Once Upon A Muslim

Chapter 19 | Blood

"I though you were better than this," he says darkly. He leaves, my eyes staring at his back. Although I've been avoiding him for the past few weeks, I can't help but feel ashamed that he thinks that another side of me is this side. It isn't, and it'll hopefully never be.

In the midst of all of this, someone yells, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" People start joining in and pounding their fists against their palms. I hear a whistle and see the gym teacher jog towards us. "Everybody, sit down!" he shouts out, loud and clear. Everybody complies to the order immediately. He looks down at us, and in the corner of my eye, I can see Stephanie smirk knowingly.

"Coach, she... she just attacked me. I just wanted to talk to her but-" she stops for dramatic effect. She lets out a wail, which probably sounds genuine to the Coach since he glares at me.

"You, with me." He points at me. I look around at the cafeteria, and meet the eyes of all the high school students. Some have blank expressions; others are just holding in their laughter, telling from their red faces. I finally glance at my friends, who give me nervous and encouraging nods. I reluctantly stand up from the floor and look down at the two drops of fake blood on the floor. I make sure not to step on it as I follow the Coach. "Escort her to Nurse Sandy!" A couple of students scramble to their feet and run towards Stephanie. Each supports either side of her and carry her to Nurse Sandy.

As I trail behind the Coach, the pain in my thigh intensifies by the minute. He takes me down the halls and leads me to the principal's office. My throat tightens as I peer inside the office through its one glass window. I've never been in this much trouble before, being the goody-two shoes I am. The coach raises a huge fist and raps on the door. After he's told to come in, he slips inside and talks with the principal. I stare at the glass window and watch as the principal nods her head, keeping a straight face. The coach just throws his hands up in the air, maybe to demonstrate exaggeration.

I decide to sit on one of the plastic chairs that is right by the door of the office. I wait impatiently as I hear the faint bellowing of the coach, as he goes on and on about what really didn't happen.

I should have been furious at Stephanie for landing me in trouble. But everything seems to go by in a blur that I can't process what's really going on lately. I think I've changed more than I thought I have.

"Miss McGrady, please step into my office," I hear a soft voice address me. I look up to see the principal, her lips pursed. Her hands stayed folded in front of her as she waits for me to follow inside. The coach leaves the office, grumbling some incoherent things while shooting me daggers. Why? I don't know.

I stand up and straighten my blouse. I follow her inside to her cozy office. There are a few paintings here and there, and also a desk with its chair and computer. A filing cabinet is in the back of the room. A stack of papers sit on the desk. I look around. The office seems cleaner than I thought it would be.

"Miss McGrady, please take a seat." I do so and sit across from her in the comfortable leather chair. She clears her throat before eyeing me carefully. "I've heard that you've been in a fight recently," she says, looking down at my fist.

I bite my lip nervously. "Oh, um, this? It's nothing... Well, can you please let me explain?" She tells me to go ahead and I summarize what just happened a few minutes ago. My heart pounds in my eardrums as I tap my fingers on an armrest of the chair I'm sitting in. "So yeah... That happened."

"Did you or did you not harm her in any way?" she asks curtly. I reply by saying no, to which she records on a paper. "I'll talk with Miss Noel and listen to her side of the story. But for now, I'm letting you go since I don't recall having you here before. Have a good day." And with that, she dismisses me.