Leave Me Alone

• Natasha Gurtler, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2020

“Sammy.” Miss Mac’s hand gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Could you please read Chapter 9 for me?”
“I’d rather not, thanks.” I say quietly, my face burning with embarrassment. I can hear Charlotte and her friends snickering in the background. My desperate eyes rove over Julia’s dark braids and Jack’s buzz haircut. I stare at Maxie’s pretty bracelet and Jess’ bright pink braces. They all uncomfortably look away, not wanting to get involved.
“Sammy, I’m not giving you a choice.” says Miss Mac, kneeling down in front of me so I have to look at her face. I hate it when teachers do this.
“Sammy, NOW!” yells Miss Mac, finally tired of my reluctance. The laughing grows louder in the background. I panic, my eyes flicking across the room like a trapped animal. Searching, praying for an escape.
“It’s this or the principal's office!” says Miss Mac, but I’m looking past her big black bun and at Charlotte’s paper, on which she’s drawn a picture. A picture of me with a dunce’s cap.
Tears well up in my eyes and my cheeks grow even redder than they were before. The laughing grows ever louder, drowning out all other noises. Even Cami is smiling now.
Miss Mac grabs my arm and drags me out of the room, slamming the door shut behind us. She turns to face me, and I’m shocked to see tears in her deep blue eyes.
“Sammy, why won’t you just read for me?” she chokes, disappointment clouding her features. And that’s when I can’t take it anymore. I run down the corridor, ignoring Miss Mac’s frantic cries and shouts. I sprint down the hall, past kids with their faces pressed against the windows, laughing and shouting. Stupid. Dumb. Freak.
I run through the gates and across the road, ignoring the screeches of the brakes and angry shouts from the motorists. I slide across the last lane of traffic and hit the asphalt, banging my knee hard on the gutter. Tears streaming down my face, I can only watch as kids run out of the school building and spot me. They laugh and point at my battered body, screaming insults and nasty language. The teachers try to conquer the chaos, push the kids in line, but no-one will listen. They’re all too busy having fun. Making fun of me.
“Sammy!” A panicked shout draws my attention. Cami is sprinting through the crowd, her chocolate plaits flying out behind her. She runs onto the road and everything seems to slow down. Even time itself has forgotten to keep ticking. Miss Mac screams in desperation, terror clouding her pretty face. An expression she would never, ever wear for me.
The giant city bus swerves across the road. Cami dives for me just as the bus pulls into the right lane. Cami’s beautiful eyes widen in surprise as the bus skids towards her. Cami hits the bus and falls, down, down under the huge black churning wheels and into nothingness.