uncle Jack didn't come home before bed time. He was doing that a lot these days. So I drank some milk and went to bed thinking about a new song and forgiving Freddy later.
Didn't think that time would be sooner than later.
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AN: That's all folks. Sorry for the wait and do review.