War in Broadway High

4. The Kids Aren't Alright

Chapter 4: The Kids Aren't Alright

Evan.

"OUR CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING!" was Miss Fleming's scream as soon as everyone sat down on the bleachers of the gym.

Evan slipped into the background, unnoticed, where he felt safe.

Principal Gowan had grimaced at the loud shout.

"Thank you, Miss Fleming-" he tried taking the microphone away from her, but she refused to give it up, and kept looking at every student in the eyes intensely as if trying to force some sort of connection.

"We're all together in this, so we need to talk, and feel together! Get to the root of why we feel like we need to attack each other, causing each other pain instead of confronting our own!"

"Great idea. Call me when the shuttle lands," Coach Ripper sneered. Some other of the faculty laughed.

The Principal finally managed to get back the microphone.

"Yes, thank you, as we were saying," he cleared his throat. "Students, the kind of behavior we've seen today is completely unacceptable. Rules are being abused and discarded like toilet paper!"

Is toilet paper abused?  Evan wondered.

"It always has been unacceptable, of course, but now more than ever. It could mean the end for all of us."

He made a dramatic pause, making sure he had everyone's attention, which was only mildly so, before continuing.

"Due to the... disorganized nature of our school in the past year, which is completely you children's fault, the department of education has sent us an ultimatum. In a few months, the school board will come to review the school, and if they do not find it to be an ideal educational environment, we will be shut down. Which means everyone gets fired and every student has to repeat the year wherever you manage to go. And trust me, it will not look good in your reports. Forget anything above community college if this happens."

Some gasps were heard among the crowd. Evan wasn't sure what he'd do: sure, he didn't have any friends here unless you counted "family friends", but the thought of a new school, full of strangers, not knowing where the classrooms were or how to even get to the bathrooms to hide, was frightening. He swallowed a lump in his throat, going over all the options in his head 100 miles an hour.

"If we do not see an improvement of this school, we are all doomed," Principal Gowan sighed, rubbing his temple, seeming to be genuinely affected by what he was saying. "That is all, go back to your classrooms."

Veronica.

Dear diary,
School started only this Wednesday, and somehow, me, JD, Evan, Connor, Cady and two other kids from her junior year, Jeremy and Michael, have all managed to get detention already. Today, on a Saturday, of all days! Right now I was supposed to be at the mall with the Heathers, buying clothes and being popular and shit... On second thought, maybe detention isn't so bad. I just can't help but worry with this and all that's going on at school that I won't get into a good university. College is supposed to be my ticket out of hell, I can't miss my ride! I will say one thing though, if I have to be here, I'm glad it's with JD. I'd kill to have less time with the Heathers so I can see him more often.

The girl blushed ever so slightly writing those last sentences, realizing how much she did want to be with him, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Veronica Sawyer," as if conjured by her words, the boy she had just been thinking about greeted her, startling her a bit, and she quickly closed the diary in fear he'd read what she had been writing. She did not need to feed his ego.