John yawned, so prolonged the corners of his eyes started to water. He rubbed his eyes, as he stepped inside his last class of the day. Old books filled the shelves, giving the small room a musty smell. The globe squeaked when John’s elbow brushed up against it as he slipped into his seat.
With only a few days left until finals, studying and making plans with Emily had kept him up later and later each night. Propping his chin in his hands, John watched the teacher Miss Fischer, erase the whiteboard. Her thin arm went back and forth, his eyes following the movement.
He yawned again, blinking quickly once his mouth was closed. The rest of the class filtered in, most of them chatting and laughing. The energy fo summer in the air was palpable, but John couldn’t use any of that energy.
The bell rang, and as the tone faded so did the talking. Miss Fischer clapped her hands once and then started their lecture. The review had been going on for days, and now they had finally gotten to the most recent unit.
Miss Fischer’s voice was deliberate, slow, and very monotone. John knew his US history, and all of this was particularly boring. Even talking to Miss Fischer outside of class had the same monotone voice. Usually John could take his notes and push through the sleepiness which slowly grew the longer she talked.
He tried. The marks on his paper were sloppy letters, the pencil tip sometimes hardly leaving a mark. His chin kept hitting his chest and his eyelids kept drooping. He yawned every few sentences.
She sounds like the poster woman for nudniks.
It was the last conscious thought he had before sleep suddenly enveloped him.
SMACK!
John startled, knees hitting the bottom of his desk and he grimaced. Next to him stood Miss Fischer, a large leather bound book in her hands. There were stifled giggles throughout the room as John kept his gaze on the teacher.
“And this is why you shouldn’t fall asleep in class.” She wiped a hand across the cover before putting the book back in its slot. “I’ll see you in detention John.” Her voice was still the same, though there was a glint in her eyes.
“Yes Miss Fischer.” John mumbled as he rubbed his knees.
She went back to monologuing about the end of WWI. John did his best to study during detention under Miss Fischer’s gaze.
John learned later Miss Fischer had hit the large book against the wall next to him in order to wake him. The whole incident really cemented how much John was looking forward to summer.
Word count: 446
Happy Memorial Day!
