Schools Out

By D.M. Hope

Anushka is a young girl going through all the emotions and traumus of getting through senior school just like every other student but she also has to contend with her parents' alcohol and drug addictions. she is verbally abused by her parents' on a regular basis and struggles with her domestic life. She yearns for the day when she will be old enough to be fully independent but quickly learns that it comes at a price.

As she makes her way through life she experiences many challenges; romance, deceit, bereavement, depression and eating disorders. She tells the story of her struggles; the highs, the lows and how she fought for her freedom, She finds the strength and inspires so many others to overcome their personal issues.

A novel for senior school students, caring parents and guardians.   

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.M. McDonald
• Release date: Feb 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224250073

D.M. Hope

We all need hope in our lives but when things are desperate how to we go about getting it back? Never suffer in silence and always talk with someone about your issues.

Book preview

Teenage Issues and Dreams

School's Out

by D. M. McDonald

When there is still a chance - there is hope!

Contents

Teenage Issues and Dreams

School's Out

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter One

I KNEW CHANGING schools was going to be difficult for me but in some ways I felt some relief. At this young and tender age everything appeared to be so dramatically staged. Every day in my household there would be something happening. Mostly not good. It had become a way of life to me though but nonetheless it is something I would not wish upon my worst enemy - if I had one that is. I was slowly growing up and primary school hadn't been that good to me. When my eleventh birthday came and went, I knew it was time for me to change too. I had to contend with many things at home as well as at that primary school. I was determined senior school was going to be completely different for me. I was going to do my very best to learn everything I could. I needed to gain the best education I could get as I wanted out of my home and the only way to do that was to become intelligent enough to map out a different kind of lifestyle as possible in the short time I had. It was not going to be easy as I had not excelled up to this moment in time but one thing about little Anushka is I had the determination of a lion when out hunting. I was never going to allow anyone to make fun of me anymore or try and bully me again. It was hard trying to get through primary school and some of the other cliquey girls were doing their level best to make things uncomfortable for me. It's all well and good saying I should have reported it to somebody but there were no real procedures in place during those days. If your parents could not be bothered to go over the school to sort it out then you were basically on your own. Still it did give me the experience so that in the next school, I would at least know how to handle it. I think I was too young to realise the importance of talking these issues over with someone but I had more on my plate than worrying over school. If the next five years did not bring me the solutions I craved then I didn't know how I was ever going to achieve any of my ambitions in life?

Having three choices of a senior school was indeed a luxury. Not many children could walk to all three schools within ten minutes of their home but here in Becclesfield, it was a comfort I did not take for granted. There really was only two choices for me as I was intent on not going off to St. Patricks school for that is where Delores and her cliquey chums were heading. I had enough of their bullying and harassment from my time spent at Becclesfield Primary school. When I say I had a choice, I did mean my parents had the choice. I was still awaiting for that moment in life in order to have more choices to make other than chips or jacket potatoes. To say my parents were strict with me would be an understatement. I only got a mobile phone after my eleventh birthday and that was bought for me by my Uncle Sonny. He was so cool, for his age that is. He always wore designer clothes, wore a golden looking watch and he secretly gave me money when my parents weren't around. I really looked up to Uncle Sonny. I was able to buy things that normal kids of eleven could but had to keep all of my jewellery and trinkets hidden away from my parents for if they found out they would have confiscated everything. It would have caused a terrible fuss over where I had got the money from as well. There was a huge problem in having nice things you were not allowed to be seen in; Where could I go? Who could I go with? How could I continue to hide it from my parents? The problems were little compared with what lay ahead for me. The only thing I was going to miss was two of the teachers who had really taken me to their hearts. If it wasn't for them then I would have started senior school in a much lower level of education. Thankfully, against all the odds, I had done well, probably just above average. There were going to be some hurdles to cross long before I even picked up a pen at senior school. There was the matter of the six weeks to kill before I could step up to the next stage in life. Before that I would be carrying out orders from my strict parents. I wouldn't be playing over a park or swimming during a nice bright, hot summers day either. I would be going to the off licence, supermarket and other stores to bring back the goods to the home. Then I would be expected to cook, clean and even garden when the weather was right. There was nothing for me to look forward to, not like the other kids in the neighbourhood.

The thoughts of leaving my primary school was at first a little daunting but like everything else in my life, it would eventually lead to that day I had been awaiting all of my short life - Independence day. Nothing to do with the USA or the 4th July. Perhaps it was going to be my 4th of July one day? This may sound somewhat ungrateful for all the efforts my parents' had put into creating the perfect me but is anyone really perfect? If so, what price was paid for such perfection? In fact, in my case, to reach perfection would be to endure being shouted at with words such as; clumsy, useless, stupid and irresponsible. These words were just from my parents', it was far worse with Delores and her chummy friends. This was all about to change when I went off to Elmsey High. This is where I met my great friend, Simone. We discovered we had similar problems with our upbringing but the differences was her background was far more affluent than mine. Together we grew stronger and in time became more resistant to what other pupils thought or said about us. I remember approaching my new school with some trepidation as it looked so huge. Even the front gates towered over me as I wandered through the entrance with so many other students. I remember thinking how easy it would be to get lost. The first day I met Simone has stayed with me for many years. I was wandering around the school trying to take in the larger classrooms, the different sizes and ages of the many hundreds of students that were also wandering around but at least they appeared to have had more purpose in their strides. Surely, I wasn't the only first year student who didn't know where anything was? It certainly appeared to be so.

