Earth Pony

by Basmati

A 'Great' Day

My life. Not particually exciting. I wake up. I get out of bed. I walk to the bathroom. I brush my teeth, have a shower, leave the bathroom. I put my uniform on. I leave the house. I go to school. I finish school. I go home. I sleep. Day in and day out, that is my life. No excitement whatsoever.

When I was younger, I always used to see the stars when they came out at night from my bedroom window. I would look up at them, and I would wish - wish for excitement, for adventure, for a meaning for my boring life. Little did I know that that saying was right:

"Be careful what you wish for...because it might just come true."

---

BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Stupid alarm clock," I thought. I rolled over, pulled my arm out from underneath my quilt, and threw it in the direction of the noise. I picked up the clock to check the time.

"5.00! Remind me again why I have to wake up so early?" I exclaimed. No one replied of course, due to the fact that everyone else was fast asleep.

I got up, and started walking grudgingly to the bathroom. In my sleepy daze, I managed to at least do everything I needed to do - have a shower, brush my teeth - without anything bad happening.

Annoyingly, today was the day that I had to walk to school. I suppose you think 'it's just walking to school - it's not that bad', except my school is about 3 and a half miles away. And it was about 6 in the morning. So, I hoped that it would be a typical July day, and that the sun would actually be around. But of course, the typical British weather took charge and it was pouring.

On days like these, I'm just thankful that I have my i-Pod. Listening to music really cheers me up, even when the day really sucks.

The journey was normal, but that was to be expected. It was only when I got to London Road that things started to change. I was grumpy - as anyone would be - and I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings. Why would I really? I had walked down that road about a billion times before - it wasn't like I was still marvelling at all the little newsagents and insurance places and stuff like that. No, I wanted to get to school as quickly as possible, without getting mugged, raped, hit by a car, or killed.

I had just walked past one of the alleyways when I saw a flash. A purple flash, reflected by the rain on the pavement. I stopped, and turned around. Nothing. I took a few steps back and looked down the alley.

Nothing.

I sighed and carried on walking. "Great, I'm seeing things now," I muttered to myself. "Can this day get any worse?"

And, of course, because I am myself and this kind of stuff just decides to happen on a daily occasion, a truck decided to drive past me right then and there. Now, trucks plus the English weather plus me always equals big splash, which ends with me soaked. And of course, today was no exception. The wave came and hit me, surprising me momentarily, soaking me from head to toe. I stood there, my horrible green uniform clinging to me, my bag filled with roadwater, and every single part of me dripping. I spat out the water that got into my mouth, shook my hands and looked back towards the road. The truck was speeding off up the road, and even though there was probably no way the driver could have heard me, I still shouted out, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOU STUPID BASTARD!"

"Well, there's no point in this stupid thing," I said, putting the umbrella down.

This was not going to be a great day.

***

"Grace?" a voice said as I trudged into the classroom, still dripping. I looked to my left - a girl with long, light brown hair stood behind a desk, her mouth hanging open. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Hi Lydia," I said, sighing.

Lydia walked right up to me. "Was it another bus?"

I shook my head. "Truck."

"Figures. Do you have spare clothes?"

"Lydia, this is the 3rd time this has happened to me. Of course I have spare clothes," I said, dumping my soaking wet bag on the floor by my desk and walking back towards the door, on my way to the locker room.

"Well, I just want to make sure! I'll see you when you're changed," Lydia shouted.

As soon as Lydia's head popped back into the classroom, I immediately started sprinting down the corridor towards the locker room.

"I hope I have spare clothes..." I thought, as I ran.

Once I got to the locker, praying that the stupid person I am had accidentally left some clothes from past days in my locker for me to use now, I closed my eyes and opened my locker.

"Oh," I said, staring inside.

It turned out that Stupid Grace had accidentally left some clothes in her locker - these clothes were a hoodie that was way too small, and some pyjama bottoms that I left at someone's house when I went there for a sleepover.

"Well, at least there's something. And it's dry," I said, taking them out of my locker.

