Intensity

Seven

I didn’t want to, but I made myself go to class.

            I wondered if Cait was going to be there. She looked so distressed in the hallway that it didn’t seem likely. Her dad would probably come and pick her up and take her home. God, I just couldn’t believe her…

            My wish was not to be granted. Cait walked into class a mere few seconds before the bell rang. Her make-up was fixed and the only remnants that remained of her crying jag were the red in the corners and rims of her eyes. I waved to her, trying to be nice, but she didn’t even look my way. She went and sat in the back of the room next to Yuki Kasamoto, the girl to avoid from the list. I figured it was best that way, anyway. I didn’t want to deal with her.

            Class was halfway over when the intercom came on and Miss Barton said: “Please excuse the interruption. Can Liz Boyer, Polly Lipinski, Candace Hoffman, Selena Lopez, Megan Laden, Quinn Ashtin, Adriana Quantico, and Kate Meyer please come to Principal Coleman’s office? Thank you.”

            I didn’t think much of anything of it until during passing time when Miss Barton said again, “Please excuse the interruption. Can Jon Hudson, Norman Ulrich, Christian Lewis, Sam Aaronson, Gary Nyman, Elroy Sauren, Chad Jenkins, and Chavez Iglesias please come to Principal Coleman’s office? Thank you.”

            I frowned, a light bulb suddenly coming on in my head. I pulled the list out of my binder and skimmed over the names on the freshman page. Yep. It was confirmed—the new principal, Linda Coleman, was calling the kids whose name was on the list into her office. And if she had just called all the freshman in this period…then my class was next. And the girls were going to be first. I was going to go next, sometime in the next half hour.

            I made my way to my next class. I wondered if Cait had figured it out. I contemplated letting her know, but then decided she probably wouldn’t want to talk to me. I was definitely not her favorite person in the world right now. And  whoever made the list was probably number one on her hate list.

            So in the end I didn’t warn her.

            Miss Barton called us in. “Please excuse the interruption. Can Aubrianne Gilson, Sandra Collins, Grace Johnson, Lacy Shepherd, Cassandra Martinez, Yuki Kasamoto, Roxy Prefontaine, and Cait Henry please come to Principal Coleman’s office? Thank you.”

            Even though I knew it was coming, my heart still jumped when I heard my name on the intercom. I stood up abruptly, bumping the desk and making it screech across the linoleum floor. Everyone looked at me. Cait and I quickly left the classroom.

           We walked to the principal’s office on opposite sides of the hallway. She kept her eyes forward, avoiding me.

            “Cait,” I said. “I didn’t put myself on the list. You know that. Seniors do it.”

            “It is so humiliating,” Cait snarled.

            “Like it’s my fault,” I snapped sarcastically. “Quit being so butt-hurt.”

            We made it to the principal’s office. Everyone else was already there. The room was crowded. It was not made for nine people to be in the tiny office space. All of the chairs were already taken so Cait and I were forced to stand awkwardly in the room.

            “Hello girls,” the principal, who I had yet to actually meet, said. “You know why I called you in here, right? All eight of you were on the list this morning.”