Chapter 4
I'm so sorry its been so long! School has been keeping really busy. :( But at least it gives me more to write about, right? So let me get to the point and present the semi-long awaited chapter 4.
Meredith jogged up the steps towards her fourth period class trying not to be late because her P.E. teacher took five minutes of her dressing time to lecture the class how to pass a football.. Mr.Tinks, and no that is his real name. For the first few weeks people snickered when they read his name on the board or called his name for his attention. It was starting to get annoying, to Meredith at least. So what if he had the name of an old ladies old cat? Her last name was Grey almost like the color except with a e not an a. But they were immature idiots. Why did their opinions matter so much?
Meredith sighed and walked into the class. No one noticed that she walked through the door. Alex was standing in the space between the row of desks and Mr.Tinks desk talking to him about last night's football game. He paused for a second to see that Mer was scowling at him while tapping her foot waiting for him to move. He smirked and continued with his conversation.
Grumbling in frustration, Meredith walked the longer way towards her desk slamming her books, a little too hard, on the desk making a loud snap. Everyone's eyes were on her and she looked down blushing. She didn't want the whole class to stare, just get on Alex's nerves.
"Please don't slam the book on the desk," Mr.Tinks lectured while Alex snickered.
She folded her arms glaring at Alex, who was full of it. And he knew it too. He just didn't want to admit it.
"Nice going Grey," he slid into his seat still smirking.
Meredith looked down grinding her teeth together. Why did he bug her so much? Why did it bother her so much? Meredith shrugged it off.
"Good morning class," Tinks announced right after the bell rang. No one answered his lame attempt to greet the class,"I said, GOOD MORNING CLASS!"
Cristina raised her arm up high,"Mr.Tinks! Its eleven."
"So? When is noon?" he asked in a chipper voice that made Meredith shiver.
"Twelve," Cristina muttered.
"Okay then," he smiled,"Good MORNING class!"
"Good morning," everyone groaned.
"Better," he smirked. Clearly he was enjoying their pain and punishment,"Write down the agenda. You have one minute then we'll start discussing the value of life."
Meredith knitted her eyebrows together. She thought this was English not Psychology. She twirled a strand of her hot pink hair with her left index finger while she wrote the agenda with her right hand.
"Times up," he announced a little too loud surprising Meredith making her tug on her hair surprised.
Mr.Tinks sat on his red wooden stool and rested his head on his hands,"I want everyone to contribute something to the class. Anything. Just, talk to each other, not me but to your classmates. Now, if a person kills someone else then is it okay for that person to die?"
The classroom was silent.
What was with this guy? Why did he want to know what we feel or think? Why did he even care?
"Mark?" he called.
"Hmmm? Well, I don't know," he shrugged,"I guess they do if it was on purpose or something. I guess it depends on what they did. Like if was an accident then I guess it's okay."
Who knew he could be deep?
"Cristina?" he asked.
"Why not? He killed a man and didn't think twice about it. He deserves to die," she said monotonely.
"Hmmm..." Mr.Tinks tried to say that casually but his fear of Cristina was obvious.
"Well, I think he only deserves to die if he killed someone younger," Alex countered,"I mean it's young and has a lot of life to live and some one who's like forty has lived their life."
"So its okay for them to die?" I snapped a little too harshly.
"What's your take on this Ms.Grey?" Mr.Tinks could see this could get interesting.
"Well, just because a person's old doesn't mean they could just die," Meredith tried to keep her voice from quavering,"What if the person who's middle aged and had a kid, right? That 'old' person is all that kid has. And so then its okay to let that person to die and let that kid's life be turned to shreds? Is that fair?"
"So you'd let the kid die?" he turned around to look at Meredith with his piercing eyes.
"No I-"
"But it sounded like you would," Alex cut her off.
"I didn'-"
"I'm just saying that it sounded-"
"Let her finish," Mr.Tinks interrupted Alex,"Well?"
"Okay, lets say the kids a teenager. Who wants to adopt a teenager, right? So then the kid has a hard life living with foster parents and grows depressed with the constant reminder that his Mom or Dad of whatever died. Then he commits suicide. In the long run they both die," Meredith said a little too fast. She was slightly out of breath.
It was dead silent. All eyes were on Meredith confused and startled by her little out burst. Then everyone bursted out laughing. Meredith looked down, her cheeks burning. She bit her lip hard trying to control the wave of emotion over coming her. Her instinct to go run and hide into the girl's bathroom and cry her soul out.
"Well, that one mighty dark opinion," Mr.Tinks managed to get out between laughs.
Meredith looked up with spiteful eyes at her teacher.
Stupid cat man. Stupid class. Ugh! Why did I even bother speaking up?
Meredith quickly looked down at her binder filled with a quick sketch she did last year of her backyard. She crossed her arms protectively over her fragile body and soul. She knew this was going to happen. Everyone laughed at her. Not only was she a klutz but she was an idiot. She spoke too fast some people couldn't understand her because she jumbled her words together.
A large lump started to form in her throat. The bell finally rung and Meredith started quickly out of the class clutching her English book and binder to her chest. She jogged back down the steps. She walked quickly through people trying to avoid anyone she knew. She didn't want to talk. She didn't want to do anything with anyone. She needed to be alone.
"Mommy!" a young girl called. Her bright eyes shiny. She was young and innocent with so much hope and dreams.
"Not now Meredith," Ellis said without looking up from the computer they just bought.
"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I did!" she put her crayon drawing on the desk so her mother could see what she's accomplished.
"Meredith!" her mother looked down at her with cold eyes,"Mommy's doing work."
"But look Mommy! I made a picture of us! I want to a artist when I grow up!" she smiled proudly at herself.
Ellis laughed at her daughter's naivity,"Meredith, being an artist is a very impractical dream. You have a greater chance of being struck by lighting than to be a artist."
Meredith's lower lip quavered. She turned around so her mother couldn't see her tears. She knew her Mom would certainly yell at her and call her childish and say to grow up. Meredith ran out of the room and got out the matches that her nanny, Mary, said not to play with. She took the wooden stick and swiped it like she saw Mary do on her birthdays to light the candles. She through it on her drawing and watched it burn into ashes.
Her mother's laughter rang in her ears. The cruel spiteful laughter. The little nine year old fell to the floor crying.
This is the day that Meredith gave up on dreaming. Gave up on hope, all because she just wanted to be an artist.