As I walked back to the classroom, I saw Lydia's head pop out of the door frame, as soon as she heard my footsteps. I saw the smile on her face disappear as she recognised exactly what I was wearing.

"Really, Grace? 'I have spare clothes'?"

"Look, they are clothes, and they are spare."

"They - you know what? I'm not even going to argue with you," she said, turning away and walking over to her desk. I walked over to mine, pulling the hoodie down a bit before sitting. It was going to be a long day.

***

School is never really a nice experience for me. I'm not popular, I'm not smart, I'm not sporty. I am the weird one who sits in the corner who watches My Little Pony. I am the nerd, and no one had ever let me forget that. Don't get me wrong - I don't get bullied. It's just that most people hate me. Well, hate is a bit strong. They really dislike me.

So today, with me being even more out of place than usual, I did attract some unwanted attention.

"What's up with your clothes, Brace Grace?"

I turned around to find Bella standing behind me, looking at my clothes with a smirk on her face. I quickly turned around, and started walking off. Bella has never liked me, and I don't expect that she ever will, and I try to avoid all contact with her. And today of all days, I really did not need any trouble from anyone.

But of course, she followed me.

"I mean, I know you really have no fashion sense, but this is bad - even for you."

I still just kept walking on, trying my very best not to reply, or react in any way. I was doing great, until she grabbed my arm, turning me towards her, throwing my bag to the floor.

"Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!" Her hand was like a claw on my arm, squeezing it until I winced in pain.

I grabbed her hand, and pinched it until she let go, and once she had done that, I shouted, "Don't you dare touch me!" pushing her away from me. She stepped back, as I pushed her, and fell right into the corridor wall.

"GRACE BLACKWOOD!" I heard. I turned to find Mrs McFarland marching down the corridor towards me, with a seething look on her face.

"Oh, shit," I said, quietly to myself. I had a history with Mrs McFarland - it was pretty obvious that she didn't like me and, in return, I hated her. She was my history teacher for the first two years of secondary school (she was old enough to be speaking from experience whenever she taught)- luckily, she went on sick leave for my third year, and I gave up the subject for fourth and fifth. She has always been picking on me for things that other teachers wouldn't even notice - "Grace Blackwood, your heel is too high! Change them by tomorrow or I'll be sending a letter home!" or "Grace Blackwood! Young ladies walk down corridors, not skip! If I catch you again, it'll mean detention!" Yes, she actually told me off for skipping. But of course, that isn't the whole story. Bella is a favourite of Mrs McFarland - she adores her (not sure why). So, there was absolutely no way she was going to be civil about this. Of all the teachers to have seen this, it had to have been her.

It didn't take her long to get to where I was standing. She immediately went over to Bella, and asked gently, "Oh, dearie. Are you ok?" Bella put her 'trying to be brave' face on, and nodded. As Mrs McFarland turned to face me, I could see her smirking behind her.

"Miss Blackwood," Mrs McFarland started, her nostrils flaring and her eyes wide with anger. "Before I ask you why you are not dressed to uniform regulations, care to explain what happened between you and Bella?"

"It - it wasn't my fault! She grabbed me, and I pushed her off me! It was self defence, if anything!"

Mrs McFarland looked at me down her nose for a while, then turned back to Bella. "Is this true?" she asked.

Bella shook her head, a tear trailing down her cheek. "No! I was asking Grace why she wasn't wearing her uniform - I didn't want her to get into trouble or anything - when she just flipped out and rammed me into the wall!"

"What?!" I exclaimed. Mrs McFarland turned towards me, one eyebrow raised. "She grabbed me first. Right there!" I said, pointing to my upper right arm. "There's probably a mark there!"

"Well, show me this so-called mark then."

I immediately started rolling up my sleeve, to find that I couldn't even roll it up to my elbow, on account of the hoodie being too small. I froze. There was no way Mrs McFarland would believe me without seeing my arm, and there was no way I could show her the arm without taking my hoodie off, which I was not about to do in the middle of a corridor and, with Mrs McFarland being Mrs McFarland, she would refuse for me to go into a unused classroom or the locker room and take it off there.

"I...can't."