First day at the big school is stressful enough and so I had decided just to blend into the background until I found my feet properly but then that would never be possible for a clumsy, stupid, useless and irresponsible girl like me would it? I proved them all right as I tripped up a step falling flat upon my face. That was not the thing that embarrassed me at the time for my bag contents had spilled all over the floor. As I gathered myself I noticed a number of boys sniggering at me, so much so, I wondered if my parents had made the right choice of school for me? As I gathered my belongings, I discovered my mother had put something inside my bag without my knowledge and there they were, just sitting on the floor in front of all the new boys. I attempted to put them into my bag when I saw a kind looking face in front of me. 'Let me help you with it all.' She said. I took another look around to see if there were still some sniggering going on and she must have noticed it. 'What are you lot looking at? Haven't you got something better to do?' She then stood up and gave them all the stare; the one that basically tells the recipient they are skating on thin ice. She turned to me once more and said. 'I'm Simone,' I stood there still speechless. She continued. 'Don't let that worry you. Look, my mother put some in my bag too.' We both laughed and hugged. Slowly the embarrassment had begun to leave me but I could not control the redness in my face as that took so much longer to disappear. I was filled with happiness deep inside as I felt I had not just met someone who may have my back at times but I could tell we would be friends for a long time. As I gathered myself together I looked at her; she was slim built with long black hair. It hung down past her shoulders. She looked so smart with her brand new navy blue school uniform on.

'I'm Anushka,' I said as I took a quick peep to check that all the sniggering boys had all but disappeared from view. 'Thanks for coming to my aid. I'm in Ms. Lacroix class what one you in?' I was kind of hoping she would be in the same class. Imagine having such a good, calming influence such as that of Simone who had already impressed me a great deal?

She smiled with a certain amount of grace showing upon her freckled face. 'Same! We can sit next to each other and look after ourselves.' She was extremely confident within herself. I could tell she had a good heart and she had already proved to be a winner in my mind. 'Come on, Anushka let's go and see our new classroom and more to the point... the other nervous wrecks in there.' She giggled and we walked off together towards our classroom. I was glad she knew the way, as I certainly didn't know where I was going. She told me that her parents' had taken her over the school at the end of last term to get her acclimatised to a new way of life in the big school. I wondered why I had not had such a privilege but knew it was probably not even considered by my parents' when they must've got the invite like everyone else. The last thing they had time for - was me. So actually taking me over the school would have been out of the question. Besides, they would have either been drunk or drugged up. What an impression that would have created for me. So in a way, I was pleased they never staggered or slurred their way through an evening with my new teachers and in front of other expectant parents.

I remember feeling so happy as the first day had not turned out to be such a disaster after all and it looked as though I at least had an ally. As any first year student would tell you if you had not experienced this yourself, it is so important if not just for your self - confidence to have someone in your corner. My confidence was instantly boosted but could I possibly keep this new sudden deep feeling or will it fade over a short time? I knew one thing for sure, it would certainly disappear once I got back home. It had been a shaky start to my senior school experience but that first year was to be full of surprises and even my parents' must have been impressed to see my slow change in attitude but they never showed it. It was always a deep pity of mine that they could not change their attitude, even just a little. A little positivity would have not only been welcomed but encouraging. I needed encouraging at this crucial stage of my life. Luckily for me I had Simone and pretty soon I would have more friends. Well, I had to make friends when there were hundreds to choose from. All it came down to was sorting out the good guys from, let's say, the bad ones. Learning at school was not just about the lessons in the classroom but I was beginning to learn new things like; how to hang out around the back of the science block, how to react to any bullies that may from time to time attempt to breach my defensive imaginary force field I had wrapped around myself but the most important lesson was the one Simone taught me - the feeling of freedom. She also spent some time with me explaining just how to deal with negative thoughts and I certainly had plenty of them. She taught me some breathing exercises her mother had shown her in times of anxiety. Then there was the five senses; look, listen, smell, touch and take deep breaths. That one helped me so much at home. I had so many occasions where my parents would shout at me and I would use that technique. It must be a thing therapists' use? I should have spoke with someone about how I was being treated but you try and start a conversation with someone at the age of eleven about verbal abuse and overcome the embarrassment of it being your own parents as being the abusers. Not easy and besides it must have been better than the alternative solutions?

Another big lesson I learned was actually in a classroom but once again had nothing to do with what was actually being taught by the teacher. Mademoiselle, Lacroix was a young French teacher. She was very attractive; she had long glossy black hair, brown eyes