Q wanted to jump out of the window. Granted, they were on the first floor so it wouldn’t have done any damage, but he needed to get away from Jackie’s incessant chatter. She was a row in front of him, sitting on some jock’s lap. The jock’s hand rested on the side of her thigh.
Q rolled his eyes so hard that he thought they were going to roll out of his head.
The bell rang, and he let out a breath.
Finally.
Jackie jumped up and kissed the jock on the cheek, leaving behind a smudge of whatever was on her lips.
She didn’t even look at Q as she passed.
He didn’t care.
He didn’t care about much anymore. It was a symptom of greater concerns.
Q stood up. It was only the beginning of the class period, but he couldn’t take it any longer. He needed a break.
He went to Mr. Powell. The teacher had a stack of papers on his desk. Q knew a pop quiz was coming today. He was always sure to keep his grades high enough to squeak by. But his marks were bad enough for his parents to have to come to school every once in a while for a discussion with his teachers.
‘I need to use the pass,’ he said to Mr. Powell.
‘Now?’ Mr. Powell asked, meeting Q’s eyes.
‘I’ll be quick,’ Q said, sliding the bathroom pass off Mr. Powell’s desk.
He dared the guy to question him. ‘Hurry back.’
He left the room just as Mr. Powell announced the pop quiz to the class. A chorus of groans and shuffling paperwork followed him out of the room. It wasn’t until the door closed behind him that he was able to breathe.
Q was in the bathroom for about five seconds before the sound started. The familiar eh eh eh of the alarm and flickering lights of the room made Q smirk.
It was a perfect time for a fire drill.
He finished up in the bathroom and leisurely walked out.
Students and teachers hustled down the hallway toward the front entrance. A mix of terror and excitement flashed across everyone’s face.
He wished he’d been the one to make the fire drill go off. He pressed his hand against the lighter in his pocket.
At least now Q didn’t have to take the pop quiz. Someone was smiling down at him today.
Q followed the cattle outside and found his classmates out by the curb in front of the building. The cool, early spring air was refreshing, and he wished he could stay out there all day. Or leave the property altogether.
Mr. Powell seemed relieved to see Q and checked his name off on the attendance sheet.
Q stood to the back of the group and surveyed the area. Everyone he made eye contact with immediately looked away. Q couldn’t hide the grin from his face. School gave him all the entertainment he needed. Because of the way he chose to dress everyone thought he was bad news. And since he spoke out of turn in class, they thought he was a slacker. His constant remarks against his teachers sealed the deal, creating the character he wanted them to see.
Just like his parents, no one bothered to get to know the real person underneath. That was fine with him. This place was a temporary blip in his life.
Jackie’s voice continued to grate on his nerves. Why was she so loud all the time? And why did everyone care to be around her while she blathered on about things that didn’t matter?
Q moved further from his class. Mr. Powell already spotted him, so he didn’t need to stick around.
‘Watch it,’ a girl said from next to him.
He cut a glance her way. Holly Pickard.
She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and walked away. She linked arms with some senior and started chatting with him.
Q dug his hands into his pockets. What the hell was her problem? He accidentally bumped into her. Big deal. Get over it.
Principal Killian came out of the school and waved everyone back inside. ‘False alarm! You can all return to class.’
Q glanced behind him. Where were the fire trucks? They came for every alarm at the school, delaying the inevitable.
Everyone shuffled inside, and Q’s mood darkened. He should have known that this wasn’t luck. It was a tease. He couldn’t take the bathroom pass to escape a second time.
He was the last of his class to enter the school. He took extra slow steps, so he was far behind his classmates. They were all inside when he heard his name.
He turned and came face to face with Curtis. What did he want? Q didn’t fall for Curtis’s persona like the rest of the school.
‘Can I help you?’ Q asked.
‘Quentin,’ Curtis said. ‘I saw you leaving class right before that fire alarm went off.’
Q shrugged. ‘So?’
Curtis glanced over his shoulder before turning back to Q. ‘Setting off the fire alarm is a serious offense.’
‘You think I did it?’ Q wasn’t stupid. He’d never pull the alarm. But he couldn’t help but smile. His reputation reached his teachers as well. Sweet.
‘Did you?’
Q lifted his chin and flashed the bathroom pass. ‘I had to pee.’
Curtis sighed. ‘I think you need to serve detention this weekend.’
‘For what?’ Q asked.
‘I think you could use some constructive time to think over your actions,’ he said.
He really didn’t want to get up early on the weekend, but it wasn’t as if he had anything better to do. Going to detention would tick his dad off, though.
‘Whatever,’ Q said. ‘Can I get back to class now?’
Q turned away and walked into class. He dropped the pass on Mr. Powell’s desk and headed to his seat. He caught Jackie’s hazel eyes, and they held steady for a second too long before her lip curled and she looked down at the quiz on her desk.
Detention. That wasn’t something he’d served in a while. Most of the time his teachers didn’t bother with the punishment. He couldn’t wait to see the look on his dad’s face. Maybe then he might pay some attention to his son.