I walked out of the teacher's room and entered the public area of the main office. There, I ran into my only other trustworthy individuals in this world apart from my immediate family. Their names were Alex Blackwood and Jack Whitmore. I stopped to see what they'd done now.
"Alex, Jack," I gave them the side-eye."Okay, so what's the tea today? Don't leave me hanging." I paused, waiting.
"Bro," they said at the same time."We messed up some idiots… rich idiots who thought we were soft," Alex went on, while Jack stared at the floor like it held all the answers.
sigh
"You lot never learn. I told you moderation — that's the rule. Hit 'em, but don't go full psycho. Break a bone if you have to, mess their face, but keep it measured. Not too hot, not too cold." I paused, waiting for it to sink in.
"They snitched or you were caught?" I asked.
"Snitched," Alex said, fuming — dude hated tattle-tales. I noticed a small smile forming, then he spoke again in a more menacing tone, "They started it. Bet they'll be begging us to quit soon." He looked up, a smile forming quickly. "Why'd the teacher pull you up?"
I shivered. [Don't fuck with him — he's bad news, fr.]
"Guess," I looked up. His face betrayed his impatience.
I paused I suppose he really wasn't happy"Yo, chill bro, I got called for my grades… kinda shit apparently, and my mom might get a call too. You guys still hitting that outing?" I asked.
"You mean the Halloween meet-up?" Jack asked, prompting a nod from me."Something like that, though we've changed the venue and date and invited a few more people."
I looked up, confused. "More people?" They both nodded."Girls," Jack said, smiling creepily. I shook my head while speaking.
"Bruh… you got a soft spot up there. That smile? 100% sus." Alex looked at his face, cringing, then responded, "Bro, you need a girl… like quick." We shared a look, nodding sagely.
I glanced up thinking, then back at them. "Share the info, gotta bounce." I ran off while waving at them — it was, after all, almost the end of break, and I just couldn't be bothered to experience the painful process of being run into or pushed around by all the chronically late students who decided to have that extra bit of conversation even though they had a whole hour to get it out.
I got in, huffing. I was rather unfit — even I couldn't lie to myself about that. I might have to take it up with Alex; he was, after all, a gym maniac. I trudged to my desk, lungs on fire — maybe I overdid it. I plopped down, sighing in relief, grabbed my water bottle, and started gulping like it was liquid gold.
gulp gulp chug chug — I was completely invested, so I didn't notice the class rep.
Thud! I was startled; the end result was a fit of coughing. I looked up at the idiot attempting my murder.
"You…" cough cough "...wtf, your mom not teach you, manne…" cough cough I felt tears coming out of my eyes — this girl really was a bastard spawn.
She looked at me, straight-up disgusted."Are you serious? What's with those eyes? You almost killed me. Not even a sorry? How the hell did you even get appointed?" I asked in Indignation
"Those are the papers you need to read by tomorrow. Then meet me at the library after school to go over it," she said, scorn written all over her face.
I blanked at this point. The only thing running through my mind was how best to aim my kick, but unfortunately the tear I'd emitted earlier began stinging my eye. I felt wronged — even the universe was protecting this bitch. She walked away.
As you can see, my hate was clearly warranted. I looked at the paper; counting the pages, I felt faint. No way I could read it all. I looked at her sharply.
Scrrrrr — I shoved the chair back and stood, walking over to her. I slammed the paper on her desk. She didn't even look up.
I tried to stay chill. "I can't finish this. Do you know when school ends? 3pm, right? 'Cause after that I got stuff to do. Man's got a life, you feel me?"
I looked down, waiting for a response. Nothing. Totally ignored me. My face heated up. I opened my mouth, thinking of every obscene name I could throw at her, ready to drop it — but then, I got cut off. Not by her… but by our classroom head teacher, Mr. Venyer, walking in.
"Settle down, please." I looked down; a smug, mocking smile greeted me. [Karma's a holy bitch]
"You will be dismissed early as a teacher's meeting is today, so all are expected to leave the school, as even normal after-school buildings will be closed. Furthermore, as you know, for the next two months you won't need to attend anymore. You can still come in if needed for reading, though some will get a call from me if they are not seen in school." He looked at everyone. I believe no one was being spared — an expected outcome after our previous test results.
"You may leave." He stood up and walked out of the class.
The class became rowdy. I stood up, smiling, intending to head to the rep's desk… then froze. Blank. Empty. I looked to the front, seeing her chasing after the teacher. I stumbled in anger [this girl was seeking protection].
I walked out of class, listening to the chatter among the students. It was mainly centered around the upcoming exams. I was depressed — reason: endless work or a probable report to my mom. God knows, that's asking for death by beating both physically, mentally and emotionally. That reminded me; I took out my phone, calling my mom. It went through instantly.
"Hey, Mom… mind if I swing by your workplace?" I pleaded. I really needed those free donuts. Free treats always hit different — just thinking about them was already mood-boosting.
The phone buzzed and crackled on the other end; background chaos was obvious.
"—–… what? …——" my mom asked. I repeated my pleading. A pause.
"Sure — be quick though, I'll be leaving soon for an investigation." The line cut off.
I took the bus over to her work, got dropped off, and walked in. No one stopped me — they knew me from the rare visits about my dad's incident. Plus, my mom had a big role at this branch, so yeah, I wasn't exactly a stranger.
I kept walking hands on my neck, a bit of swagger when a voice piped up: "Who's the kid?" Normally, I'd ignore it and let someone clue them in, but something about the tone felt familiar… recent.
I looked up. And damn, was he tall.