Karate Kid

I fan the paper against my face furiously. God I think I’m dying. The heat, it’s sucking away all my life power and I could feel my skin drying up and withering into crinkles.

I perch on my seat restlessly, constantly shifting here and there, and occasionally standing up to see if the teacher’s coming. I hold up my ponytail while fanning my neck. I really am dying.

I glance around, my brows in a knitted mess. The whole class, as usual, is doing their respective group banters. I groan loudly. Can’t these people give me a little peace?

I’ve resorted to fanning my neck with my ponytail while the other hand’s back at fanning my face when I finally decide I couldn’t stand this anymore. I yell at the group of boys gathering at the table next to me, “Would you guys STOP that?!”

Leonard turns to me, “Sup you little-

“You SHUT UP, mother fathers!” I roar.

This is what a hot weather does to me. It turns me into a monster.

All the boys in that group jump back slightly, and give me that wary look. Leonard clicks his tongue, “She’s a chilli, this one.”

I roll my eyes at them and gathering the bitterness inside me, I muster what I hope is the most terrifying look. The boys scoot a few feet away from me, before continuing on their boys’ talk.

I turn back in my seat and huff for the nth time. Hot, hot, hot.

I snatch at my water bottle, hoping a gulp or two would ease down the fire inside me. I think there’s a dragon inside my belly. My whole body feels like it’s gonna burst into flames at any minute.

I put the bottle to my mouth, gulping down greedily. Yes, now this feels good… next time I’m gonna just bring twenty bottles of-

I choke, and feel as my bottle tips higher on its own, sending a gush of water down my throat and making me cough bubbles into the water. From the corner of my eyes, I glare dubiously at Leonard, who only tips the bottle higher, shoving them roughly against my mouth.

THAT MOTHER FATHER BASTARD.

I shove my bottle away, slamming it onto the desk while I splutter and choke madly. What the…

I bang my fist against the desk on sudden impulse and leap up, causing my chair to tip over loudly. Glowering fully at Leonard, I ball up my fists, my temples throbbing and my ears puffing out invisible steam.

That wasn’t a fuss. He does that all the time. But the case is different when he does this to me on a hot day.

To make things worse for himself, Leonard retreats mockingly on his tiptoes, his arms hanging by his sides like those of a chimpanzee, “Ooh…eeh…ooh…ah aah…”

My fists ball up tighter.

He grins, “….ting…tang…walla walla bing-

“HEE-YA!” I lion-bellow.

He didn’t get to finish his song because at that very moment, my fist connects fully with his mouth, “SAVE THE BANG, YOU MOTHER FATHER!”

Leonard stumbles backward, his hand holding his mouth, his eyes showing terror and shock. His mouth forms an ‘o’, and faintly, I could make out his bloody teeth.

I roll my wrists unhappily. I think I just broke my own knuckles.

Now fully gaping at me, Leonard’s bloody teeth are visible to everyone in the class. His friends gasp loudly. And just when the rest of them are starting to join in the gasps, something small drops out from Leonard’s line of teeth, silencing everybody once more.

One of the boys inches forward cautiously, his eyes turning fist-wide as he leans closer to examine the thing and gulping, he announces, “It’s a tooth, Leonard.”