Alpha Girl (4 page)

Tuesday – 7 days to go

‘When I call your name, please bring your paper to the front of the class,’ said Mr. Stone, pulling out the roster. ‘Maria.’

Maria jumped up from her seat and handed her homework to Mr. Stone, who checked her name off the list.

‘Sadie. Aaron. Emily.’

They each took their assignment to the front of the class and placed it on top of the pile.

‘Rose.’

I didn’t move. Instead, I crossed my arms and legs and stared at Mr. Stone.  It took him a few moments to notice that I hadn’t done as instructed.

‘Rose,’ he repeated, looking up at me.

All eyes turned in my direction.

‘
Rose
,’ Sadie hissed. ‘Take your essay to him.’

I smiled and stared at Mr. Stone. ‘I didn’t do the assignment,’ I said.

Everyone was silent.

‘You didn’t do it?’ he asked.

I shook my head. ‘I chose not to.’

Mr. Stone raised his eyebrows and interlocked his fingers. ‘You
chose
not to do it?’

‘That’s right.’

Mr. Stone pursed his lips, seemingly unimpressed. ‘Suit yourself. You’ll see me after class.’

Pleased with myself, a leaned back in my chair, a smug expression on my face.

‘What’s gotten into you?’ Sadie whispered to me as Mr. Stone continued collecting the other essays. ‘You’ll get detention.’

I smiled at her. ‘I don’t think I will.’

At the end of the lesson, the bell rang and the students filed out. I remained sitting in my seat until the last of them had left. Mr. Stone did not look up from his desk. Instead, he ignored me for a full minute.

‘Come here,’ he said, stacking the papers on his desk, still avoiding eye contact.

I stood and picked up my bag, walking to his desk and sitting in the chair opposite.

‘Rose, you realize I’m going to have to give you a zero for this assignment?’ he asked, glancing up at me. He seemed surprised to see that I was grinning. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘I chose not to do the assignment, Mr. Stone,’ I said, slowly and clearly.

‘Yes, you told me that,’ he said, disapprovingly. I couldn’t stand the way his emerald eyes bore into mine. He needed to understand why I hadn’t done the essay.

‘In the text, they rebel against the government, but their attempts are futile.’

‘Yes, I know the text well,’ said Mr. Stone, crossing his arms.

‘For our assignment you wanted us to show you a modern day example of why rebellion doesn’t work. So-’

‘You
chose
not to do the assignment,’ he finished my sentence, understanding in his tone.

I nodded and prepared for the explosion that would follow.

To my surprise, Mr. Stone’s face broke into a wide grin, his eyes sparkling.

‘So, you see-’ I began to explain, but he held up a hand to silence me.

‘Oh, I understand,’ he said. ‘You’re very clever.’

I raised my eyebrows, shocked by his praise.

‘If I give you a zero-’ he began slowly.

‘-You’ll prove my point,’ I finished. ‘My rebellion will have been in vain, just like in the prose you assigned.’

Mr. Stone sat back in his chair and observed me, lacing his fingers behind his head. He watched me, a slight smile on his face.

‘Clever girl,’ he smirked. ‘Very brave.’

My chest felt tight at his approval.

‘So,’ I said slowly. ‘What are you going to do?’

Mr. Stone leaned forwards and scrutinized me. ‘I’ll forgive you just this one time,’ he said. ‘But don’t tell anyone, okay?’

‘Because you know I’m right,’ I said.

He laughed, his eyes creasing at the sides. ‘You’ve outwitted me,’ he admitted.

‘I’ll tell everyone you gave me detention.’

Mr. Stone laughed, and waved a hand at me. ‘Get out of here.’

I grabbed my bag and scampered from the room, my spirits high.

Sadie was waiting for me in the corridor.

‘Did you get a zero?’ she asked at once.

I shook my head. ‘Nope.’

‘Detention?’

‘Something like that,’ I said happily.

