Changing Voices

Tick, 3:25 pm, Tock, 3:26. 

The restless murmurs of Ms. Phillips' class seamlessly blended into the rhythmic ticking of the clock. Eager eyes stare dead, freezing time with their gaze. Anxiously tapping her pencil, Emily is consumed with thoughts of the warm outside air hitting her delicate skin. She fanaticizes about all her summer plans; beginning first with her trip to Italy. The smells of gelato and tanning oil coat her nostrils with sweet desires to travel. Her thoughts; interrupted by the incessant squeaking of Thomas’ chair behind her.  

Thomas-- nearly at a full 180 degrees, front legs of his chair kicked up like a horse, heavy in thought, imagines the lineup of animals waiting to see him on the camping trip his family takes every year. The monotonous shrill of the metal chair leg reminds him of a mating call from a bird he read about earlier in the year.  

Tick 3:27. 

“Please sit in your chair correctly, Thomas.” Ms. Phillip stated, piping up after the endless clanging distracted her from restaurant searching. She was going on a date after many months of declining Mr. Morris’s invitation. Ms. Phillips had decided that this summer was a time for reinvention and with that, a new outlook on dating. However, the school clock could not go quick enough to match her excitement.  

Tock 3:28. 

Papers began rustling, slipping out of folders or getting shoved into backpacks as the minutes counted down. Excited whispers began swirling around the room as to what everyone was going to do first when the time hit. Natalie, leaning over her desk to her friend Infront of her, suggested they go to the mall after school to buy a new summer wardrobe. The lilac-colored dress she saw at the mall a few weeks ago from a store she forgot the name of occupied her thoughts. She had to have it for the end of the year party Jason was throwing that night.  

Tick 3:29. 

One more minute to go, Ms. Phillips thought, eager to leave the struggles of the school year behind her and transition to a new chapter. From her desk, she sat staring at the group of students in front of her, both excited for their futures and relieved she had made it through their chaos.  

A gradual rumbling filled the classroom as the final clock stroke indicated freedom. 

Tock 3:30. 

The students leapt out of their seats, rushing to the door as if suddenly possessed. Sounds of excited yelping were heard throughout the school as a peaceful Ms. Phillips sat scrolling through potential dinner options.