10 Things I hate About Her (10 Things #1)

7. To Kill a Val

"Let's get to class, Valerie." She crossed her arms.

She knew I didn't like that name, so I stayed put. She grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me up. In truth, I could have flipped her quite easily, but it was never good to fight a teacher. Many kids ended up suspended, or worse, expelled. It wasn't until I walked alongside her, her hand still gripping my collar that she called me 'Val'.

I said, "You can let go now."

"You'll run."

I would.

"Did you have a good weekend?" I asked.

"Yes, yes I did."

"One of my friends got drunk, like almost blackout drunk," I told her, withholding names and any other important information.

"You should tell them not to do that."

"That's the thing." I frowned. "She usually isn't that type. She's quite responsible; I think she was worried about something."

Her cute eyebrows knitted together as she thought about it. "Did you try talking to her?"

"No, I was upset and ignored her for most of the day until I was finally able to answer her call."

Ms. Brandi shook her head and made a small 'tsk'. After a moment of silence, she said, "Look, Val, I have been alive much longer than you."

I nodded. "I'd say so, yes."

Ms. Brandi tugged my collar and I stumbled backwards, shocked. She carried quite a bit of strength in her dainty arms. 

She grinned, but continued, "Serves you right. Anyhow, friendships are very tricky. Sometimes, people say things they don't mean, or say things they mean only in the moment. And the victim of the fight takes offence. Grudges can be held for a very long time. They become a sort of acid that eats away at the core of friendships. Not talking about disagreements weakens the core and soon, the friendship is being held by nothing and the slightest pressure can make it snap. I have lost many friends like this. You see, silence is deadly."

"What if it's someone you've been friends for as long as you remember?"

"If you can't talk things over and reach a satisfying conclusion, then there's no future in your relationship. You'll always be secretly unhappy, and you'll slowly start to hate the other person." 

Silence settled between the two of us as we continued to my class in that awkward manner, and she deposited me into the vulture's class. The minute I stepped inside, Ms. Verna pointed a claw at me and said, "Detention." She didn't face me. Her head was buried in a novel, but her sixth sense had awakened to my detriment.

I turned to Ms. Brandi.

Ms. Brandi shrugged. "That's your own fault; I did warn you."

She rustled my hair. "Now go study and learn, and don't give Ms. Verna any trouble." She smiled at the vulture and departed from sight.

Ms. Verna was in the midst of a monologue when I interrupted her to contest the decision. "I'll write an essay on the importance of diligence," I told her, "I'll clean this room from top to bottom."

She glanced sideways. "You can do all those things, but detention remains."

I tried to appeal to her empathy. "Have you no heart? I have a soccer game tonight."

"Not my problem; you can go after detention."

I inched forward and said, "Do you want me to drop to me knees and beg? Please don't do this to me, Ms. Verna. It isn't right." I slowly lowered myself to one knee.

She said, "This is your final chance; do you understand?"

"You won't regret it," I said and gave her a one-arm hug. "You won't regret it. Have I ever told you, 'I love you'? Because I do. You are the most brilliant creature I have ever met."

She looked to the heavens and muttered something. I took my seat next to Naomi's empty one, a hallow feeling in the pit of my stomach as reality began to creep up on me.