Alpha Girl Read Free Page A

shook my head.
    ‘On the house,’ I said.
    Mr. Stone stopped rifling through his wallet and glanced up at me. ‘What?’
    ‘No charge,’ I said.
    He stared at the coffee. ‘I have to pay,’ he said.
    I shook my head. ‘It’s fine.’
    ‘No,’ he smiled politely and handed me a twenty-dollar bill. ‘I have to pay.’
    I frowned and snatched the twenty-dollars from his hand, before thrusting the change back at him. ‘There,’ I said.
    ‘Are you all right?’ he asked, staring.
    I chewed on the inside of my lip, biting back the question I wanted to ask, but it spilled from me like molten lava.
    ‘Why did you give me such a bad grade?’ I asked.
    Mr. Stone blinked as if he didn’t understand the question. ‘I gave you the grade you deserved for the paper,’ he replied.
    ‘I think I deserved better,’ I said. I wasn’t sure why I’d taken it to heart.
    ‘I think you could do better,’ he replied, picking up the coffee. ‘Your information was correct, but your writing was disconnected to the feelings and thoughts of the characters in the novel. You lacked empathy.’
    ‘Empathy?’ I repeated. ‘Is that it?’
    I was not good at understanding people and their emotions. Sometimes I felt like an entirely different species.
    ‘Goodnight, Rose,’ he said, meeting my gaze. He was one of the few people that did look into my eyes.
    He turned on his heel and walked from the café, glancing back at me as he stepped onto the pavement.

Tuesday – 14 days to go

     
    ‘I’d like a thousand word report on why the rebellion was futile,’ Mr. Stone told our class the next day.
    The class erupted into protest.
    ‘But Sir !’
    ‘We just finished the last essay!’
    Mr. Stone held up a hand to silence the class, which surprisingly, worked.
    ‘I know, I know,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’m horrible. I understand, but you’ll thank me for it later, I promise. Now, I’d like you to devise a modern-day equivalent of the situation depicted and work it into the essay.’
    I was still unexplainably annoyed about my last English grade. Until now, it had always been my best subject.
    ‘Why are you in such a foul mood?’ Sadie asked that afternoon. ‘I mean … fouler than usual.’
    We were walking home together, but would go our different ways towards the end of the journey.
    I shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. I just wanted to get home.
    ‘I can’t wait to get home and start that essay,’ said Sadie. I’d always been better at English than her, but suddenly she had over taken me.
    ‘Why?’ I asked. Apparently people like it when you asked about things.
    ‘I love Mr. Stone’s class,’ she said with a sigh. ‘He’s so great.’
    I clenched my jaw. ‘I don’t see it,’ I muttered.
    ‘Are you joking? Everyone loves him.’
    ‘He’s over rated,’ I decided, quickening my pace.
    Sadie dropped the topic after that.
    I wasn’t sure why I was so bitter about Mr. Stone’s class. He was polite, and charming, but so damn harsh when it came to teaching. I couldn’t help but want him to like me, though.
    After my usual afternoon routine I decided to make a start on the homework that had built up over the past week. I’d start with Mr. Stone’s essay. I was determined to get a B, at least. I wouldn’t settle for anything less. 
    I spent hours on the work, starting, and restarting the essay. Soon, my bin was filled with scrunched up bits of paper. I couldn’t get it right. But then, suddenly, miraculously … an idea formed in my head. It was crazy … but I was going to do it, and Mr. Stone wouldn’t like it.

Chapter Three

Tuesday – 7 days to go

     
    ‘When I call your name, please bring your paper to the front of the class,’ said Mr. Stone, pulling out the roster. ‘Maria.’
    Maria jumped up from her seat and handed her homework to Mr. Stone, who checked her name off the list.
    ‘Sadie. Aaron. Emily.’
    They each took their assignment to the front of the class and placed it on