"You guys are supposed to give your essays to me so I can pass them on to Mr. Kennedy and you better hand them in quick because I got in trouble the last time for not getting them to him 'early enough'." Announces Jada, my classmate, in her usual dramatic way, making air quotes with her fingers.

It always gets our attention though and sure enough everyone starts handing in their essays. Mr. Kennedy's a really cool teacher but if you get on his bad side, big trouble. Now imagine being the reason for getting someone like Jada on his bad side; double trouble. She'd blend your guts with hot sauce and then feed them to her cat.

As soon as she returns from submitting our essays, the assembly bell goes. I managed to make it in early enough today which is horrible because I hate assemblies. In my school, they're all formal like and depressing; especially since Mrs. West began conducting them.

"All stand" she commands in her thick accent and we dutifully obey. I always wanted an accent like that but once I speak, you can immediately tell I'm not a local.

We sing the National Anthem and then she makes us sing the school's anthem as well before saying the pledge. Our Principal, Dr. Eli comes by to make a few announcements concerning noise making in the hallways during class switch overs and such, none of which I pay keen attention to. When it's finally over and I'm heading to my locker, I think of how much I would like to miss the next assembly which is scheduled for Friday.

"Did you hear we'll be getting two new classmates next week?" asks Mary coming up behind me as I head to first period Biology.

"Where do you get all this info from?" I ask, genuinely curious.

'News is lying all around you Ricky. You just have to listen to know." She chuckles.

"Thanks for the advice Mary," I tease as we head into the lab.

"Morning Mrs. Miller" we say in unison as we walk past her to take our seats.

Our biology teacher is a short, stout, dark-haired lady of about 32. She has brown eyes that always look serious or tired and plump lips always wearing bright red lipstick. Like Jada, she's quite the dramatic type and often loves to make it look like her students are giving her a tough time. I'm not saying we don't give her a hard time. Some days it's like we really have it in for our teachers but Mrs. Miller is way too sensitive and emotional to handle the pressure.

There was this time when the goldfish in the fish tank died and she cried throughout the first half of our double period class. She even called us heartless for not participating in her sorrows.

And this other time when Taylor, one of the girls in my class, said her biology note was her ugliest so far because she always used it. Mrs. Miller was standing close to her at the time and misheard. "Mrs. Miller is the ugliest." Paranoid, I know but that's what she heard.

She was all like "Just because you think it in your head doesn't mean you should say it out too."

Then she began to cry and wouldn't listen toTaylor's explanations, as usual, and told us to get out our pens for a surprise test.

That's something else I forgot to mention about her. Whenever Mrs. Miller gets upset, she gives us a test. Totally childish and unfair, I know.

Today seemed no different as she barely mumbled a reply to our greetings. In her loose blue blouse with silver studded buttons, black high waist skirt and pumps she looks quite good. That is, until you raised your gaze up to eye level. She has a drawn expression on her face and her eyes look extra dull.

"Uh-oh" I whisper to Mary as we sit down.

"Okay class, settle down. I'm not feeling very well today as you may have already noticed so I'm not going to teach. I want you all to open to page one hundred and eighty two of your textbooks and read up on the basics of reproduction in flowering plants. After that, I want you to group yourselves in threes and start activity 13.3. You need at least an hour for the experiment so you'll need to set it up and then come back during lunch to see the results. I'll grade your work when your results are complete and you have written a full report."

With that, she picks up her bottled water off the table and walks out to the little office attached to the lab, turning her back on the groans of students around her.

Naturally, Mary, Alex and I form a group and decide it would make more sense to study together before starting up on the experiment.

"The ovule is surrounded by several layers of cells called integuments. Oh jolly!" Alex drawls sarcastically.

"Focus Alex, we need to get this done" says Mary, ever the voice of reason.

"Why do we actually have to read this stuff? I mean, it's not like my future ambition is to grow into a nicely scented flower or something," he says this last bit a little too loudly and the whole class bursts into fits of laughter. Alex is more into art, English and the like. He's only taking biology because he has to and makes it a point to let the world know that he isn't pleased with it.

Several more funny remarks from Alex later, with Mary trying to shush him up, we finally get done with the chapter and begin the experiment. Just as we finish setting it up, the bell goes and we have to leave, to Alex's relief, for our next class.

The day wears on until it's finally lunchtime and we all head like zombies for the cafeteria. Nobody's really in the mood for talking since most of us still have to go finish up our biology projects so we hurriedly finish our lunch and make a beeline for the lab.

Fortunately, as we view our slides under the microscope for results, we see that ours has turned out well. Mary and I quickly give answers to the questions based on the experiment while Alex carefully drafts the result since he's better with words. With our job done, we label our slides, put them together with our report and hand them over to Mrs. Miller who we discover is still in her little office.

Just as we hand in our work, the bell goes for English and we have to rush down so we're not late. "Education is so much fun" I remark sarcastically as we make our way towards our class. Alex and Mary both chuckle.

In class, Mr. Kennedy who has graded our essays makes us say our scores out loud while he records them. I think this is really unfair but don't complain since I got an 87. The class wears on and so does my boredom. Mr. Kennedy tells us about this essay competition and blah blah blah. I mean seriously, why listen to it when I could start making plans to get a new girl? Besides, who would want to enter a boring essay competition?

Okay, maybe Alex would, but still.

After English, I glide through the rest of the day hardly able to concentrate. When I finally hear the bell for the end of school and walk out the building, I feel as though a heavy weight has been taken off my shoulders and deeply breathe in the fresh air.