"As I thought." Mrs McFarland stood there with her arms crossed. "You know what I hate even more than students who brutally harm other students? Liars. I'm afraid this is rather serious, and will require more than just a warning."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she shushed me. "Do not interrupt me while I'm talking! You will come to Room 5 tomorrow after school for your detention, and a letter will be sent home to your parents."

"What?! Detention? But I didn't do anything!"

"4 o'clock sharp tomorrow. If you are late, don't expect me to be merciful." And with that, she walked away. I stood staring at her back until it disappeared around the corner. I turned to Bella and found her leaning against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her, with another stupid smirk on her stupid face.

"I guess that's what happens when you cross me. See ya, Gracey."

"Fuck you, bitch," I said, picking up my bag and walking to class.

***

"She did what?" Lydia exclaimed. Half the lunch room seemed to stop and take a moment to stare at us.

"Lydia," I said. "Quiet." We were sitting in the lunch room, when I decided to tell her about the events this morning.

"I'm sorry, but Mrs McFarland was definitely out of order. Pushing someone in the corridor is no reason to get a detention or a letter sent home! I could understand if Bella had actually gotten hurt-"

"You know exactly what Bella is like around teachers. She acts as if she's an angel when they're there, and as soon as they're gone, she might as well be punching you." I put hand on where she had grabbed me - it was still feeling sore.

"Not to mention Mrs McFarland had no right picking on you. If it was anyone else, I'm sure she would have just asked what was going on, or even just ignored it completely. You really should report her - it's unjust what she's doing!"

I looked down at the plate of lumpy mash and gravy in front of me. "Is anyone really going to take my word against Mrs McFarland's? You know she'll deny everything - probably say I'm exaggerating - and no one is going to think for a moment that she's lying, unless I have proof. And I don't! So there is absolutely no point."

Lydia reached across the table and took my hand. "I'm sorry, Grace. Today's been quite awful for you, hasn't it?"

"You could say that."

"It'll get better. I promise." She stood up, picking up her plate. "Now, I'm not sure about you, but this is disgusting, so I'm leaving. Coming with?"

I looked down at the food I had barely touched. "Yes. This really is awful," I said, standing up.

As I mentioned earlier, school never is a happy place for me. But the only reason why I keep coming back, apart from the whole 'compulsory by law' thing, is that I have the most wonderful friend in the world, who know exactly what to say to cheer me up.

***

Once it got to the end of school, and I had the long walk back home to face again, I started thinking about what happened earlier that day, and how crap that day really had been, when I passed the alley on London Road. I remembered seeing the flash of purple light, and not seeing anything that could have made it. I was just about to forget about it and go on with the rest of my life, when I heard a noise. It wasn't one of the usual noises you hear from an alley - a cat meowing, a plastic bag rustling in the wind, a rat squeaking. This sounded like a person - a person crying.

I immediately stopped, and looked down the alley. Again, nothing. But this time curiosity got the better of me, and I looked around to make sure there was no one around who could follow me, and started walking in.

Even though it was broad daylight outside, this alley was extremely dark, and quite cold. That plus the fact that I was chasing an unknown sound started reminding me of typical horror films, and I had just gotten to the point where the viewers watching this would be yelling at the screen "Don't go down there! Don't do it!" or "Turn back! Turn back now!" I was seriously considering turning back before a one-armed, chainsaw-welding maniac jumped out from behind a bin and hacked me to pieces. But then I heard it again.

"Oh, where am I? I just want to go home."

I instantly stopped and looked around. Even though I still could not see anyone, I couldn't help saying, "Hello? Is anyone there? Are you ok?"

At first, there was silence. Then I heard a scuff behind me. I whipped around towards the sound, then saw a flash of purple light. All of a sudden, I felt something heavy hit the back of my head. The next thing I knew I was lying on the cold, damp floor of the dark alley, with a stinging pain in head. The last thing I remember is thinking, "Well, today has just been great."

Comments

[oberon]

No comments?
But... But... This is good.

[Cryo shadow]

This story needs more love.

[Crusadin]

2222799

[Shadowshame]

huh