Chalkboard Scribbles | Teen Ink

Chalkboard Scribbles MAG

By Anonymous

Scribbles on the chalkboard. That’s all that was really there, some shapes probably, numbers and some math symbols. He knew them all – not like it was a foreign language. It was just kind of pointless. It wasn’t even a chalkboard; it was a whiteboard. But chalkboards were more poetic. It flowed better, anyway. He let that thought swirl around his mind for a bit. Sort of like the mysterious liquid they gave you instead of wine on Thanksgiving when you were a kid.

Well not really, especially since he knew what the liquid was (sparkling cider) and thoughts don’t swirl. At least they didn’t for him. They just hung there, more like old rusty thumbtacks that hold up papers for a few days then pop out of the corkboard. Yeah, sort of like that. He let his thoughts drift. Considering they were rusty thumbtacks that were bound to pop anyway, he sort of let them hang for a bit then sink away somewhere. Oblivion perhaps.

Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder, he was half pulled out of his thoughts, staring at the whiteboard; he realized he hadn’t blinked in far too long. His eyes were watering.

“Zack, I would appreciate it if you’d pay attention,” the owner of the hand hissed. Oh yeah. Math. That’s right. Some variation of some useless formula was what the symbols and scribbles on the whiteboard were. He nodded, slightly, as if he didn’t really mean it. Because he didn’t mean it at all.

His mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with words, not numbers. Although he now seemed enraptured by the strange markings on the board, he didn’t actually care. He mentally laughed at his own thoughts, if he laughed in the physical sense, people would stare at him, probably snicker behind his back at some untold joke. Again, not that he cared, it was just kind of annoying, you know? No, you probably don’t.

He let his mind make the popping of rusty thumbtacks its priority. Did they make a sound? He’d have to figure it out, do some sort of scientific report on it or something. Win a Nobel Prize for it. What a clever little boy. No more snickering behind his back. He laughed, this time physically. Luckily the sound was drowned out by the fourth bell, the one that meant lunch. He snagged his iPod from his messenger bag and trotted, yeah, like a horse, off to the lunch room.



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This article has 128 comments.


on Sep. 29 2011 at 12:38 pm
heather_marie PLATINUM, Deshler, Ohio
21 articles 2 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
\\\"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control

I love the way you desribed what he was thinking in the way most of us think. really good details a fav of mine!

on Sep. 7 2011 at 9:45 pm

I kind of enjoyed the blissful state that the boy was somewhat in. Even though I cannot relate to daydreaming in math class, I understand the pondering mentality that the boy is experiencng.

By the way, I am starting this new game called Big Words. You start by reading my short story called "Purple-face Tom" (sorry to latently advertise, but it gets better). Once you read my short story, you post one comment using a fancy word. Just put the fancy word that you use in bold so that I can find it. If you do post a comment on my short story using a fancy word, I will read at least three of your works.


Kirsten L. said...
on Sep. 7 2011 at 7:59 pm
I really like the character, and I understand how he feels about math. It's hard not to daydream in that class... XD

on Sep. 7 2011 at 5:46 pm
zadiekatie23 PLATINUM, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
39 articles 4 photos 69 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Hey, this was a great article; I loved reading it because I could connect to the absentminded thoughts that were at the same time deep and focused. Great job, once again, I enjoyed reading this!

Brin11 BRONZE said...
on Sep. 7 2011 at 4:32 pm
Brin11 BRONZE, Gilmer, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 18 comments
I agree, there were so many contradictions and metaphors it made it seem like you were actually looking into his thoughts. I like the way he thinks- kind of absent  minded and philisophical all at the same time.

on Aug. 16 2011 at 1:14 pm
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground"
~Theordore Roosevelt

your style is strong! and I love the fact that you've created a whole persona in this character...you shoud make something longer out of this!

on Aug. 16 2011 at 12:40 pm
Lola_Black GOLD, Harrison, Michigan
11 articles 2 photos 276 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I've always been famous. It's just everybody's just now finding out." --Lady Gaga

Nice! Very good descriptions of what goes on in the character's head! And as for the second to last paragraph, yes I do know!

