Just Knock...Then Run! (Tag:Kylie)

[doriangray]

School was terribly boring for Courtney. Yeah, she loved learning, but Ancient Civilizations. She knew far too much about them, that no textbook could properly surprise her with new information.

Cuneiform, seriously? Weren't high schoolers supposed to be... knowledgable? Or was she the only one that knew the definition before the teacher even spoke. She sighed audibly, which caused a few students to glare at her, but they quickly returned to their notes. Courtney turned back to her doodling.

The teacher's voice was now a low buzz in the back of her mind as her face softened a bit. She was looking towards the window and the sun was flooding over her. Warming her. The light breeze from the air conditioned was like the cherry on top. She was gone. Off on a daydream.

She was in Central Park. Laying still on the warm grass. No one around her, but New York City life could barely be heard over her music. The sun was warming her as her eyes remained closed.

"Miss McHenry." Courtney's dream faded a bit. "Miss McHenry." A large shadow shook her from her thoughts. She was staring into the gut of her World Civilization teacher. She cringed away, as he looked victoriously over her. "Where did Cuneiform emerge?" His beady eyes behind those thick bifocals were staring holes in her forehead, but the question was child's play.

"Sumer. Around 30th Century BC." She licked her lips a bit after answering. The smack that the action made seemed like a snobby move, but it was accidental. She cursed herself internally when the teacher pointed towards the door. She rose from her seat, gathered her book-bag, and headed for the door. Her peer's eyes fixed on her and few whispers echoed through the silent classroom.

She escaped behind the door, but she didn't go to the principal's office. No, she had better plans. She scurried down the hallway to a classroom that was silent. She knocked hard once, waited three of the longest seconds and ran for the corner.

"Wait---" The voice was cut off when she rounded the corner and went for the girl's restroom. She was home free... almost. She slammed into a girl exiting the restroom. "Ouch." She groaned as she rubbed her forehead.

[KYLIE JACOBS]

Being the new girl had its benefits.

First, teachers seemed to forget about her very easily. Kylie couldn’t fully understand this; Baum was a private school which meant smaller classes. Yet, the teachers still managed to take role without realizing Kylie was late or asleep at her desk. She could walk into the room fifteen minutes after the bell and all she’d get was a dismissive wave. It wasn’t that she was complaining! Any student would be happy with this and so she was. Sort of.

Second, teachers didn’t notice when she left. Even though Kylie went up to them and asked if she could go to the restroom, they hardly noticed her leaving. They certainly weren’t noticing her empty chair for the remainder of class. She’d ditched twice so far, just to test it, and only for the last half hour of class. The guilt of not going to a class at all would be too much for her, after all. However, it really did depend on the teacher.

Some of them were incredibly strict about attendance and she’d learned who they were on her first few days. Some, though, hardly cared at all. Namely, Ms. Hale. She was very old and Kylie was surprised that she hadn’t retired yet. So, of course, Ms. Hale (who was probably the oldest teacher at Baum) couldn’t be bothered to notice a student who went missing halfway through class. It was the third of Kylie’s tests to see just how absent-minded her teachers were.

Unlike the last two times, Kylie took her bag with her. The class was busy filling out a work packet so they hardly noticed when the new girl got up and approached the teacher. The teacher hardly noticed that Kylie had her bag and simply waved her off, reminding Kylie that they needn’t ask to use the restroom. She laughed, forced and sheepish, before hurrying out of the classroom. It was probably lame to get such an adrenaline rush from this, especially seeing as kids ditched every day.

She entered the nearest restroom and stood still a moment, realizing she had no idea what to do now. Was it so easy to sneak out of the school building and get back to the dorm rooms? Kylie slapped her palm against her forehead and groaned; she was so stupid! For a few more minutes, she paced back and forth, trying to figure this out. Finally, she stormed out of the restroom with a determined resolve to get out of here. She could do it. Easily. No problem. It was ju—

“Owwww,” Kylie moaned, stumbling back into the restroom. She rubbed her forehead and cautiously opened the door again to find the girl she’d run into. “I’m sorry,” she said, wincing a bit and lowering her hand. “Are you alright?”