Rule 86

Zombie Dwight

She was forced to stand outside of the room, but that didn't keep from watching and listening to everything that happened. 

Dwight flipped through the sketchbook before he got to his zombie. "I don't look like that," he told Rafe, showing him his own drawing. "I don't look like that at all." He paused. "Son, as principal, I think of myself as the father of this school. And there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect a child. Do you follow me?" 

"Yeah. Sure. You think the students are your children." 

"What? No. The students aren't my children, the school is my child, and you attacked my child today. You punched it in the face. What kind of a person punches a child in the face?" Dwight questioned Rafe. 

C.J. rolled her eyes from outside the door. Typical Principal Dwight. 

"That was a very important assembly, and you ruined it." 

"I know. I'm sorry. Honestly, I was just...doodling!" Rafe exclaimed. 

C.J. felt guilty. She could've stopped the first girl from taking the book, and this never would have happened. 

"Listen, man, I am totally into creativity. I really dig it. I'm a hip cat from way back. You better believe it. But it doesn't belong in school. Art should be locked up in a museum where old people can enjoy it or children on field trips." 

"We get to go on field trips to art museums?" 

C.J. could practically see his face light up from inside the room. 

"God, no. No. That's a complete waste of time. We're not doing that. All right! Rule number 26. Read it out loud, please," Dwight commanded. 

"Rule 26. 'Any written material deemed inappropriate or offensive will be confiscated and destroyed'?" Rafe questioned. 

"And destroyed. Very good. You're a good reader. Gus, bring your bucket in here please. The yellow bucket." 

A Hispanic man walked past C.J. into the room, setting the bucket on the ground. 

"This is a bucket full of acid that will completely dissolve your notebook. It's probably not a great idea to keep a bucket full of acid in a middle school, but if you can think of a better way to dissolve notebooks, I'm all ears. Why are you still here?" Dwight asked Gus, who left the room. "All right! Goodbye, offensive and inappropriate material." 

"Wait, hold on," Rafe said, standing up. "Look, please, I've had that book forever. And, I mean, I worked so hard on all those drawings." 

"Well, maybe if you had worked that hard on something worthwhile instead, like, for instance, your school work, we wouldn't be here right now." 

"Please, you don't understand, those drawings mean everything to me," Rafe pleaded. "Really?" Rafe nodded. 

"In that case," Dwight started to say before grabbing the notebook and throwing it into the bucket. "Rules are rules." 

C.J. watched from outside the door with tears in her eyes, seeing Rafe the same way. She couldn't take it, and she didn't care if she got into trouble. She burst into the room and threw herself in Rafe's arms. "I'm sorry," she whispered. 

He hugged her back and rested his head on her shoulder, watching his favorite thing in the world disappear. 

Principal Dwight cleared his throat, making C.J. step away from Rafe, making him sad, with a deep blush coloring her cheeks. 

"Rule number 37, there must be at least six inches," Dwight said, pushing them apart by their arms.

C.J. looked at him. 

"Between boys and girls." 

C.J. sighed with an annoyed look on her face. "Mmmhmm," she said. 

Dwight looked at her. "Rule number 1." 

She raised her eyebrows at him. 

The two had a stare off, before Dwight spoke. "Detention. One week." 

She scoffed at him with a smirk.