𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓
𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥
𝟏𝟏:𝟓𝟓 𝐚𝐦
Laura
By the time fourth period ended, lunch time arrived sooner than I had expected. Numerous students rapidly exited their classrooms, quickly piling into the makeshift haven the cafeteria represented. I strolled out of my fourth period classroom, my hands gripping the edges of my AP European History textbook.
Making my way down the western staircase, I easily spotted Tyler and Emilie among the expanding crowd of high school students. The two of them were sitting at our designated table, situated over by the enormous glass pane window. The one thing I loved most about our lunch table was that it was located far from the main arrangement of foldable tables that occupied the room. It separated the three of us from the clatter and chatter of the outgoing and sociable jocks, cheerleaders, gangsters, hippies, and girly girls that occupied the majority of the cafeteria. In other words, it was a Neanderthal free zone.
I sat down on the other side of the table, facing my friends. "So...What did Miss smarty-pants learn today during AP Euro?" I placed my textbook on the tabletop, meeting Tyler's charismatic gaze.
I set my backpack down on the ground, beside my seat. "You know, just about the basics of the Renaissance and how it exerted a significant influence on European art, music, literature, and politics during the fifteenth century." I unzipped my backpack, taking out my water bottle, salad, napkins, and fork I grabbed from the kitchen on my way out the front door this morning.
Em pulled out her soda and bagged BTL sandwich out of her school bag, setting her lunch on top of the table. "I swear Laura, you practically have the intellect of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking combined." She twisted the cap off of her bottle of Barq's root beer. The ravenette brought the open drink to her lips and took a large sip out of it.
I grinned. I set my lunch on the table and opened up the plastic container. "Except I don't plan on majoring in physics, astronomy, nor cosmology. The majority of my education focuses mainly on biology, chemistry, human anatomy and physiology, and a hint of mathematics," I pointed out, using my fork to take a bite of my salad.
A hushed laugh escaped Tyler's lips. "Smartass." He opened up his bag of Funyuns, taking out one of the smaller chips and munching on it.
The three of us steadily gulped down on our selected meals as time started to wear on. We held a casual, laid-back conversation amongst ourselves, up until Emilie had brought up a possible plan to get back at Catherine. Upon hearing what she came up with, Tyler and I disapproved of her idea. Even if it would result in Catherine getting a black eye, the two of us didn't want Em to get in serious trouble for it. It would only give Principal Anderson the perfect excuse to expel her for good.
"What do you think we should do then, Laura? Since you nor T-bone over here won't let me give that harlot a taste of her own medicine," Emilie inquired, pointing her thumb over in Tyler's direction.
"Emilie," Tyler stared at her, giving her full eye contact. "Punching Catherine in the face with your bare fists won't solve anything for anyone. That would land you in detention for about a week, and a credible reason for the principal to do more than just suspend you," he stated bluntly.
"But it would be totally worth it!" The ravenette pouted, pursing her bottom lip.
Between us girls, one thing we had in common was that we both hated Cat eminently with a burning passion, but she was more willing than I was to get into an actual fight with her just to beat the shit out of her. She wouldn't do it just for me, but also for all the other people she bullied at school as well. I was never Catherine's first nor her last victim.
"As much as I would like that to happen, Emilie, but I have to agree with Tyler on this one. Picking a fight with Catherine won't solve anything. That wouldn't get us anywhere, except you getting thrown out of school permanently. It would only make things worse." I took a sip from my water bottle before resuming where I left off. "Besides, there are more important matters at hand that need to be discussed."
Tyler tossed another Funyun into his mouth and ate it. "More importantly, we need to figure out what we're gonna do next Sunday on your birthday, Lari."
My eyes went round. I let go of my fork; the sound of metal clinking against the smooth table top echoed all throughout our vicinity. Shit... I forgot that about. How could I easily let that slip from my mind? With everything that's been going on, I wouldn't blame myself for failing to remember my birthday. Especially with Catherine breathing down my neck lately.
"Don't tell me that you forgot about your birthday, Lari?" Emilie asked, raising her voice a bit.
I let out a nervous chuckle. I rubbed the bad of my head, laughing at my own ignorance. My actions only confirmed what the ravenette had just asked. "Are you serious? Come on, Laura! It's your sweet sixteen we're talking about here! Your most important birthday yet, not some quinceanera."
"She makes a really good point, Laura." He gestured his thumb in Emilie's direction. "I may be a guy and all, knowing jack-crap about the significance of a girl's sweet sixteen, but what I know for sure is that this year is special for you. It officially marks your sixteenth year living here amongst us, and that by itself is a major accomplishment. With that being said." Tyler rested his elbows on the tabletop, slighting leaning forward towards me. "what do you want to do on your birthday?"
