"The Renascence” I spoke to my class, “who can tell me something about it?”
They are a smart group, and my challenges’ never trip them up. All my classes are smart, though. This private school is the best school in the state of New York-heck best in the country. Trinity School is a well-rounded school-good academics and athletics. I was extremely lucky to get this job, and still be able to do what I love.
I published my second book about 2 months ago. My students helped me out tremendously. They helped me get into the minds of teenagers of this day and age. Plus, when it comes to teenage love, I couldn’t be any more clueless in that category.
My name is Dina Reyes. I’m 24 and never experienced love for myself. Both of my parents died in a car accident when I was little, leaving me to be raised by my grandmother.
My grandmother was a great woman, but I never liked her. People thought she was amazing, and beautiful, but I never saw it. She was evil to me-which is strange because I only see the good in people. She spoke with such aggression, as if she’s been hurt and takes it out on everyone else. She raised me well though. I owe her my life, and would defiantly give my life for hers.
“It’s the rebirth of a society and people” John Thomas raised his hand and spoke.
In my class I give the students a lot of freedom, because I know they can handle it. If they laugh, they know when it’s time to stop. They don’t give me a reason to have to yell-I’m known as one of the ‘Cool Teachers’. They are all very much mature.
“Very good, what else is it a rebirth of?” I asked them another question.
It’s the end of the day, and they all starred at me with dead eyes. I smiled sweetly and sat on the table I have at the front of the class. I try to make the class room a bright, happy place-posters with great quotes from writers, and motivational speakers.
“It’s a rebirth of art” Terry Janks said with a questioning tone.
“Yes!” I exclaimed, “art was a very big factor, as well as writing and just being creative, but when you think ‘Renascence’ think ‘Thinking’” I hoped off the table and walked around it to the smart board. “Before this time they were in the Dark Ages, everybody was illiterate; people looked back and said ‘Hey, I want to think for myself, don’t tell me right from wrong, I already know’”
I clicked the board to awake, and brought up the power point. They wrote down the question, and went back to get textbooks.
A slight knock on the door, frightened me. I walked over and open the door to a bright face. The crystal blue eyes and neatly done auburn hair caught my attention. A blue dress shirt with a plaid blue tie-all brought together perfectly with blue jeans- stood there with a smile holding two coffee’s and a bag of Chinese food. I smiled and held the door open for him to come in.
Mr. Smith-or Blair- is another History teacher here. We share a class, because we knew each other since my first day of college. We basically shared a dorm. Without him, I wouldn’t be as outgoing as I am today.
“Sorry for interrupting you class, Miss. Reyes” Mr. Smith said with a smirk.
Calling each other by our last names in front of the students is awkward and we will never get used to it. I guess it’s just another one of our countless number of inside jokes.
“You’re absolutely forgiven, Mr. Smith” I said back with a smile and giggled.
He walked back to his desk and sat down both of our coffees. All the girls giggled to themselves, and looked back at him, checking him out.
“Okay guys, back up here” I smiled and laughed at their faces, “back to history and ‘The Light of Learning’, this is what the people wanted back, this is why the ‘Dark Ages’ are called the ‘Dark Ages’” I clicked the board so the next slid will come up. “People began to shun religion and follow their own conscience. Which is your first question, do you need the bible to tell you right from wrong?”
They filled in their blanks on the note paper. Jill’s’ hand shot up afterwards. I pointed to her and went back to sit on my table.
“No, that’s why we have our own mind” she said. “Can I go to the restroom?”
“Yes, you may” I spoke while looking around for a pass.
I grabbed a paper off of the table I was just sitting on. I folded it, and scribbled my name and ‘pass’ on it. She came up and took it from me saying ‘Thank You’ to me. I smiled and sighed.
“Okay, so Secularism” I began, “Who thinks they know what that means?”
They all thought for a minute-looking at the first set of note that was on the board. Reading and re-reading, John’s hand went back up.
“Another religion” he started, “that started in place of Christianity”
“Nice try, but no, it’s the total opposite of religion” I said hinting at its definition.
They all looked puzzled. Amanda’s hand went up.
“The banishment of religion” she said smiling at her answer.
“That, was extremely close-”
“Miss. Reyes!” Jill came in running and screaming, “There is a girl in the bathroom trying to kill herself!” She grabbed me by the hand.
“Blair stay in here with them, and call the nurse!” I screamed at him and began to run with Jill.
My heart was pounding and mind was racing. My body shook as we came closer to the bathroom. Why would anybody want to end their own life, so young? Then again, why did I want to?
Jill pushed open the door with great force. The girl sat on the floor with both of her wrist bleeding a great amount. I covered my mouth so the smell of blood wouldn’t affect me.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
She couldn’t answer me. She could only look at me with pleading green eyes. As if they say save me. Her brunette hair had blood in it. I saw bruises on her neck and looked down her back to see even more.
“Just hold on okay, the nurse is coming” I spoke to the girl. “Jill, can you get paper towels and rip them into four, wet two and leave the other two dry”
Jill followed my instruction to a T. She had the wet one in her right hand and the dry in her left. She held out both wet and dry, and I took the wet one’s first.
I tried to clean up as much blood from her wrist but it just wouldn’t stop. It was a very deep cut-almost to the bone. I saw other cuts along her wrist and down her arm. I grabbed the dry as quickly as I could and put them on the cuts. I applied pressure to them and kept looking back at the door. I looked at her face-it looked pale and almost dead.
I caressed her face. I gave her a warm smile. The nurse barged threw the door and ran to her side. The paramedics were with her and had a stretcher. They picked her up and placed her on the bed. I walked by her side, not wanting to leave her.
I felt an attraction to this girl. I see myself in her, and if something happens to her, it leaves no hope for me. She opened her glowing green eyes to me. Reaching for my hand she cried in remorse.
All the students had their heads looking out of the mirrors. The teachers called for their attention back quickly. The paramedics were asking the girl questions, but she couldn’t answer. She kept her eyes on me. Her hands were shaking just as much as mine.
Blair looked out the room and called my name. It sounded so faint, and distant. It wasn’t till the paramedics opened the door to a cloudy sky, and cold wind, I knew I was crying. Everything the girl was going threw I felt. Remembering what it’s was like to cut myself-pain, and a weird thrill. It’s a high compared to doing drugs. The pain doesn’t feel like pain. It feels like your hurt is pouring out of your body. You feel free from worries and thoughts.
My legs felt like I was walking without thinking about it-my legs took me to where I needed to be, while my mind was back in the restroom.
My heart stopped when her hand fell from mine. I dropped to my knees and every sound returned like a bang. I whaled for someone to help her. Blair came to my side and held me. He helped me to my feet and into the paramedics. I stopped shaking when his voice sang to me.
“Everything is going to be fine”