I could see it, mocking me in the peripheral of my vision, just standing there smug as if it owned this whole classroom.

“Stop it!” I stood up and shouted as the whole class turned their bewildered eyes towards me. “What do you want?!”

I could feel hands tugging at the insides of my elbows, my friends begging me to sit down and stop drawing attention to our table, but I was not going to let it get away with it’s attitude, no sir.

“If you’re going to say something, say it to my face,” I screamed to its smug face. The kids between us looked imploring at me, and then at the counter it was standing on.

“Mary?” The teacher began to walk towards me.

“Shut up! Shut up!” I felt the teacher’s hand on my shoulder as she began to pull me gently towards the door. I resisted and two boys came and lifted me off the floor. My legs waving in the air I screamed, “You won’t get away with this! I’ll be back!” and that garden gnome just stood there, its grin still plastered on its face as I was dragged from the room.