The Player's Game

Chapter 3 - See You Later

I watched the clock tick above the door, drumming my fingers on my knee, waiting for Principal Prim.

After the students started to throw food around the cafeteria, Trish and I tried to quietly escape, but just as we were about to exit, we came face-to-face with the principal who was as red as a tomato. He was barely keeping it together when he shouted, "Sam Reynolds and Alex Lewis, in my office NOW!" I guess someone can't help but tattletale to the principal.

So that's how I ended up in the principal's office.

The principal entered the room and went over to his desk and sat across me. His white buttoned up shirt was neatly ironed. The thinning salt and pepper hair that rested on top of his head was neatly combed to the side. He placed the folder on his desk and fixed the other papers lying about - though I didn't see the need to since everything was properly placed. Seriously, everything about this guy was neat. Even his handkerchief that was on the table. He's really living up to his last name

He opened the folder, then glanced at me. He closed it with a sigh and clasped his hands together then stared at me. I felt self-conscious for a while since this was the first time I talked to the principal face-to-face. "So, Ms. Reynolds I presume?"

"Yes, sir," I nodded.

He sighed, again. "Though I only met you just this day, I must say that I'm quite disappointed in you. I checked your school record just a while ago, and I was quite surprised to see that we still have another student with a clean record, until today. What you did in the cafeteria must not go unpunished." I'm pretty sure my blood was boiling. The chance of getting a clean record all throughout high school was only small, but knowing I could have succeeded made my blood boil.

"But I did not do it, sir," I protested.

"That's not what my source told me."

"That's totally untrue, sir. I was not the one who started it. It was Alex Lewis."

"Again, that's not what I heard. Mr. Lewis told me that you were the one who started it. He came to you to apologized, but you turned him down and refused to forgive him. Then comes the worst part, you poured—no—spatyour drink on him. On his face nonetheless"

"Alex is a liar." Except for the spitting part, I'm totally innocent.

"You are in no place to accuse someone of lying, young lady," he scolded. Great. He's on his side too. "As what I've heard, you tried to cheat on him on your English class." No. Not this again.

I let out a sigh and adjusted my glasses. "Like I've told Ms. Brown, I did not cheat."

"I do not tolerate lying, Ms. Reynolds." I'm getting sick of this. They're always accusing me of things I did not do. If I see that Alex, I'm seriously going to scratch his pretty face off.

"But I'm not lying, sir."

He just shook his head and grabbed the telephone sitting in the corner of his desk. "Ms. Pine," he said on the phone, "please send Mr. Lewis inside." He placed back the phone and clasped his hand again.

The door opened and revealed Alex. He took casual strides towards us, hands in his front jean pockets. He took a seat from across me, adjusting his leather jacket and white shirt then leaned back against the chair, a leg on top of the other. I noticed that there was no stain on his shirt from my stunt. He probably changed his clothes.

"You called me, sir?" Oh, so now he's being polite? How nice. It took all my self-control not to grab his neck. "Oh, hey, Reynolds. How you doing?" he greeted when he saw me.

"I did, Mr. Lewis," Principal Prim confirmed. "Ms. Reynolds here," he said, motioning his hand at me, "says that you accused her of cheating and that you were the one who started the food fight.

Lewis straightened up and said, "Well, I was the one who was accused of cheating, Principal Prim. She was the one who really did it." That jerk! "But what she said about the cafeteria incident, I take full responsibility for it."

My jaw dropped. What did he say?

"What?" Both the principal and I said at the same time, equally shocked.

He just shrugged nonchalantly. "I started the cafeteria food fight." He winked at me when the principal was looking at me. Does he have an eye condition or something?

"Okay. So everything here is cleared," he declared, eyes wide. "But you miss, are going to detention for cheating," he pointed at me. "And you," now he's pointing at Alex, "are also going to detention." Ha! I'm dragging you down with me, mister.

"Okay." That was not the reply I was expecting.

Principal Prim continued, saying, "You will be in detention for one week, starting tomorrow since we have a meeting later. You two are now dismissed."

Alex and I got up from our seats and walked out the door, passing through the secretary as we went out. When we were outside, he was a few feet ahead of me when I grabbed Alex from his shirt, pulling him back towards me.

"Woah," he exclaimed.

I faced him, looking through my glasses. He smirked at me. "If you want to make out in the hallway, you can just say it and I'd be glad to." He's really a conceited jerk.

I ignored him. "Why'd you it?"

He gave me a confused look. "Do what?"

"Why did you tell him that you started it and risk going to detention?"

He gave me another smirk. "Let's just say that I want to spend time with you. See you later, Sam." He flicked my glasses and walked away, leaving me in the hallway looking like a lost puppy.