Eve

Chapter 7

By my side, Innara was one with her iPhone – her fingers moving like spider legs across the screen as the thing went BEP with a new message every five seconds.

It was just us, sitting side by side facing Mr. Rosenfield's front door. Innara's parents were in there. We were next.

"So... listen," I tried, after three weeks of awkward silence. "About Friday..."

BEP. And Innara typed away, not so much as a glance my way.

"I'm sorry, ok? I shouldn't have punched you."

"Hu-huh."

"But come on... you were also kind of a –"

"It's ok Eve," Innara said, raising her eyes at last.

Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were sort of saying "I'll make you choke on puppies."

"Huh... ok, then. So, are we good?"

Her eyes went back to her phone.

"Well, not good, we were never good, but... are we ok?"

"Totally."

Mr. Rosenfield's door came open. The Hitchens carried themselves out in royalty poses, going for their daughter.

"Let's go, honey." Mrs. Hitchens was making a point to stand right in front of me and not acknowledge my existence, eyes on her daughter.

Innara got to her feet.

"Eve?" Mr. Rosenfield called, by his door. "This way, please."

"What about Innara?"

Sided by her parents, Innara was already halfway down the corridor on her way out.

"Just you, for now."

Frowning, I stepped inside.

Mr. Rosenfield took his seat and shuffled through papers on the desk in front of him.

I sat across and waited. For a really long time.

"So, are we ever going to talk about what happened? Or am I just here to keep you company?"

At last he raised his eyes at me. "Eve, what you did was very serious."

"I know that."

"And very wrong."

"Yeap."

"You can't solve your problems with violence. At the very least not when you're inside the school."

"I'll make sure to deliver all my upcoming punches outside school grounds."

He sighed, looking at me behind his thick frames halfway down his nose.

"All right," I said, dropping the act. "I know I was out of line. I said I was sorry to Innara, already. It won't happen again."

"That's very good. But I'm afraid it's not enough."

What was it that I was seeing behind his eyes? There was something about the way he was looking at me. Something almost like pity.

"Do you want me to send her family a care pack? Flowers? An apology letter?"

He looked down at his papers, then back at me. "Eve, we're calling your mother as soon as I'm done talking to you. You're being transferred to another school."

I paused, waiting for the punch line. Mr. Rosenfield lowered his eyes.

"Wait, what!?"

"The board forwarded the paper this morning. We have a no violence policy, Eve, and –"

"Bullshit! Gareth and Dale bleed each other to semi death just last week after Football practice! They didn't even get suspended, let alone expelled!"

"We're not expelling you, we are just –"

"Bending over and doing whatever the Hitchens want to you to do, because you're too afraid they'll stop shoving money up your asses!"

Mr. Rosenfield paused. He pulled his glasses from his face and rested them on the table, a very serious expression on his face. His eyes stopped straight on mine.

If he felt this attitude would prompt an apology and a recognition of having crossed a line, he was wrong.

"Bunch of fucking mercenaries, you are," I said, though in a lower tone. I folded my arms. Swear to God, took a lot of me not to spit on the floor like an angry Italian.

"I'm not happy to have to do this, Eve," he said.

I rolled my eyes. Said nothing.

Mr. Rosenfield waited. I kept quiet, eyes on the wall.

"Can I be excused?" I asked, finally.

"We will be calling your mother to –"

"Actually," I said, pushing the chair back as I got up so hard it screeched against the floor like a possum shitting a bowling ball. "I'm not a student here anymore. I don't need your permission. Asshole."

And I stormed out of the place.

I stormed out of Mr. Rosenfield's office straight down the corridor, my insides burning like wild fire.

They were expelling me. One word from Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood and my whole world had turned upside down. What was I gonna do? Would this be in my permanent file? Would I have to put it in my resume when I started looking for jobs? How would I tell mom?

On my way out, I spotted Innara. By the sidewalk, just outside school grounds. Her driver had the Bentley door opened for her (white gloves and everything, swear to God) and she turned her head back as I hushed through the gate.

I held on to her stare. A very shy smile drew itself across her lips. Then she turned back and got in the car, and the Hitchens took off to whatever Hollywood Hills perfect life they went for dinner.

What the hell was I going to tell my mother?

Had they called her, yet? Was Mr. Rosenfield talking to her right now? Maybe it was best if she heard it from them. How would I tell her, anyway? How would I –

My pocket vibrated. I took the phone out.

HOME.

Well...

"Mom," I answered. "I know it sounds bad, but this is all because of –"

"Eve?"

I paused. "Damian? What are you doing calling me from my house?"

"I forgot my phone at home."

"Ok. Let me rephrase that – what are you doing in my house?"

"Where are you?"

"On my way home from school, why?"

There was a pause on the other side of the line. I heard Damian breathing out through static. "I'll wait for you here. We gotta talk."