I picked up my fork, thinking over his question. I gathered another mouthful of salad with my fork, lifting it towards my mouth—I suddenly stopped. I already had something planned on Sunday, and I forgot to tell them about it yesterday. Dammit, that's the second thing I've omitted from my memory. What's with me and forgetting everything today? I took a deep, relaxed breath in before exhaling out. I shifted my gaze back up at my friends, forcing a smile to curl onto my lips.
Emilie furrowed her eyebrows. "What's wrong, Lari?
The corners of my mouth quirked up even more. "Nothing Em, I just remembered what I already had planned for my birthday."
"Have what planned?" Tyler asked, curiosity resonating from his tone of voice.
I sighed. "I wanted to tell you guys sooner about this, but I didn't know how to easily break this to you two." I tucked a wavy tendril of hair behind my ear." A couple days ago, my mother had gone out on her day off to go drink and party at the nearest bar in town, us usual. She's been acting as if she was a young adult again and not the middle-aged, downhearted widow still mourning for the death of her husband. She had left her phone at home that night. The only reason I know that was it kept ringing loudly from within her room practically every ten minutes. I tried brushing it off by focusing on finishing my math homework. That didn't work as well as I thought it would. The constant ringing was becoming nothing more than a major distraction, and a troublesome hindrance. When I couldn't take it anymore, I had to put everything on hold and march inside her bedroom to answer whoever the hell was so desperate to get ahold of her."
Tyler leaned forward, his biceps tensing underneath the sleeves of his green flannel. "So? Who was it?"
"At first I thought that it was your mother, Tyler, attempting to get in touch with mine. With everything that's been going on—including how I've been leaving your parents in the dark this entire time—I couldn't blame them for being worried. My mother has made it more than obvious that she hasn't been in the right state of mind for a long time." I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "It wasn't your mother on the other end of the line—it was a social worker from the adoption agency here in town." I paused to take another bite out of my salad.
Emilie's mocha eyes widened. "What? W-What did they say?"
I set my eating utensil down. I intertwined my fingers together, resting them on the table top. "Once I was able to feed her a feasible enough lie about why Mom wasn't picking up, she explained to me the reason why she was trying to get ahold of her in the first place.''
I stopped for a moment to drink once more from my water bottle, moistening my parched throat. "My birth mother wants to visit me on Sunday."
Emilie spat out the reminder of her root beer that she didn't swallow, erupting into a fit of coughing. "Shut. Up. Are you serious?"
I nodded my head at her. "No joke, Em. Somehow, someway, she was able to get permission from the proper authorities and obtained visitation privileges even though she was one who wanted a closed adoption in the first place. Despite that, there are still a few downsides that came from the agreement that was finalized between her and the agency. First, she can only visit me on this coming Sunday, and that's it. Not even after I turn eighteen. Secondly, any further attempts to try to contact me or see me in person can result in her getting arrested and charged with violation of law. As insurance, a copy of the contract was recently typed up and mailed to me by the adoption agency. So...I should be getting that in the mail any day now."
Tyler set his bag of Funyuns on top of the table, resting his forearms on the tabletop. "Let me get this straight. Your birth mother, the one person that wanted nothing to do with you, wants to visit you on your birthday of all possible times?"
Emilie elbowed him harshly, glaring at him. "Ouch! What was that for?"
"Dude, you didn't have to word it that way—"
"Em, it's fine. I know that he didn't mean to sound so offensive." I interrupted her. "And yes, that's basically the plan for Sunday." I lowered my gaze, twiddling at my thumbs. "I know that sounds like that's the last thing I should be doing on my birthday, but...I always wanted to meet her. I have so many questions, questions that only she can answer for me. The only way I'll be able to find the answers I'm looking for is by confronting her myself, and this may be my only chance to do so. I don't expect her to welcome me with open arms. I won't lie about that. At least this way—no matter what happens—I'll be able to find some much needed closure."
The corners of my mouth steadily quirked down, forming a partial frown. I grabbed ahold of one my long, blonde tendrils sticking out from my ponytail, twirling the silky strands between my fingertips. "I'm sorry guys. I want to hang out with you two on my birthday, but I need to do this—"
Emilie placed her hand on top of mine, gently grasping my appendage. I looked up to meet her reassuring gaze. "There's no need to apologize, Laura. We know that this is something you've wanted to do for a long time."
"You got that right, Em," Tyler added, offering a sincere smile.
"There's no need to apologize, Laura. We understand, and no matter what happens, we'll be with you every step of the way. Okay?"
I nodded my head at them; I couldn't help but smile.
Tyler popped another Funyun into his mouth. "Besides, it's not like the world is gonna end if we don't hangout for one day—"
The sound of the bell ringing echoed throughout the building, indicating that lunch time was officially over. I resealed my salad container and packed up my lunch. I swung one of the straps of my backpack over my shoulder, lugging it on my back. I picked up my history textbook off of the table, gripping the edges of the hard cover.