Harebelle GOLD said...
on Aug. 16 2011 at 12:18 pm
Harebelle GOLD, Vancouver, Other
14 articles 1 photo 118 comments
You have a really great voice! I like how you describe the character's mind wandering to all sorts of random things!

on Jul. 25 2011 at 6:45 pm
LifeWrite PLATINUM, Westfield, New Jersey
44 articles 14 photos 53 comments
I love this! The writing was great--it has this rhythm, this voice--and that is just how I feel in math!!!

TAR11 SILVER said...
on Jul. 25 2011 at 4:02 pm
TAR11 SILVER, Allison Park, Pennsylvania
7 articles 0 photos 51 comments
Cool story please check out mine, Sean Flynn, if you get the chance thanks! 

BitBit SILVER said...
on Jul. 25 2011 at 2:05 pm
BitBit SILVER, Haltom, Texas
6 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never Seattle for less."
"Can it chunky cheese!"

Really good. Thats how I feel in math.

on Jul. 3 2011 at 3:07 pm
blueandorange GOLD, Jeffersonville, Indiana
14 articles 0 photos 63 comments
Very Good!

Curly_Sue said...
on Jun. 11 2011 at 7:31 pm
Curly_Sue, Sand Springs, Oklahoma
0 articles 0 photos 75 comments
Cute. Awesome. Really liked it. Really interesting. Something anyone can connect with. Especially me. Math is rather boring. At least I think so. Great article. Great read. (And my thoughts do swirl lol)

on Jun. 11 2011 at 9:06 am
R5andParamore BRONZE, Manalapan, New Jersey
2 articles 0 photos 67 comments
OH MY GOSH! This is AMAZING! This is my FAVORITE Piece EVER on Teenink! GREAT JOB!!

on Jun. 11 2011 at 12:31 am
Krikette BRONZE, Sunnyvale, California
3 articles 0 photos 22 comments

VERY WELL DONE! FUNNY, ORIGINAL, WITTY. I CAN TOTALLY RELATE TO THE NARRATOR. AT SOME POINTS IT WAS A BIT HARD TO FOLLOW BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS SO IT FIT WITH THE STORY.

(CAPS NOT INTENDED. TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION. SORRY!)


Aamna said...
on Apr. 28 2011 at 4:06 pm
I really enjoyed this piece. the idea of the thumbtacks is genius!! I tottally understand this person's dislike for math :)  please check out my story called Precarious pursuit

on Apr. 6 2011 at 1:08 pm
just-another-url GOLD, Cannes, Other
16 articles 6 photos 151 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's a good thing to be strange. Normalness leads to sadness." -Philip Lester

Really good, today i think i fell asleep in math soo i really liked this. good job, nice word choice :)

on Apr. 6 2011 at 9:01 am
Artsygirl SILVER, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8 articles 4 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather that something is more important than fear.
" Let no one despise your youth instead be an example to the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. " 1 Timothy 4:12

Sounds like me. Whenever I try to do math, I always end up wanting to write instead!

on Mar. 15 2011 at 10:25 pm
This is awesome! :D I was feeling EXACTLY like this in math class today. Only my thoughts aren't really like thumbtacks, they're more like clouds or perhaps birds... or maybe cars in those commercials where the fine print reads "CLOSED COURSE. DO NOT ATTEMPT..."

on Mar. 15 2011 at 12:20 pm
skyblue95 PLATINUM, Bear, Delaware
35 articles 1 photo 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
I am paraphrasing, of course. "My only fear is that when they are turned to loving they will find we are turned to hating." -Reverand Msimangu, Cry, The Beloved Country (a book by Alan Paton)

I loved your use of imagery in this! You're an awesome writer, and I wish I could be that good. Could you check out some of my stuff please? Thanks and keep writing!