There's an Invisible Man Sleeping in My Bed

Chapter 11

            Thalia dropped her backpack on the floor before falling back onto her bed. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts before sitting up. “Colt,” she said quietly, not trusting her parents to stay downstairs. “We need to talk.”

           She felt her bed shift down slightly beside her, and guessed he’d sat down beside her. The closeness of his voice told her she was right. “What about?”

            “About school. You could have easily been found out several times today. I’m not sure you following me there’s the best idea.”

            “No one did notice me. I told you that I’m well-schooled in how to avoid detection. You worry yourself unnecessarily.”

            “Up until the stuff with Mr. Wright I’d have agreed with you. But that was just plain reckless,” she replied, shaking her head. “He knew someone was doing it and we’re lucky enough that he won’t be able to prove it but he’ll probably end up taking it out on one of the others.”

            “I couldn’t stand by and watch his abuse of that poor girl any longer. I don’t know how such a man has been allowed to mold future generations, and quite frankly, he disgusts me. As for retaliation, if you are that concerned about it, I can follow him for a day or so and convince him he’s been bedeviled. Then he won’t have any reason to bother your classmates.”

            “And if he figures out that someone invisible’s harassing him?”

            She heard Colt snort. “He’ll think I’m a ghost. Relax. I know what I’m doing.”

            Thalia sighed. She could tell he wasn’t going to listen to her unless something did happen and probably not even then. “I’d really rather you left this alone and not interfere anymore. But I know that must be hard for you so can you at least promise me you’ll be careful?”

            Her mother’s voice cut through Colt’s reply. “Thalia, Ruth’s here.”

            Eyes wide, she made a shooing gesture in Colt’s general direction before standing. “Coming,” she called back.

            Minutes later she was back in her room and sitting on her bed again but now it was Ruth who was beside her. Her friend was cross-legged in the middle of her bed, her grin almost Cheshire-like in width. “I was going to call you but this is way too good not to tell you in person.”

            Thalia’s smile was a touch hesitant, her experience with the many things Ruth thought exciting giving her ample reason to be unsure. “What happened?”

            “So you know I’ve still got another week’s worth of detention for the rat incident.”

            She nodded. Ruth’s decision to release a rat she’d bought at the pet store into the school’s cafeteria and film people’s reactions to it was still something she didn’t quite understand. Ruth’s explanations involved phrases like “statement of humanity’s nature” and “showing truth”. The “truth” had ended her up with a two weeks of detention.

            Ruth continued, pausing occasionally for dramatic effect. “I ended up being one of the last people to leave school and you know they make us detentionees sign out in the office. Which is how I overheard it. Mr. Schmidt was talking to Mr. Wright again, apparently our noble principal actually spoke to Samantha, and he was clearly unimpressed. But the best part was when Mr. Wright lost it. You know how he gets when his authority’s questioned and he’d been pissed off ever since he fell in our class and he just snapped. Started yelling at Mr. Schmidt about how he had no right to question his teaching methods and how the students here lacked discipline. Said he could teach however he liked and if Mr. Schmidt had a problem with it, he could just fire him.”

            Thalia couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her.

            Ruth smirked, enjoying her shock. “And the best part is, Mr. Schmidt did it. He said that Wright could pack up his stuff and leave. That they didn’t need teachers like him at our school. Which means we’re free. Finally free of that sadist and the way he gets off on making students cry. I’m only sad it took this long for him to be kicked out. The ninth graders will never know the suffering we had to endure for four years.”

            “I hope he’s really gone. He may come back or Mr. Schmidt might get in trouble with the board for not going through them first,” she replied, frowning slightly. “Let’s not celebrate too much until we’re sure.”

            Sighing mournfully, Ruth mock-pouted in her direction. “Why must you always bring logic and caution into it? Can’t we just go crazy and cheer the end of the tyranny?”

            “But if he comes back it’ll feel that much worse for us.”

            “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. You act like such a forty-year old at times. I know you’re an only child and all that, but come on. You need to let loose and do something over the top.”

            Thalia smiled. “That’s your job. My job’s to keep you from going too far. Between the two of us we keep it balanced.”

            Ruth chuckled. “You’re right enough. I’d have been expelled a long time ago without you. And you’d have done nothing but study without me, leaving you with no fun memories of high school.”

            “Running from the cops through the woods because you told one of them he looked like ‘a hybrid between donut and pig’ isn’t exactly what I’d call fun,” she replied, her lips twitching.

            “You’re already smiling about it so it’s clear I’m right. And really, stupidity and high school go hand in hand. Now, did you bake anything over the weekend? And by that, I mean what did you bake?”

            Thalia shook her head and laughed. “C’mon. Let’s see if there are any muffins left.”