Chapter 29

It was towards the end of the day when the school siren chimed to indicate the end of the second break. Kids gathered in front of their classes waiting for their teachers to unlock the classrooms.

Patrick was yarning with some of his new classmates. He was unaware of the three boys from earlier standing not too far from him, pretending not to listen to his conversation. Patrick explained where he was from as well as the kind of sports he participated in in the past. He mentioned they were currently staying in a house in Saldanha his dad had bought when they moved down to the West coast.

The teacher appeared and unlocked the door.

Patrick entered the classroom and found an open desk towards the middle left. He noticed the usual large blackboard mounted on the front wall with various writings and drawings. They seemed complicated. He knew civil was not one of his favourite subjects, but at least it was better than English.

'Welcome back to all of you,' the teacher said, trying to stabilise the energetic kids. 'Hope you are ready for this brilliant subject, which I know you all love so much.' There was a grin on his face.

'Mr Clarence?' a voice came from the back.

Patrick turned his head towards the voice and noticed the group of three boys sitting in the back of the class. One of their hands was raised to get Mr Clarence's attention. Their postures spelt disrespect. They were slumped in their seats with legs spread wide apart. Patrick recalled them from earlier this morning, probably the same ones that told Andrew about his apparently bad attitude.

'Yes Victor,' Mr Clarence said, annoyed.

'What do you think happened to Mr Griffin?'

'Well, if I knew, he wouldn't be missing, now would he?'

'Probably not,' Victor said.

The other two chuckled. One of them patted Victor on the back.

'What's so funny Tommy?' Mr Clarence asked interrupting their ridiculous act.

'Nothing,' Tommy said. His laughter faded to a smile and eventually back to an emotionless mask.

'Good because I don't think it's a joke,' Mr Clarence said. His face was stern. He had a slight red glow. 'One more thing, you better start studying hard this time. I don't want to see you in this class again next year. Anyway, I don't think any school will allow you back next year. All three of you should have had jobs by now. Don't waste my time any further.'

Patrick noticed the serious expressions on the three boys' faces, more like hatred towards Mr Clarence. He wondered how many years they had failed because they seemed much older than the rest. Patrick noticed Victor's eyes drifting towards him, almost like two dark pools of anger.

'First of all,' Mr Clarence brought Patrick's attention back to the front of the class. 'We have a new addition to the family, Mr Patrick Edison. Welcome to my class. Hope you enjoy it here with us and please feel free to ask when something's not clear. We don't want anyone to fall behind. If you don't ask, I will not be able to help you.'

Patrick nodded and felt a little self-conscious. He could feel the three boys' eyes on him, penetrating him with their hatred. Whatever their reasons were.

'Jo-burg cunt,' Patrick heard one of them. He wondered how they knew he was from Johannesburg. He felt his heart beating faster as anger filled his mind. He knew there was nothing he could do about the situation at the moment, but if it was on the school ground somewhere, he probably would have gotten himself into some trouble, because he would not have left it there.