"I'm gonna go on ahead." I turned around, facing my friends. They were preoccupied with tossing their trash away in a nearby garbage can. "I'll meet you guys at the gym."
Em took one last sip of her soda before throwing it away. "Got it. See you later then."
I turned on my heel, walking through the cafeteria and down the main hallway. Within a matter of seconds, the corridor rapidly became overcrowded with countless, needy freshmen, sweaty sophomores, putrid juniors, and lastly, the foul seniors that had about nine months left until they were free of this professed academic prison. As more and more students piled into the hallway, the size of my personal bubble slowly shrunk bit by bit. Anxiety began to gnaw at the very back of my mind; a byproduct of my claustrophobia.
Pushing away my growing feelings of uneasiness, I switched my frown upside down, masking my discomfort. By the time I had reached the gymnasium, it was already packed with students and teachers alike. Everyone was checking out each of the individual tables that had been set. All throughout the gym, there were several isles of stands set up parallel to the entryway. Each row being defined by the profession or area of study.
Standing quietly by their respective tables were business representatives, hand-picked by their employers themselves to act as the face of their renown corporation or establishment. The appointed men and women were dressed in their normal working apparel, their professional attire reflecting their distinct line of work. Situated on top of every table was a three panel poster board, outlining the underlying foundation of the business or occupation as well as all of the opportunities and bonuses that came with it. Arranged in front of the majority of the poster boards were a wide variety of company branded goodies. Pencils, pens, drawstring bags, keychains, water bottles, t-shirts, bookmarks, silicone bracelets, candy, you name it.
My electric, blue eyes inspected the surrounding area, searching for my friends who were currently nowhere in sight. With this colossal kind of crowd in the room, Emilie and Tyler could've been anywhere. It didn't help much either that more than half of the individuals present in the gymnasium were talking up a storm. A myriad of clear-cut voices spoke all at once, echoing all throughout the room. The non-stop small talk was deafening enough to drown each other out in a sea of discussion. It would be pointless to try to call out to them, knowing that they wouldn't even be able to hear me. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Emilie's number—
—and then my iPhone was suddenly snatched out of my hand. I glanced behind me, my eyes landing on Catherine, Shelby, and Joshua as the three of them approached me. Standing not too far behind them was the rest of their gang of friends, encircling the four of us within the multitude of people so no one else would be able to notice what was about to happen. Catherine's manicured fingers were clasped around my cellular device, holding it in her grip. The moment the call to my best friend went through, she hung up on her. Scornful laughter left her glossed lips.
"What's this? An iPhone 4S? I always knew that you were a call girl just like that pathetic birth mother of yours, but this?" Catherine held out my phone in front of me. "This only proves it." Shelby and Joshua snickered behind Cat. "You're just as outdated as an old VCR, you know that? When are you gonna finally get with the program? Hmm, Miss Dim-wit?"
I gritted my pristine teeth, my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands once again. No matter how provoked I was, I kept my feelings of resentment in check. Lashing out on Catherine wouldn't solve anything, even if she deserved it. "What the hell do you guys want now? To give me another reason why I should share the details of your whole blackmailing scheme with a teacher right now?"
Catherine took a step forward, holding her head high. She carried herself with vanity and pomposity; some would say that she was just as arrogant and self-centered as Kim Kardashian. "Have you forgotten our little arrangement? Or do I need to give you a little reminder? Hmm?" A diabolical grin curled onto her lips. "Since you seem to be slacking off a bit with the current task at hand, I'll kindly hold onto this for you until you're finished with my paper. Does that sound good to you?"
I unclenched my hands, popping my knuckles. "Like hell it does." This has now gone too far. Way too far. I can't just sit here and do nothing like I have been this entire time. I'll be damned if I don't stop abiding by Pussy cat's ruling and finally take a stand for myself.
I stepped forward, more focused on reaching up to take back my phone—Joshua's fist instantly collided with my face without warning. My backpack was violently knocked off my shoulders, and my textbook flew out of my hands. I landed roughly on the gymnasium's floor on my side; a part of my face smashed against the smooth flooring, and the sounds of mocking laughter filled the chilly air. Ignoring the incoming wave of pain escalating from my head all the way down to my legs, I raised my torso off the ground, using my left arm to support myself.
The taste of copper on the tip of my tongue made me halt in place when I was about to stand back up. My left nostril suddenly felt runny, and to confirm my suspicions, I touched it and pulled my hand back. I eyed the crimson liquid that coated the top of my fingertip.
It's blood.
"What the hell is going on over here!?" A masculine voice spoke up, his tone as deep and resonant as a drill sergeant's.