I left it at that, pulling out my lunch and sitting amongst the other females within my group of ‘friends’. 

Wednesday – 6 days to go

After school on Wednesday I walked to the café to begin my afternoon shift. Storm clouds brewed overhead, threatening to spill rain upon me at any moment. I was so preoccupied with getting to the café before the downpour started, I barely noticed a Rottweiler barking at me, straining against its leash to try and attack me. I skipped around the dog and it’s owner, unperturbed.

‘Oh, dear! I’m so sorry! He’s usually really friendly,’ said the middle-aged woman who was trying to drag the dog away from me.

Of course, animals were always hostile. I actively avoided the pet-shop on Main Street because of this. Simply walking past the storefront was enough to send the birds, kittens and puppies into frenzy. This was partly why the kids at school barked at me.

I wasn’t sure why, but I had a sense of heightened anticipation throughout
my entire shift at the cafe, as though I was waiting for Mr. Stone to walk through the doors. Every time the bell clanged, my head snapped up. But I was disappointed each time.

Soon, the storm that had been brewing overhead broke open, and it began to rain heavily. The rain pounded the shop-front, scaring away any potential customers that walked by.

Estelle sighed and tucked a tendril of her pink hair behind her ear. ‘Well, there goes our business,’ she said.

I mumbled in agreement, adjusting the headband that kept my bangs out of my eyes.

‘Maybe we should call it a day,’ she said, straightening up.

‘Oh no,’ I said pleadingly. ‘Don’t cut my shift short, Estelle. I really need the money.’

Estelle sighed and put her hands on her hips. ‘You’re going to be bored out of your mind, kiddo.’

‘That’s okay,’ I said. ‘You never know, we might get a few people that are caught in the rain.’

‘Fine, but I’m out of here. Don’t tell the boss, okay?’

I grinned. ‘Sure.’

Estelle threw me the keys and left me in the café, alone. I loved the café at night, especially in a storm. The rain transfixed me as it hit the pavement.

An hour passed, and I watched as people ran past the shop, ducking to get out of the rain. Many ran to their cars and hopped inside, driving away.

Clang.

The door opened just as I began to shut up shop. I’d already counted the till and placed the money in the safe. Not to mention the coffee machine was in pieces, being cleaned.

A sopping wet man entered the café, shaking his umbrella in the door. Who else would it be, but Mr. Stone? I think I knew that he would arrive sooner or later. I could smell his cologne on the wind.

‘Hello, Sir,’ I said, watching him shake the water out of his hair.

‘Hello Rose,’ he said, putting his umbrella in the corner.

‘I was just about to close,’ I said, shutting the till and walking around the counter.

‘Damn.’ Mr. Stone placed his hands on his hips. ‘But you make the best coffee around here.’

I smiled a little bit. ‘Sorry.’

‘Oh well,’ he sighed, picking up the umbrella again. ‘Next time, I guess.’

‘Right,’ I agreed, sorry that the meeting was being cut so short.

Mr. Stone rolled onto the balls of his feet, his lips pursed. ‘All right … well … I’ll see you later, I guess.’

‘Yeah. See you later,’ I said with a tiny wave.

I watched as Mr. Stone opened his umbrella and stepped out into the pouring rain.

Ten minutes later and I was closing the shop. Placing the keys in my pocket, I pulled the hood of my jacket over my head, shielding myself against the rain, but I was soaked within minutes.

I’d barely walked halfway down the street, when a pair of blaring headlights illuminated the pathway ahead of me. I ignored the car as it pulled up beside me, but jumped violently when a horn sounded. I stared at the driver, slightly offended, but was relieved to see that it was Mr. Stone.

‘Hey!’ he called through the open passenger window.

I leaned towards the door. ‘Hey, Mr. Stone.’

He drove an old, beat up Ford Escort. Its red paint was peeling and the seams were rusted. It looked
as if it was ready for the junkyard. Everything about Mr. Stone was second-hand.