It's Complicated

Chapter 1- The Foot

I've not always been one to pass up opportunity, and this one was golden.

I was in the middle of stringing up the last bucket of red paint above the gym door, when a hushed whisper pulled me away from my devious thoughts.

"Andy are you crazy?!"

Grace stood at the bottom of the ladder, looking up at me with patent vexation. Her pale blue eyes bore into me as if she could read my thoughts. Seeing as how she'd been my best friend for 7 years, she probably could.

"Ah." I said, quickly trying to conjure up an excuse. "You see I can explain this. I was just..."

"You were just?" Grace crossed her arms, short blonde hair bobbing as she straightened her gaze.

"I was just making preparations for the dance."

"What dance."

"That...school...dance. For the thing."
Damn, I sucked at lying to her.

I rolled my stormy blue eyes, preparing for a lecture that would inevitably come.

"Down. Now."

I made my way down the latter, and with Grace's help, tucked it away where I found it behind the bleachers.

"Have you lost your mind?!" She shouted, once she was sure she had my full attention.

"Oh, come on, Grace. This gym could do with a good makeover- its older than Ms. Densely." I chuckled thinking about our English teacher's cracked lips and wrinkled skin, which she desperately tried to cover in twenty pounds of makeup and dollar store eyeshadow.

Grace looked at me as if I'd just slapped her.

"This is not a joke, Andy. One more strike and you could be expelled."

"So the school chooses to punish me by making me stay out of school? What kind of system is that?"

Grace shook her head.

"You really don't get it, do you? Your parents have had enough. They were talking to my parents at dinner last night. One more suspension and they're shipping you off to military school."

"Military school?!" I shrieked.

Grace nodded.

"That's why they came over last night. Your parents were looking into the schools that mine were considering when sending Tony off."

Tony was Grace's little brother. At just 15, he set his science teacher's hair on fire. At Weston High, he was a legend. To his parents, he was a lawsuit waiting to happen. They sent him off first chance they got.

I stooped down, picking up the rest of my mess and following Grace toward the gym door.

"My parents would never send me to military school."

"Don't be so sure, they seemed serious enough about it last night."

I had forgotten about my red paint. I stopped dead in my tracks at the gym door, Grace nearly fell into me.

"What the hell?!"

"Might wanna take the back way." I said. "I'll be there In just a second."
Grace gave me a quick once-over.

"Don't do anything stupid." She scolded.

Grace left, and I waited till she was out of sight to go for the ladder. I wasn't sure if my parents were serious about military school, but better safe than sorry. I could at least take down the paint cans to prevent a total mess.

I had almost made it to the ladder when I heard footsteps approach the gym door.

"No!"

My word came too late.