Lonesome Tears In My Eyes

Chapter 12

We finally get there, out of breath and we’re still early. Why did we run so fast if we were going to be early?  As we’re huffing out breaths, Paul asks “So… how… do… you… like… it?”

I catch my breath and ask “Like what?”

“Like… the school?”

I look around the small, yet crowded, school yard. “It’s cozy,” I reply. “It’s certainly better than my old school.”

Paul finally manages to catch his breath, and he smiles. “Glad you like it,” he says. I smile back at him. For a moment, both of us are just trapped in this smiling staring thing. Weird, but nice.

A voice comes in that snaps us both back into reality. “Paul if you’re going to stare at her all day instead of introduce me I will slap you.” I laugh and Paul looks at him, turning bright in color. The boy is a bit shorter than he is, and he has his hair up in a quiff. He’s pretty cute, I start thinking to myself.

“George, this is Eleanor. Eleanor, this is George.” Paul said, introducing us.

“Nice to meet you George,” I say with a kind smile. George just looks me over and turns back to Paul. Well aren’t you just a polite guy.

They start talking about who-knows-what when the bell rings. “Time for class,” George says, annoyance clear in his voice. “You probably have to go to the front office since your new and all.” I just nod and we head inside.

The office is usually in the front of the building, I think. I search for a while when I find what looks like the front office. “Excuse me,” I say, trying to get the front lady’s attention. “I’m new here and all, and I need my information.”

“Please sit and wait,” she orders, pointing to a chair. I sit down and start to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Man this takes a long time.

Suddenly, a boy gets pulled into the office by a teacher. “I’m telling you,” he says to the teacher. “It wasn’t me who shattered your coffee mug.”

“Oh yea,” she says. “Tell that to all the witnesses who saw you.” She throws him into the chair next to me and dashes into the principal’s office. I looked over at his face and realized something.

Oh shit.

He was from my old school, moved away a week before I ran away. He was in my class, and he was constantly annoying me and getting in trouble. He’ll recognize me in a heartbeat.

“Eleanor Rigby,” the desk lady says. “I have your schedule and stuff here.”

I get up and he watched me like a hawk. I quickly grab it and start to walk out. Please don’t follow me, I begged inside my head.

Head begging wasn’t enough.

Right as I left the office, a hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. He saw my face and gave a smug smile. “Well if it isn’t Annette. What are you doing here Wood? Or, should I call you, ‘Rigby’?” he asks, putting air quotes around Rigby.

“You want to know what I’m doing here Mathew?” I asked. He nodded. “None of your damn business, that’s what I’m doing here. Now fuck off.”

I start to walk away when he grabs e and pins me against the wall. “I’m real sick of your attitude Wood.” He states.

“Oh ‘m just getting started.”

He raises a fist when I’m saved by the teacher that brought him in the first place. “Mathew Piper what the hell do you think you’re doing? Get back here!” He gives me a glare and heads into the office.

I got to my first class just in time for it to end. I got through my second and third, and then came lunch. I met up with Paul and George, we picked a table and started eating.

George decided to open up a little more, talking to me more and more. All was going well until we were interrupted.

Mathew came and sat right next to me. “Hello Annette. Nice to see you since our last meeting.” George gives me an odd look like ‘Who is Annette?’ and Paul gives a look of ‘Shit is about to go down.’

Guess whose look was most accurate.

 “Go fuck yourself Mathew,” I tell him. This kid has a temper, I can tell you that.

He grabbed my head, turned me around and had me pinned to the table. “You got me in a lot of trouble when I didn’t even hit you. Let me own up to that trouble now.” He just about punched me when Paul got him off me and turned him around to see him face to face.

“Leave her alone,” Paul told him, trying to sound aggressive. Wasn’t working very well.

“Who are you to be her guardian?”

“Doesn’t matter does it? Just leave the girl alone.”

That’s when the fists went flying.

Mathew threw the first punch, missing Paul by centimeters. Paul threw a punch and landed a weak one on his cheek, missing his target choice of his nose. Mathew hit Paul square in the eye, making him fall back.

Then everything went so fast that I couldn’t really comprehend any of it.

I tried holding Paul back, trying to get him out of the way when I was hit in the nose, knocking my back and leaving my nose bloody. I looked up and saw Mathew’s, beaten up, but smug face. “That’s it you son of a bitch!” I yelled throwing myself at him. It took both George and Paul to hold me back, and that’s when we got in trouble.

“Hey, you four! My office, now!” I hear someone yell. We all turn our heads and see the principal. Paul and George let go of me, and right when we start to walk to the office, I figured well, if I’m getting in trouble might as well land a punch. I turn around and face Mathew, punching him dead in the cheekbone. I would’ve landed a second punch if Paul and George hadn’t grabbed me again.

We get to the office and we all have to sit down, and I was placed on the left end, next to Paul, George on his right and Mathew at the right end. Good thing they separated us or I would’ve killed Mathew by now.

“Do you four have any idea how much trouble you’re in?!” he yells at us.

It was a rhetorical question, but being the smart-arse I am, I decided to answer it anyways.

“I’ve been in deeper trouble,” I say.

“Miss Rigby, it is only your first day…”

“Her name isn’t Eleanor Rigby,” Mathew begins. “It’s Annette Wood.”

“Oh yea,” Paul starts, trying to cover for me. “And my name isn’t Paul McCartney.”

“Enough! I’m calling all of your parents, and you four are staying in after school detention.”

“Excuse me sir,” George begins to pipe up. “I wasn’t involved in the fighting, but if I’m going to be punished, I thought I might as well do this.” He then stands up and flips Mathew’s chair over and starts to kick him until the principal has to separate them.

I have a feeling George and I are going to be really good friends.