• tab "Well, well, well Miss. Victoria you've decided to join us today." Mr. Varner was glaring at me as I tried to sneak into the classroom. The shuffle of people adjusting themselves on their chairs so they could greet the visitor broke the silence. I walked across the back of the classroom and up the aisle to my seat. I heard snickers and laughs as I passed the desks. Mr. Varner met me there and when I sat down he was towering over me. I looked up at him, "I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again." I felt nauseous from embarrassment. "See that it doesn't." He leaned down so he was eye to eye with me. "This is your last warning." With one last cold glance he turned on his heel and walked back to the front of the classroom. I never was his favorite student.
    tab He began to drone on about the usual: numbers, equations, and fractions. A typical math lesson. I let out a heavy sigh and bent down to get my notebook out of my bag. Sketching always seemed to make the time go by faster. My hand searched through the cluttered bag but when I came up empty my heart stopped. It hit me like a bullet, and I froze. My notebook was left on the bus yesterday afternoon with him.
    tab The whole thing was like watching a movie as the images flashed through my head.
    tab I had watched him as he picked up my notebook when the bus drove off yesterday, then I had went inside, took to many sleeping pills, and knocked myself out.(Doing that seemed like the best way not to think about it, or anything else.) Thus explaining the restless night and late morning.
    tab I couldn't breath. A wave of heat rose to my cheeks and I put my head in my hands. I really felt sick now. I sat there not moving for what seemed like hours until Mr. Varner woke me from my trance. "Victoria if I have to tell you again you will be taking a trip to the principle's office!" he was shouting now. The class erupted with laughter as I pulled out my math book and turned to the correct page. I sat there acting like I was listening and taking notes. My mind was a like a scary roller coaster ride. I would think about something positive, like maybe my one secret wasn't out, but then I would travel back to reality and I would be falling down that huge hill that took you by surprise, knocking the wind out of you. Constantly up and down. But then the real problem hit me. No matter what, I would have to face him for sure on the bus at 3:30 p.m.
    tab I didn't care if a bomb went off and killed me right there in the classroom, anything to make 3:30 never come.