Mum picks me up and on the way home we pick up Aunt Veronica. Just as she is pulling into our driveway, I notice that a family's moving in the apartment a few houses down which was up for sale before and groan inwardly. Knowing mum, she'll want to bake some cookies or something, go over and say hello. And I'd be fine with that except, she'll make me go with her.

After helping my aunt take her things to her room, I proceed to mine and promptly delete Trish's number from my cell phone. Saga boy Ricky is back on track but first; he has to finish up on his homework.

After dinner, I begin to loosen up, thinking that mum will probably not go over to our new neighbor's but boy was I wrong!

Soon as I plop down on my bed, she's at my door knocking and 'inviting' me to help her welcome the new arrivals. She says it like they're a new package she ordered from a shop or like I have a choice.

Dejectedly, I carry her plate of homemade Shepherd's pie and march behind her as she makes her way to the newly occupied house. At the thought of the name of what I'm currently holding in my hands, I bite my tongue. It's all I can do to keep from laughing. I don't know why it sounds so funny to me. It's a normal-ish name for food, right?

Mum only has to ring the doorbell once before the door is promptly opened by a beautiful dark-haired, brown- eyed African-American lady who looks like she is in her late thirties. She smiles when she sees us and mum goes ahead to state her mission. The lady introduces herself as Grace Williams and invites us inside.

I stare in shock at the transformed living room. The house used to be occupied by this really nice octogenarian who seemed to have a thing for dull colors and furniture. But now, the walls are an attractive white with multicolored curtains adorning the windows. Attractive throw pillows sit on the sofa and I can't help admiring the cool navy blue lampshades which stand guard at each side of the sofa; matching the blue and white embroidered chairs which are at the side of the room.

"I love what you've done with this place!" exclaims mum as she perches on one of the chairs.

"Why, thank you" replies Mrs. Williams, that bright smile never leaving her face. "Would you like some juice?" she continues politely.

"Yes please" mum and I reply in unison. Mrs. Williams chuckles slightly and says we remind her of her kids.

"How many do you have?" asks mum, picking up interest.

"Three daughters." She says. "But they're all at their aunt's place because of the move. They'll be here by Monday for school though" she replies

"That's really nice" says mum. "Maybe they'll be in your school Ricky." She pokes me.

"What school do you attend Ricky?" that was Mrs. Williams

"Oak view High" I reply.

"Really? I've just enrolled them there." she says, a big grin plastered on her face

"That's really nice." I say, trying to appear polite.

Mum talks a bit more with Mrs. Williams before we thankfully say our goodbyes with Mrs. Williams going on and on about how nice it was of us to drop by and say hi

"She seems nice" comments mum as we make our way to our front door

"I guess she's alright" I replied whilst opening the door. "The only –

Oh My God!" I scream as I rush into the house.

"what is it?" asks mum urgently.

There, slumped on the couch is my aunt.

"it's aunt V mum. She's, she's" I didn't want to finish the sentence because I was going to say dead, which may or may not have been an exaggeration. My voice quivers and I feel a huge lump forming in my throat as I send a silent prayer to God. Please let her not be dead, please.

By this time, mum has come in and rushed up to my aunt. She screams for me to come over and I obey on autopilot. Mum puts her ear on my aunt's chest to see if her heart is still beating and just as she does so, we hear a loud burst of laughter. Confused, I look around. I know it's not me and it can't be mum so...

I shift my gaze to look at my aunt who walks out from behind a curtain doubling over with laughter.

"it's...it's her Ghost!!" mum shrieks whilst gripping me tightly, her fingernails digging into my shoulder.

My aunt laughs harder. So much so that she has to lean on the couch for support.

I don't believe in ghosts but my heart is frozen with fear. I run all the ghost movies I ever watched through my mind before saying "I don't think she's not a ghost mum. She's sitting on the couch. A ghost would pass through the couch." My voice, however, doesn't sound so sure.

This does nothing to convince my mum. "If she's not a ghost, how come there's two of her." She asks wisely. Actually, I hadn't thought of that yet.

I turn to my aunt who is still laughing, expecting an answer. Instead, she picks up her dead body, with ease if I may add, and throws it at mum and I. We both scream at the top of our lungs and I swear, I nearly wet my pants before realizing that what hit us doesn't feel like a person at all. In fact it feels really soft, like foam. That's when we calm down enough to check it out and guess what? It's only a dummy replica of her.

"You should have seen the looks on your faces" laughs my aunt as my breathing finally begins to slow down.

"That was certainly not funny Veronica Smith. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" scolds mum.

"Yes it was" replies my aunt childishly. She is still laughing when she says "Oh Okay, I guess I might have gone a little too far. I'm sorry sis" but she doesn't look sorry at all

"That was so cool" I say, applauding my aunt as she gives a little bow "I mean it was really scary but still, where on earth did you get a dummy of yourself made?" I ask amazed.

"A magician never reveals her secrets" chuckles my aunt and I know even though I stay awake all night pestering her, she still wont't tell me so I just let it go and head upstairs to my room. Damn, she was good

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Hi everyone! So here's the new update! What do you think about Mrs Miller and Veronica? Mrs. Miller is actually based off a biology teacher I had in high school. Can you imagine? Lol

Do you think Veronica's prank was out of line? Cool? Odd? I'd love to hear from you!

That's all for now.

 Don't forget to vote, comment and stay Awesome :)