Excerpt: Pawn

The next morning, Angel Waited in class for her English teacher to come in. She had arrived twenty minutes earlier and was waiting in the classroom, doing some last-minute studying in her science class. She had already studied nonstop for five nights now, but she still didn't feel prepared, despite the large amount of information she had already absorbed.
She heard the door open while she was in the middle of reading. She looked up and waved hi to her English teacher. "Hi, Ms. Johnson."
"Hello, Angel." Ms. Johnson Walked over to her desk and laid her briefcase on it. "Did you read the chapter I gave for homework?"
Angel nodded her head. "Yes I did, and I read the two chapters after it. It is a very interesting book."
"I'm glad you like it so much... You should be ready for the test next week." She had just opened her briefcase when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.
Angel put her math book away and took out her copy of The Man in the Iron Mask. She really did find it an interesting book. She almost wished at times that she could fall in love with someone like Prince Louis. He was so brave and kind, even despite all he'd been through... unlike herself.
The classroom filled with students in ten minutes. Angel opened to the chapter that the teacher had assigned for homework last night and laid her hands upon her desk.
Ms. Johnson stood up and went to the blackboard. "Class, as you know, tomorrow is Halloween... and as a result, we will be, today and tomorrow, taking a break from the book we have been reading."
Angel' s eyes widened. If they weren't going to be reading the book, then what will they be doing?
Ms. Johnson continued speaking. "In stead, I will be asking you all to write a poem based on the holiday. Before we do that, however, I will be giving you a poem by Edgar Allan Poe to read."
A large amount of the class rolled their eyes at the suggestion. A few of the students, including Angel, smiled. Angel especially loved Edgar Allan Poe; his writings challenged her mind. His themes were very gripping, and she'd had to look in the dictionary a couple of times while reading one of his works. She Felt this would be a good class, if she got to read her favorite author.
Ms. Johnson began handing out copies of the work she wanted her students to read. Angel looked at it and wanted to jump for joy: it was The Raven! Her favorite poem that he wrote! She laid the paper on her desk lovingly as the teacher also handed out blank sheets of notebook paper.
"I want you all to write one paragraph about what this poem means to you. Be creative, it is Halloween!" She went to sit back down at her desk.
Angel began reading the handout she was given. She became lost in the poet's words like a whirlpool; this poem somehow spoke to her. She whispered her favorite line as she read it: "Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."
She was almost finished reading the poem when louder whispers reached her ears.
"I can't believe Ms. Johnson gave us this boring old poem to read. I can't understand a word of it!"
Angel rolled her eyes. To have the nerve to think themselves better than her when they couldn't even understand a simple poem... she returned to the poem and finished reading.
It was as if the girls possessed some type of telepathy. Just as she was about to write her paragraph on the poem, suddenly she heard the girls whisper, "I'll bet fatty is enjoying this, isn't she?"
"of course she is... when you're an ugly fat girl who has no friends, of course you understand boring old poems... her only friend is the dictionary!"
Angel had once reiterated comments such as this to her mother; she told her it was a sign of jealousy. But that didn't stop it from hurting any more/
"Yeah, she's like a walking encyclopedia... filled with nothing but useless crap."
"too bad that doesn't make up for her looks! Those pimples and those glasses... she looks like a pizza with bracelets on top!"
These comments slowly grated against Angel's nerves. She was sick of all this! She was sick of being the target for the kids' mean, perverse jokes! She was sick of people treating her like she was a nobody, sick of being a pariah, sick of going to this school with these bastards! She wished nothing more than that they would all just drop dead!
A bloodcurdling scream sounded behind her, then the crash of metal and glass. she bolted from her seat and ducked away in time to avoid the flying shrapnel.
She panted and clutched at her heart, for the shock had taken away her breath. She looked up to see what had fallen to cause such a commotion.
One of the light fixtures had fallen from the ceiling, right above the desks of the three girls who sat behind Angel. Had they not moved away in time, they would have been hit with the light.
As it stood, one of them had been hit already.
An olive-skinned, blond young girl had become stuck under the fixture. he screamed in pain, her legs trapped in the twisted metal and broken glass. her friends attempted to push the thing off of her, without success.
Ms. Johnson turned to Angel, who was the closest student available. "Angel, get the maintenance man. I'll call the fire department!
Angel nodded her head and ran off to find the maintenance worker. She was in luck; as soon as she stepped out the door, she found Henry, the school's maintenance worker, at the end of the hallway, sweeping up the floors.
She called to him, trying to catch his attention. "Henry! Henry! We need you over here, quick! It's an emergency!"
Henry wasted no time. Laying the broom on a nearby wall, he rushed over to where Angel stood in front of the classroom door.
"What's the problem, Angel? You look scared."
"It's the lights... one of them fell on a student, and she's stuck. We need help!"
"Well, I'll be.... how did the...?" He rolled up his sleeves. "No time to worry about that. Let's get that girl out of there!"
Henry strode into the classroom and walked straight over to the blond girl. Gabbing one of the support poles, he began to pull the light off the girl, slowly.
"I'm gonna need some help pulling this this light off! I don't think I can get it alone."
Ms. Johnson walked over to Henry and grabbed the other pole. Their combined effort moved the pole from the girl's legs.
Angel nearly vomited at the sight of them. Glass protruded from the girl's calves, which were bleeding profusely. Ms Johnson walked over to her desk to get a pair of tweezers, while Henry examined the light fixture and the ceiling.
The blond girl screamed in pain when Ms. Johnson came back with the tweezers, and was pulling the glass from her legs. The teacher shushed her and tried to comfort her.
"I know it hurts, Jess, but you can't keep this glass in your leg. It'll get infected!"
The girl whimpered and nodded as Ms. Johnson prepared to pick more of the glass out of her leg. Henry came back to Ms. Johnson with the results of his analysis.
"You might be interested in hearing this, Ellis..." He began whispering in her ear. Angel strained her voice to listen.
"Henry... you can't be serious..."
"I am. No missing screws, no busted holes... there wasn't even anything wrong with the support poles. It just... fell."
Angel became even sicker. Not again...
"Ms. Johnson... I-I don't feel so well..."
Ms. Johnson turned to face Angel, eying her with concern. "You may go, Angel... I'll tell the principal about your absence.
Angel thanked her teacher and walked away from the classroom wobbly. She had to hold on to the wall to stop herself from falling.