The Girl Who Saw Through Jem

Ellis: Porcey and Community Service [EDITED]

I choked back a sob and buried my head in utter despair. Jem rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. You're being melodramatic," scoffed Jem but I didn't even register him.

That was it. My career- everything I worked for- was gone. What was making my defeat even more humiliating was that it was unravelling in front of the one person who I always made it an effort to be my most presentable and adequate, my worst enemy. To add insult to the injury, he was taking everything in an apathetic stride- that...that detention was just a minor, trivial manner. He didn't even care, which I found was the utmost maddening characteristic about Jeremy Leighton.

While I worked so hard for the grades, the projects and everything else for perfection, Jem made it so...effortless. While I was stark raving mad about e, Jem was relaxed, calm and collected, pranking others and generally raising hell. Was it like he never bothered and didn't he realised caring about something mattered? Didn't he cared...at all?

"I'll do anything to get it off," I said, bordering on hysteria. "Please, Mister Sullivan! I need this! I don't mind the detention...I just want it off my permanent record. I- I can't afford to have it on there! Mister Sullivan, please, I'm begging you."

"It's one detention on your record, Porcey. Jesus Fucking Christ."

Before another heated reply, Mr Sullivan shot Jem a glare. "Jeremy, I wouldn't talk too much. After last year's flooding incident and the toilet-saran wrapping accident and the bell-burying misdeed, I'm afraid you're literally one detention away from expulsion."

"Wait, what?!"

"See?" I smiled smugly at Jem. I smoothed down my hair and looked at Mr Sullivan. "We'll do anything to avoid the, um, intending punishment. Please."

Jem nodded as he realised he could be expelled.

Mr Sullivan bit his lip nervously, twiddling with the ballpoint pen. "There is-" He hesitated, "There is one thing you can do." He looked at Jem. "Both of you."

Jem doctored another long gulp of his flask to cure his nervousness and his interest piqued. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'll be willing to erase traces of any misbehaving acts on both of your permanent record...and I'll be lenient enough to spare you-" he looked at Jem specifically- "expulsion if you help me out."

I leant in. "Anything, sir! Anything."

"it's not unpaid prostitution, right?" wondered Jem sceptically, "Because I'm doing that for free."

"Jem!" I stepped on his toe.

"Ow, Porcey! Damn."

Principal Sullivan cleared his throat. "As you realised, I've recently had to cut some sports teams and clubs because of our crumbling budget. The country's been at this recession for the past..." Mr Sullivan exhaled loudly, stressed out. I recognised that breathing pattern; it was how I reacted before any exams. "And I was hoping you could be able...to help fill in janitorial spots for a while. A month or two."

Jem laughed. "Hell no, we are not-"

"Done," I interrupted, kicking him in the shin to shut up. He hissed in pain, teeth gritting, and glared at me. "It's done. We'll do it."

"Hey, you can't make me-"

"Some community service will do you good Jem," I retorted, "It'll give you a break from drowning puppies or whatever you do for your extracurricular activities."

"Drowning puppies?" He arched one eyebrow. Damn him. I was trying to master that one-eyebrow trick for years. "Are you advocating animal's violence, Porcey?"