Jesse's Girl

Chapter 35

I posted this the other day but had to take it back down bc something went screwy. If you happened to read it in the hour long time span it was up, lemme know if you liked it, yes?

   And also, shout out to my dad. It's his birthday today. Without him, literally without him, this story, nor I, would not be here.

* * *

When I emerged from the principal’s office, the urge to pull the fire alarm out of spite was overwhelming.

        Curious glances and the whispers of rumors followed me the moment the doors closed behind me, and somehow that only frustrated me more.

        Despite my argument on the matter – which was a few words on how I technically hadn’t started the fight – I received the typical punishment for fighting in school: a severe lecture and two full days of suspension.

        Socking another student in the face and getting suspended for it wasn’t as bad compared to my brother’s long list of behavioral reports that once got him expelled, but it was bad enough to get me grounded by my mother when I returned home from school.

        She was standing on the front porch when I had pulled into the driveway, with her arms crossed and her face set. It was the kind of face that reminded me of the one I usually made when I was about to explode, which was why when I’d shut off the engine, I just remained sitting in the car, locking the doors and staring at her from the front seat.

        When she realized I wasn’t going to get off the car, she narrowed her eyes at me and lifted a finger, motioning me toward her with a sly smirk.

        I shook my head silently.

        “Get,” she mouthed, “Out.”

        And when I finally did, the first thing she said to me once I stood before her was, “You’re grounded for three days.” I had pressed my lips together but didn’t contest her, even when she shot an arm out and pointed a finger toward the front door of the house and said, “Now get to your room before I change my mind and make it a week.”

        I scurried forward, making sure to dodge around her in case she pinched my arm or smacked me in the back of the head or something. Once I was inside, I snuck a glance behind me and relaxed a bit when I saw that she had fallen behind and allowed the door to close. When I turned back around though, I came to a stop when my dad emerged from the living room.

        “Your fight is on YouTube, Rocky,” was his opening line.

        I frowned. “Dad…”

        He moved forward and set a hand on my shoulder. After giving the front door a brief glance, he asked in a quiet voice, “Was the punch the same one Darren and I taught you to do?”

        My answer was a ghost of a smile.

        “If I keep your mom off your case, will you tell me why you did it?”

        I stared at my dad, suddenly struck with the lack of faults in telling him about everything that’s happened since the moment Jesse stumbled out of that janitor’s closet.

        Throughout my seventeen years of existence, I hadn’t exactly been forthcoming in telling my parents every little thing about my school life. It was why they seemed to notice any odd occurrence like Katrina not showing up to the house as much anymore or attractive looking boys lingering outside to drive me to school.