[ Copyrighted to MrsSociopath© ]
Kris stormed down the hallways of Kasper high school attempting to find the councillors office in amongst her blind fury. She was struggling to read the school map in her hand due to her shaking hands from the adrenaline rush thanks to the screaming from that pathetic English teacher. Finally, after a lot of wandering around in a fit of rage Kris happened to stumble upon a lime green door that held a plaque that read ‘School Councillor’ in squiggly writing.
Sighing, Kris pushed open the surprisingly heavy door to find her self in what looked like a small waiting room that you would most likely find in a Doctors Surgery. Across from her was a bright orange door with a laminated sheet of paper stuck to it. It read:
'Please take a seat and I shall be with you in a moment. Remember to have a wonderful day and a wonderful life.'
Kris cringed at the note before taking a seat in one of the many chairs that were littered around the place. Finally seated she took in her surroundings. The walls were white with almost every inch of them covered in posters about a metre up from the floor boards.
One of the posters had a picture of two hands pressed up against a window pain and the writing around it said ‘Hands are for healing, not for hurting.’ Then underneath there was a list of contact information that one could use to get in touch with to help them with anger their anger issues.
All of the posters were similar to it. A weird looking image and a slogan to try to get there point across. ‘Be Buddies, Not Bullies’. ‘Record it, Report it, and don’t support it’. ‘Real men beat eggs, not women’. ‘Stop animal abuse, adopt a piñata’. ‘Put down the drugs, and give Jesus a hug’. ‘Be smart, don’t start’. ‘Guns don’t kill people, people do’. ‘If you don’t stand for your family, then you don’t stand for much’.
Kris shook her head at the amount of crappy slogans people could come up with. She bet they paid people a lot of money to come up with the pieces of crap that they stuck on half these posters.
Kris groaned. She could not believe she was here. She could not believe that bitch of a teacher had sent her to the school councillor just for writing a story. A story! What would she have done if she knew about the real problems in Kris’s life? The woman would probably have her sent to a mental asylum.
“I’m going to write a story about a nun marrying freaking Satan,” Kris mumbled to her self thinking of all the ways she would like to kill Miss Asher. While her imagination was imaging the different ways her English teacher would splat if she got hit by a bus, the lime green door slammed open and in walked a girl singing away with her eyes closed as if she were performing on stage. Her singing was awful.
The girl had light brown hair that cascaded down her back and a rounded cute face clear of any signs of make up. She was small and was wearing a pair of bright pink skinny jeans with purple slip-ons, a white button up vest and had a bright orange scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. On her wrists was an array of braclets ranging from every colour Kris could think of. Then perched on her head was a massive pair of bright pink headphones.
The girl was different, that Kris could honestly say. What was also different were the string of words tumbling out of her mouth. It was not in English. She was singing in a different language. Perhaps she was a foreign exchange student. However, her pale skin made it hard for Kris to place her anywhere. The words sounded Chinese but the girl herself did not look Chinese.
Kris watched as the girl knocked the door closed with her bum and then opened her eyes. They were blue with a yellow tinge with largest pupils that Kris had ever seen, especially for someone who was not stoned, in her life. There were staring right at her. The girl slides her headphone off and around her neck.
“Take a picture it’ll last longer,” Kris said.
“Ok,” the girl replied. She pulled out what looked like a tablet out of her bright flowery bag and snapped a photo of Kris then placed it back in her bag. Kris merely blinked.
“You took a photo of me,” Kris said unsurely, stating the obvious.
“You told me to,” the girl replied with her eyebrow arched.
“I know, now delete it I forgot to pose,” Kris stood. “I was thinking maybe a pout, or shoulder drop,” Kris demonstrated the poses as she said this.
“Do you realize the effort of getting out my tablet again?”
“Do you realize the effort of looking this fabulous?”
“This is fabulous, you moron,” the girl replied gesturing to herself.
“Don’t be jealous of my genius... and style,” Kris smirked at the girl. “Now first meetings usually warrant introductions so, after you.”
“Cassandra Hopper, family call me Cas, friends would also call me Cas if I had any friends and other people call me mentally insane,” Cassandra drawled out. “What about you?”
“Kristen Reeds, family calls me Kiddo, mates call me Kris and others call me a psychotic maniac,” Kris introduced herself. “So, Cas, school councillor?” Kris asked making an emphasis on the Cas. Cas grinned at her.
“Same for you I see, Kris,” she drawled out Kris’s name. They both smirked at each other. Looks like Kris has found herself another friend.
"So are you from here?" Kris asked curiously.
"Born and raised," Cas replied. "But you aren't are you? You have an accent no matter how much you try to hide it, from doth thou hale?"
"Thy hale from the land of Wales, my kings men are Welsh and awfully chavy. What were you just singing now?"