Looking up, a man pushed aside some of Catherine's friends, entering her little circle of torment. Judging by the look of displeasure clouding his features and the way his eyebrows creased, he didn't look happy one bit. Following close behind him was the rest of his comrades, and my eyes landed onto the logo stitched into the sleeves of their t-shirts. They're members of the BSAA—
"Laura?" Piers hurried over in my direction when my eyes met his. He kneeled down in front of me. "Jesus, you're bleeding." He pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a nosebleed," I reassured him, pinching my bleeding nostril with the piece of cloth. Piers helped me up off the ground, and as I turned around, I looked over and watched the argument that ensued between the BSAA member and the three stooges.
"Give one damn, good reason why you think it's okay to forcibly punch a girl like that?" he demanded from Joshua, pointing his finger in his direction.
"She was threatening my girlfriend!" he justified, gesturing towards Cat. I observed from afar as she hid my phone behind her back. "How else was I supposed to protect her from that crazy bitch behind you that was about to strangle her?"
Damn, Catherine's got him bewitched like no other... Makes me wonder what she did to get him on such a tight leash.
He turned around to look at me—briefly eyeing my blood-stained face—and then shifted his gaze back in Josh's direction. "If that was really her true intentions, then why did she reach out for your girlfriend's hand instead of her neck? Seems to me that she wasn't even set on choking her at all." Joshua remained silent, maintaining his "protective boyfriend" facade. The man then looked over in Cat's direction. "Care to share what you're hiding behind your back, young lady?"
"Hiding what, sir?" She withdrew her arms from behind her back, revealing her empty hands.
The elder man narrowed his eyes, giving Catherine a "Do you really think I'm that oblivious?" kind of look. "Do you truly take me for a fool? I may be old, but I'm certainly not blind nor stupid. You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that to hide a phone in your back pocket." He crossed his sturdy arms over his chest. "It's rather simple. If you don't want to make more of a scene that you already have, I kindly suggest returning the phone you've stolen before I let it slip that you're harassing a fellow student and using coercion to do so."
Scornful laughter left Catherine's lips as she placed a hand on her hip. "Even if you decide to tell anyone, who would believe you? A malicious smirk decorated her lips. "It's not like the principal has been watching us the entire time. If he didn't see it, it didn't happen—"
"I would beg to differ, Ms. Bates," Principal Anderson interrupted. He walked over and stopped beside the BSAA representative, facing Catherine's inner ring of accomplices. Her eyes partially widened, burning with resentment. Her nostrils flared out in frustration; she realized that the tables had been turned on her. The look on her face said it all - it was the look of defeat.
"Ms. Bates, Ms. Wright, Mr. Greene. I want the three of you, as well as the rest of your gang, in my office. Now. And if any of you try to make a run for it, I won't hesitate to ask these gentlemen to generously escort all of you out from the gymnasium." On cue, a few of the BSAA personnel popped their knuckles. A number of other them twisted their brawny necks, and the last of them stared angrily at them. I gulped.
I've never felt more glad in my life to play the victim.
Principal Anderson turned around to face the leader of the BSAA platoon. "Thank you for stepping in when you did, Mr..."
"Redfield. Chris Redfield," he introduced himself to the principal, holding his hand out to him.
Redfield? Where have I heard that name before? My eyes remained focused on Mr. Redfield and the principal. I watched silently as the two men carried on with their conversation.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Redfield." Principal Anderson shook the other man's hand briefly. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, do you mind taking a trip to my office as well? It would make things much easier to discuss the matter at hand somewhere more...private."
Mr. Redfield nodded his head. "Yes, of course. I'm more than happy to comply, as long as we're able to peacefully resolve this." He glanced over at his comrades. "I'll be right back. I'll meet you guys back at our stand once I return." His electric, blue eyes met Piers' gaze, and then he redirected his gaze in my direction. "Are you okay?"
I nodded my head at him. "Yes, I'll be fine. I appreciate the concern though."
The vexation that once clouded Mr. Redfield's features were replaced with relief. The corners of his mouth quirked back up, allowing a smile to curl onto his lips. He trailed behind the principal, and without any complaints, Catherine and the rest of her gang followed close behind them out of the gym. Mr. Redfield came to an abrupt halt along the way towards the exit, turning around as Catherine stopped in front of him.
He crossed his arms over his chest once more. "I believe that you're forgetting something."
She cursed under her breath, keeping her voice low to make sure whatever she mumbled was inaudible. Turning around, Catherine pulled my phone out of her back pocket. Her stilettos clicked against the polished flooring, and as soon as she approached me, she held out my iPhone. Catherine's manicured fingernails were wrapped tightly around the cellular device. When I took my phone back from her, her dark, brown eyes never left mine.
"This is far from over, Laura," Catherine mouthed at me. Turning around, she followed Mr. Redfield out of the gymnasium.