Pammy could feel her eyes watering. She sat there, frozen, staring down at her ruined book she had just saved up for and bought only yesterday. She waited for the girls to sit down and talk about their weekend before she reached down and gingerly pick up the book. She sat it down on top of her bag and stared down at it with pity. Her bottom lip trembled, but she willed no tears to form. No, she wouldn't cry in front of them. She had to be a big girl. Just until she was alone.

She'd cry in the girl's bathroom after class.

"Alright students," called Mr. Shimmers as the morning announcements droned on from out-of-date speakers hanging above the white board. They were so out-of-date that the announcements were pointless to listen to, so Mr. S talked above them. "Today we'll be starting Gatsby."

Pammy watched Mr. S pull a box out from under his desk and plop it down on an empty desk up front, opening it up. She could see the head of the books inside -- the Great Gatsby books. The sight of the new books did nothing to stop her bottom lip from quivering a bit more.

Thirty minutes later, "Read chapters 1-5 and answer questions 1a through 1c" was written across the white board while brand new Great Gatsby books sat on every desk along with a paper filled with essay questions for the first ten chapters. Mr. S liked to allow people to get ahead, if they wished.

Pammy opened up her Gatsby book and as she tried to read the first page of chapter one, all she could think about was whether or not she should just throw her ruined book away.

Soon enough, the bell rang, and she was torn from her thoughts as the idea of crying in a bathroom stall filled her mind. She closed her book, put her stuff away, and got up. Her ankle boots padded against the floor as she straightened her black leggings and looked down at herself to check and make sure her loose red dress was still sitting straight on her. She plopped her bag onto her shoulder and looked towards the door where students were trying to squeeze through all at once.