"K-pop. Korean pop music. Only the best. It's life. The ironic thing is I have nearly every descendant from German to Australian in my blood but there is no Korean. Not even some god damn Chinese," Cas huffed as she thought about this.
"I'll remember to look it up when I go home," Kris smiled. "You sound as if you like it a lot."
"I don't like," Cas replied making comma signs with her fingers. "I obsess!"
"I'll keep that in mind."
The orange door slammed open. It seemed that is all people who came here new how to do. Out stormed a boy wearing a grubby green army jacket with stretched ears. He was mumbling under his breath before walking out of the lime green door and slamming that behind him as well.
“Deke McCarthy. He is always in here. You’ll get used to him,” Cas stated before pulling her headphones back on and taking a seat as if this were a regular day in the office for her. Just then, a blonde woman wearing a pantsuit walked out of the orange door and smiled at Cas and me, Cas was pointedly ignoring her.
“So which one of you is next?” the woman asked. Cas immediately pointed at Kris without taking her headphones off. “Ah a new student, how exciting,” the woman chirped overly happy. It freaked Kris out. It was like she had a smile permanently plastered onto her goofy little face. “Come on in, come on in, and please make yourself at home.”
The woman ushered Kris in through the orange door where she found an equally identical room to the one she had just been in except there was a desk completed with a computer, phone and various bits of paper and two chairs either side of it. There was more heinous poster here as well.
The Lady took a seat and Kris took the other. “Hello, my name is Martha and I’m the school councillor. I am here any time of any day during school hours and I am only ever a phone call away if you need someone to converse with,” she twittered while sliding a small card with her contact information on over to Kris.
Her hands slid manically over the keyboard and it pulled up a page of Kris’s school information. “You must be Kristen Reeds, how lovely to meet you, yes it is. Do you have a preferred name? On the other hand, do you just like Kris? I had a boy here once that wanted me to refer to him as Maddox and I happily obliged. His name was Wellington.”
“Uh…,” Kris was put off by the cheerful demeanour that constantly surrounded the woman. “You can call me Kris?” it came out as more of a question than anything else but it was the best she could manage.
“Lovely, well how are you doing Kris? And why have you been sent out to me?” she asked all in one breath.
“Um, I wrote a disturbing story and Miss Asher kind of flipped and sent me down here,” Kris answered straight. No point in being vague. The blunter she was the sooner she could leave. Or so she presumed. Nevertheless, unfortunately for Kris she had no idea what she had gotten herself into.
“What did this story contain?” Martha asked.
“It was about a girl sitting on a building remembering things. Her past. Her dad killed her mother when she was little but she does not find out until a couple of years later when police are arresting him. Then he is arrested and goes to prison. Then she is bumped around different foster homes and she bullied by the other kids. Then she jumps off the building. Then before she hits the ground decides she doesn’t want to die.”
A strong silence filled the room. Martha was just staring a Kris with that creepy smiled plastered into her face and her eyes wide. Kris cleared her throat but Martha just continued too stare. Kris cleared her throat again. This time Martha talked, “Oh deary deary me. I think I shall need to have you booked up for regular councillor appointments. I shall send a message to the principals and I shall see you again in a week.”
“Wait! What!?” Kris yelled, shocked at what Martha was saying. “You can’t do that!”
“Yes I can honey and I’m afraid I’ve got to. I am afraid you might be mentally unwell. Have you thought about suicide often? Are you depressed? Do you take any drugs?” again Martha asked all her questions in one breath.
“Fuck you,” Kris growled out.
“I am sensing great amounts of aggression here Kris, do you have anger issues? I have contact information for you if you need it?”
“I know, I read the poster,” Kris spat. Just then, a shrill sound rang throughout the room and for the first time since meeting, her Martha frowned. The sound was coming from her top draw. She opened it and pulled out her mobile. Her brow creased further. Then she answered.
“Hello? Oh Paul, I told you that you could not call me when I am at work. Yes, I know. I said I know. Yes, I received the papers yesterday. I am signing them. I am signing them! I need to read them through with my lawyer. No, I want the car. I work to miles away from our house, I need the car! Fine, fine. So how is the new wife? What, I can’t even ask about her?! Alright fine, good bye Paul.”
Martha sighed heavily and placed the phone in the draw before slamming it shut. Kris had observed the entire thing and she knew a divorce when she saw one and this was a messy one. The bitterness and sorrow in Martha’s voice was different from a chirpy, creepy front that she put on for her job.
“Divorced?” Kris asked.
“In the process,” Martha replied in a tired voice.
“He break your heart?” Kris asked.
“Don’t they all?” Martha looked up at the girl sitting in front of her.
“Want a tip?” Kris asked.
