I drop down into my seat beside Tully and look up at the whiteboard to see which page of our textbooks Mr. Carver wants us looking at today. Eighty-nine. I flip it open and smile down at the textbook.
Looks like we’re diving into biochemistry today.
“What are you so happy about?” Tully grunts beside me, pulling out her things before lounging back in her chair.
“Nothing,” I say, sliding the textbook towards the top of my desk until Mr. Carver is ready to get started. Though, knowing the kids in this class, he better hurry up or they would have dozed off by the time he even turns around.
“Bullshit,” she laughs. “Your eyes lit up like Christmas when you opened the book,” she says, reaching for my textbook. “Is there something in here? Did Noah leave you a dirty note?”
“No,” I laugh as she scans over the page giving a detailed introduction of Biochemistry. “I just really like this stuff.”
Tully’s head slowly rotates my way as she gapes at me. “You’re shitting me, right?” she questions, double checking the pages for anything that doesn’t belong. “This is boring as batshit.”
“It is not,” I defend. “It’s fascinating.”
Tully puts a hand to my forehead. “Are you ok? Do you need to see the nurse?”
I swat her away as a chuckle is pulled from my throat. “Shut up,” I say, rolling my eyes. “So, I might be a closet nerd.”
Her mouth drops open again. “I…I don’t even know how to respond to that. You’re the queen of not doing your homework and skipping class.”
“True, but have you ever seen me walk out of any of my science classes?”
Tully’s brows furrow as she thinks it over, not a second later, they fly back up in understanding. “Woah. You’re for real, aren’t you?” she practically howls with laughter. “You’re a science nerd.”
“Keep your voice down,” I seethe, swatting at her arm and stealing the textbook back. “You’re endangering my reputation.”
She scoffs. “Like a little nerding out could possibly do that,” she laughs. “I could scream it from the rooftop and nobody will believe me. Now, if I said your extracurricular activities included swinging and getting stoned, that they’d believe.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. She’s probably right. It’s a shame though. No one ever expects the popular girls to have brains or even a clue about the world. They all assume that their lives revolve around cell phones, hair, and makeup. Well, guess what? Surprise motherfucker, we’re not all plastic bimbos with pea brains.
“I can’t even believe this,” Tully continues. “How have I never noticed this before?”
“Maybe because you’re always too busy plotting revenge tactics in your head or new ways you can piss off Rivers.”
A proud grin spreads across her face and lights up her eyes. “I’ve got some new ones,” she tells me. “You want to hear them?”
“Well, duh,” I laugh.
“So-”
“Alright, seniors,” Mr. Carver’s voice rings loudly over our conversation, making Tully’s face fall. I mean, from the sparkle in her eyes, she’s particularly fond of her new form of torture meant solely for Rivers. Though, the second she has a moment, I don’t doubt she’ll be telling me all about it. “Time to settle down.”
Once we’re all quiet enough for Mr. Carver’s satisfaction, he gets started on his lesson. “I trust you all have your books open to page eighty-nine?”
I sit up straighter in my chair and face Mr. Carver. He’s not the best science teacher I’ve had over the course of my school years, but he does ok. He’s actually interested in his students learning, unlike so many other teachers that teach at Haven Falls Private.
I think the teachers here have already come to the conclusion that Haven Falls isn’t going anywhere. Only a small percentage of students get into college and of those that do, hardly any of them can afford the fees to actually go. It’s not ideal. Most of the kids who actually graduate end up working at the grocery store or if they’re lucky enough, manage to build up their own business, but honestly, it never goes far as us kids from Haven Falls simply don’t have the resources to make it happen.
You’ll often find most of the guys fall into careers like landscaping, plumbing or carpentry. All things they can do with their hands while trying to find work in Broken Hill, as they’re the only people who can afford to pay straight up.
The girls. They hope they can get themselves pregnant to a guy who has enough money to support her and the baby. Maybe even marry her.
It’s a great life here on the wrong side of the tracks.
Like I said, with the students not giving a shit about their futures, why should their teachers? We’re lucky to have one like Mr. Carver.
So, my love of science…I don’t really think anything will come from it. It’s not likely that I’ll go to college and it sure as hell isn’t likely that I’d be able to afford it. This is it for me. I have to soak up as much of my school years as possible as who the hell knows where I’ll be after graduation.