Page 13 of Baby Duke

"Miss Nixon, apologies for my tardiness," a sickly-sweet voice practically splits my head in two as a heavily made-up face pops out from her office. "Please, do come in!"

I wince but manage to mask it with a forced grin.

The office is modern, with a white desk and matching filing cabinets. Two straight-backed chairs sit across from the desk, with a velvet midnight blue loveseat against the far wall. The walls were a soft baby blue, which created a calming effect that was immediately squashed by the overbearing, smoking incense stick burning on the windowsill.

"Doesn't that smell…" I stifle a sneeze, "pleasant."

"Is it not lovely?" Mrs. Saxton squeals, making me cringe. Hello there, migraine.

She rattles on about the scent (Buddhist Temple or some shit) while I make myself as comfortable as possible in the stifling room. I opt for the love seat and sink into its thick folds gratefully.

"Anyhow," Mrs. Saxton says, shuffling through some papers on her desk. "Most of our current curriculum are required courses and I have gone ahead and pre-selected the optional ones for you. Would you like to have a look before I send you off to your first class?"

She makes as if to pack my timetable into a folder, as though I could not possibly question her choices. Yeah right, lady.

"I would love to," I say, holding my hand out. She pauses with a frown as if it is the first time anyone has ever wantedtheir own opinions identified. Perhaps it is. I wiggle my fingers, an extra big smile on my face, to let her know I am not kidding,

"O-of course, Miss Nixon," her smile is strained as she hands me the papers.

I quickly scan through the required courses but am unsurprised by the selections: mathematics, sports, and English. When I reach the selections section, I frown.

"How in the ever-loving fuck is 'cake decorating' and 'photography' going to help me in my life?" I scowl, snatching a fluffy pink pen off Mrs. Saxton's desk.

I hastily scribbled out the selections Mrs. Saxton had pre-selected for me. Who the fuck does she think I am?

Mrs. Saxton, in the meantime, looks close to blowing a gasket as I graffiti her neat and tidy page. Her eyes have blown to twice their size, and her mouth is hanging in a slack impression of an 'O'. She looks quite comical.

After a quick browse, I decide on 'Business and Enterprises' and 'Design and Technology'.

I decided to have a quick re-read of the required courses and found there are 3 sports sessions to choose from.

"What is the difference between Sports A, B, and C?" I ask.

Gathering herself with a slight shake, she replies, "Oh, do not worry about the sports selections, Miss Nixon. C is where you belong," she says decisively.

"Oh?" I enquire, raising an eyebrow.

After a slight pause, she relents.

"Sports is divided into 3 levels, depending on a student's athleticism. Sports A is for the athletes. Their stamina and muscle maintenance requires a tough training regime and after-hours upkeep is sometimes required. Sports B is for the remaining young men less acquired to a sportsman life. Sports C is for the young ladies, of course. Pilates, yoga, dancing, and sometimes light swimming. Just the right amount to keep your bodies in perfect condition."

I blink blankly at the daft woman.

Then I draw a big cross through the preselected 'C' and circle 'A' instead.

"Did I speak unclearly?" Mrs. Saxton frowns as she sees what I have selected.

"Oh, no, you were very clear, Mrs. Saxton," I smile sweetly. "You see, though, I like to push my body to its limits. I have spent a lot of time in juvie, did you know?" By her horrified expression, that would be a no. "There wasn't much to do in there, as you can imagine. But there was a gym. I will be sticking to sports A, thank you."

By the time a frantic Mrs. Saxton has fixed up a new schedule for me, the first period is over, and the second has well and truly started.

As I trudge down the empty hallways toward my English lesson, the anxious energy I had managed to shake off earlier is back with a vengeance. Not only am I the new girl, but I am also the extremely late new girl. It turns out most of my classes are in doubles, and lucky me had a double English period this morning.

I am half tempted to skip by this point. Chill out in the toilets for a half hour. Or maybe scope the bleachers for the truanting stoner kids.

I sigh, Katie's promise of removing my allowance echoing throw my head.

Fuck it.

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