Saint Anything |HS|

One.

The tip of my boot crushed the bright orange colored leaf, twisting my foot until the leaf was no longer whole, but instead, a bunch of tiny little pieces surrounding one another. I sighed as I looked on each side of my foot, noticing the other leaves I had spent the last six to ten minutes crushing. The fruit flavored gum in my mouth had become flavorless and I scrunched my nose as I removed the gum from my mouth and threw it in the nearby trash can. I sighed again, jumping onto the concrete ledge beside me and pulling down my skirt as it rose up, revealing my pale skin.

I walked along the ledge and hummed a quiet tune to myself. How long were my parents going to take? How long were they going to discuss my punishment with the principal? I knew I had done it this time. Taking my stubborn ways too far and pushing the last good button of the administration. I should have kept my mouth shut as the teacher asked, but I didn't want to seem weak. I shook off the daunting feeling and nearly smiled as I saw my mother approaching me quickly. I couldn't smile just yet because her facial expression was stone cold.

"Melrose Helena Carr, are you out of your mind?" She fumed. Her Spanish accent became thick as she spat her words at me. At any moment, I expected her eyes to turn to slits, but they didn't. That tiny vein in her neck that became prominent let me know that this wasn't a joke, that I had officially run out of luck with testing the staff in my school. I was a in a whole heap of trouble and I was going to spend the next five or six months trying to fix it. "Well?" She nearly screamed.

Was I out of my mind? Probably.

"I was just-" I thought for a second. Were the words that were about to come out of my mouth worth the smack I was going to receive? "I don't know what I was thinking, mama. Forgive me," I lowered my head for effect. It didn't work.

"You have done it this time, young lady!" She snapped. "Your father and I have had up to here with your behavior and your attitude. You've been expelled, Melrose. Expelled!" She yelled at me. I could feel my heart sink painfully at her words. I was removed from school because of a few harmless words. I just wanted to look cool. I wanted to be rebellious. "And you don't have anything to say for yourself," she spat venomously. Truth is, I didn't quite know what to say. What were the correct words to say your fuming mother after you've been expelled? I love you wouldn't work, I'm sorry was completely out of the question, as was i don't know what to say.

I was completely tongue tied as I stared into the eyes of my mother who could no longer stand my presence at this point. I fumbled with the hem of my skirt and chewed on my lip softly as she continued to glare at me with her coffee-colored eyes. I didn't have a viable explanation as to why I did what I did. Why I wanted to act out and prove to everyone that I wasn't such a prissy princess. I wanted to be rebellious and while the consequences weren't exactly what I wanted, I could still feel the rush my series of trips back and forth to the principals office these past months gave me.

"Go into your room and don't come out until you are told," were the first words that were spoken to me as soon as we got home. I wasn't surprised when my father wouldn't speak a word to me after he came out of the principal's office. I was well aware that I had completely burned my bridges. I nodded obediently and walked up to my room, shutting the door behind me, and flopping on my bed. I thought of the many ways I could apologize to my mother and father for my idiotic behavior. I thought of the many ways I could tell the truth, but they'd think it was ridiculous.

I don't know how long I had been sitting in my room until I was called down for dinner. The tension between my parents and I hung in the air as I helped set the table and fill the plates. My heart raced every time one of them made the slightest noise, thinking they'd open their mouths and speak to me. Anything would have sufficed. A demand of an apology, a curse word, anything! "We have come up with your punishment," my mother cleared her throat before we started eating. While I wasn't happy that my meal was possibly about to be ruined, I was somewhat happy she was speaking to me again.

"What is it?" I asked quietly. My mother never went overboard with her punishments and for that, I was lucky. I anticipated it, waiting for her to say "you're grounded for the next two months", or "you're to do every chore around the house for the next month or so". My father never punished me. He didn't care enough to.

"We have dealt with your behavior and your attitude for the last four months, Melrose," she began. I sucked in a breath and let my eyes linger on her as she spoke. "So we decided, the best form of punishment would be to let you go stay with someone else. Someone more heavy with rules," she said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My face heated with anger and I scratched at the place mat on the table. "Your father has a friend, an ex soldier, who has agreed to whip you into shape. Maybe after staying with him, you will learn how to listen to our rules and behave like the young woman we raised you to be." She said.

"But-"

"Your mother didn't ask for a protest, Melrose," my father snapped from the other end of the table. "You've been expelled," he clarified. "Your mother and I have spent so much money to get you into that school. Money that we worked hard for, and you get expelled?" He spoke to me as if I was a child. "What exactly were you thinking speaking to those teachers that way?"

"I know that I messed up and I am genuinely sorry," I spoke shakily. I could feel a hot tear run down my cheek at this unfair news. How could they? "But shipping me off to some man I don't know isn't fair!" I protested. "I was just trying to fit in, that's all. I'm so sorry-"

"We don't care."

It felt like my world was tipping. If only I could go back in time and keep my mouth shut, I wouldn't be in this position. If only, I didn't let the words of everyone in that school get to me, I wouldn't be expelled and I wouldn't be shipped off to some stranger. "You've really done it this time," my mother spoke. "You leave this Friday."

I could apologize until I'm blue in the face, but that wouldn't do anything. All of this was my fault. Every single bit of it is mine. And I had no choice, I had to deal with the consequences given to me.

What do you think? (: -Bianca.