“Might as well,” Martha shrugged. She did not even know why she was about to take advice from one of her patients but she had no other options.
“Best way to not get your heart broken?” Kris stood up and placed her bag on her shoulder. “Pretend you don’t have one.” She turned to leave the room, her hand reached for the handle.
“Speaking from experience Kris?” Martha asked, interested.
“Always,” she answered coolly. “Another tip, loose the chirpiness, more likely to get a response that isn’t someone slamming a door in your face.” Kris left and slammed the bright orange door behind her. Martha gave a small smile a typed up Kris’s next appointment into the school database. There was more to this girl and she wanted to find out what.
Cas looked up at Kris as she walked out of the room with the bright orange door, “And she lives and it doesn’t look like you’ve tried to slit your throat after just meeting her,” Cas grinned. “I am impressed.” Kris kicked Cas lightly in the shin.
“So you didn’t think to tell me that the woman is a head case?” Kris asked accusingly thinking about how Cas had immediately pointed at her when Martha had asked who wanted to come in next. Cas made her eyes wide and feigned innocence.
“She’s a head case? Damn I hadn’t noticed,” a smirk was playing on her lips. Kris rolled her eyes and flipped her off. “Aw man, that hurt,” Cas put her hand to her heart.
“When she comes out tell her that you’re having family trouble and you think your mum and dad might be getting a divorce, then tell her you don’t feel like talking about it just now,” Kris said quickly. Cas frowned at her just as the bright orange door opened and Martha stepped out. Kris shot her a wink before escaping through the lime door and waiting outside.
A minute or so passed before the lime door opened and out stepped Cas with a wicked grin spread across her face. “I think that’s the first time I haven’t seen that woman smile,” Cas laughed. “How the hell did you figure that would work?”
Kris simply shrugged, “I just know things, see you around Cas, try not to kill anyone.”
“Now that is something that shall be hard to do,” Cas placed her headphones onto her ears and walked away down the hallway. Kris smiled as shook her head. She turned to walk and stopped. The smile slipping from her face.
Grace stood there arms folded and a cold look on her face, “Replacing me already?” she spat out.
“Grace, no,” she stepped forward to hug her but Grace moved just out of her reach.
“Don’t you dare touch me Kristen, don’t you think about anyone but yourself? How do you think this affecting me? You left me alone and scared back in Wales dealing with all the bullshit that you ran away from and you’re here… making new friends and kissing every guy that lays eyes on you!?” Grace screamed. “How could you!? God, what do you think he’s thinking of you right now!?”
“Shut up,” Kris said through gritted teeth. “Don’t you dare talk about him.”
“Why not!?” Grace asked mockingly. “Because it hurts? Well guess what your majesty, you’re not the only person in the world that’s hurting! I’m hurting too! Ever think about me!?”
“I always think about you! I always took your side even when I knew you were wrong!”
“Oh there you go, turning this on me like its my fault,” Grace shouted through blurred tears which were now streaming down her face. “Just admit it Kris, you’re forgetting about me and you’re forgetting about him and the things that you promised him!”
“Don’t talk about him!” Kris yelled back.
“He’s dead Kris! You need to accept that and stop wallowing in self pity!”
“This isn’t about him! This about you getting jealous that I have started to make new friends Grace so don’t you dare try and bump this off on him!” Grace went quiet and so did Kris. The hall seemed incredibly quiet after there screaming match. Grace was still crying and it killed Kris to see her upset. Even if she was only a figment of her imagination.
“Fine, I’m jealous, but I thought you would at least care,” Grace shot back. Kris blinked an then a small rusted blade was in Graces hand. “So much for friendship,” Grace sobbed before putting the blade to her wrist.
“NO!” but it was too late.
Blood was falling from Grace’s wrists to the floor. Tears were falling from Kris’s eyes. Then Grace was gone. Kris breathing was erratic and she felt the urge to do what she had just seen her best friend do in her head. Kris did her best to wipe the tears from her face.
She couldn’t allow anyone to see her like this. She had just started to build up a reputation. She was the scary bad ass chick that didn’t follow the rules and she planned on keeping it that way. She had already had two slip ups when she had shown weakness. That first day she met Craig and the bastard had kissed her. Then the second in front of Deacon when he had found her by the bridge.
Kris turned and ran into something that felt like a wall.
“Fuck Kitten, what happened?” Deacon asked, concern flashed in his eyes. He lifted up Kris’s face to see it more clearly.
“Go fuck yourself Deacon, and don’t touch me,” she pushed herself away from him and stormed down the hallway away from Deacon, Cas, the lime green door and the image of Grace and her bloody wrists. Deacon watched her walk away, confused and hurt. What was going on with him?
Congratz Kaz my man, you're finally in it. Enjoy. Don't hate.