As Forrest sat lazily at his desk, his head propped up by his arm, he took out the first letter he received from Margaret and hid it in the middle of his mathematics book, pretending to be paying attention to the class. 

While reading it he started to imagine what she looked like, what hobbies she had, what her life must’ve been like. She was petite with long blonde, wavy hair that floated effortlessly in the air whenever there was any wind, he imagined. She walked around the busy streets of Manchester instead of cycling, afraid of being hit by traffic. She baked like her mum used to. She liked to listen to the various shows on her radio box. He returned his thoughts to visualising her; cotton knee high dress with flowery patterns, one inch heels, light red lipstick and minimal makeup. Then he undressed her.

“Forrest!” shouted Mr. Jones, launching a piece of chalk in the direction of Forrest, who was staring at the classroom door. “Forest! Are you paying attention? Don’t make me beat you again. Your final exams are next week, you better know these equations!” It was not the shouting that caused Forrest to return to reality, but rather the chalk that hit his forehead. He grimaced and rubbed his head furiously, trying to soften the pain.

“Yes, sir. I am,” said Forrest, trying his best to avoid eye contact. He gave his teacher a piece of his mind when he turned his back to the class. Mr. Jones was not a tame or gentle character, as the back of Forrest’s head had learned when it was struck multiple times with a thick industrial wooden ruler, something which he should have thought about before giving him the middle finger. He turned around just as Forrest gave him the rude gesture, to which his face reacted by going red and he gritted his teeth.

“This will not be tolerated, Forrest!” he yelled as he dragged Forrest out of his chair, causing his student to almost fall flat on his face on the floor. “You’re going straight to the principal, I’ve had enough of you!” He dragged Forrest up on his feet, by his arm, and hurried to the principal’s office which was on the other side of the corridor. Forrest could not catch up with his teacher’s pace causing him to stumble several times before arriving at the principal’s office. Mr. Jones barged into the office without knocking, something the principal had told him not to do time and time again.

“Principal,” said Mr. Jones with a huff and a puff, clearly showing signs that his fittest years were behind him. “Forrest was giving cheek.”

“What did he do this time?” asked the principal with a sigh and a frown which illuminated the wrinkles on his forehead. He picked up his glasses and put them on.

“Not paying attention, and giving me the finger when I told him to pay attention,” he said. He dragged Forrest into the room and sat him down on the chair in front of the principal’s magnificent oak table. It was magnificent indeed, six people could sit at the table comfortably with much room to spare. It was one of the first things the principal bought using the school budget when he entered his tenure.

“What suppose we do with him, Mr. Jones?” said the principal as he stared into Forrest’s frozen eyes. Fear had struck him so hard, he could barely move, let alone speak.

“I’m sick of his constant cheek, he’s already on his second strike,” said Mr. Jones. After several seconds of silence the principal made a gesture as if to tell him to continue speaking.

“I suggest we don’t allow him into any of the classes,” he said, waiting for a response from the principal. “He’s only got a week until his final exams anyway.”

The principal took off his glasses and started to wipe the lenses with his handkerchief, which he always had in his shirt pocket. He put them back on and took a good look at Forrest, still too laden with fear to object. The only response he could give was to gulp. “Fair enough, I believe that is fair.” He cleared his throat and proceeded to hint that they should leave his office. They obliged and Mr. Jones sent Forrest home with his belongings, but not before giving his class a lecture on how not to behave.