“Margaret, your presentation please,” the teacher announced above the crowd of heads that filled the classroom.
At the sound of her name being called, she stood up and walked with slow, heavy feet to the front of the classroom. While she stood by the Smart Board waiting for her PowerPoint to load, her eyes kept darting at the door.
As she stood there presenting her PowerPoint in a very small voice, her face never changed. Margaret’s mouth stayed in a thin line the entire presentation, her eyebrows furrowed, and she made no eye contact with anyone—just the door, the walls, the ceiling, and mostly the floor. She seemed to read her presentation off the carpet. Along with that, her pale, flushed face looked as though she may even throw up. Her face even had a tint of green to it. She took short, rapid breaths as if to try and hold it down.
Along with her eyes, her head also hung down, creating a small hunch in her upper shoulders and back. Margaret couldn’t stand still. Watching her rock back and forth from one foot to the other took all my attention away from her presentation. Her hands kept moving as well. She had her fingers twisted in a knot and when she would unwind them, they would only get twisted up again. She did, however, take a break from twisting up her fingers by rotating and re-rotating the rings on her fingers.
When Margaret’s presentation finally ended, she bolted back to her seat and sat back down with a loud, heavy sigh.