Chapter Two

She watched that persnickety little girl leave her classroom.  And she just bawled her eyes out.

What’s wrong with me?  Pull it together Denise, pull IT TOGETHER.

But instead of pulling it together she put her head down on the desk and sobbed, while her body heaved up and down.

No one gives a shit about me.  I am going to turn into that nasty old teacher that always has chalk on her butt, and no one tells her. 

Was the door open?

Denise jerked her head around.  The door was open.  But the kids in the hallway walked right by, as if they had somewhere important to go, and they couldn’t be bothered by the fact that their teacher’s life was in ruins.

She stared as their little bodies motoring around the corridor.  Smiling and giggling.  All happy about life and whatnot.

Just wait, she thought.  Just wait until you are older. Just wait until you have to move back in with your parents.  Just wait until you are working at some grade school an hour away.  Just wait until all your friends are living in Minneapolis, and you are stuck out in the boonies.  Just wait until your life goes down the fucking drain.

Denise definitely thought fucking.  It was actually a little surprising that she hadn’t dropped an f-bomb in class yet.  Not that they were listening anyways.