For Good

Chapter 9 - Warnings

It was the second week of school when Skie was called down to the Headmistress' office on Thursday morning just before lunch. Skie was feeling a bit better, having now dealt with two more situations with no trouble at all, and had been to the office so many times that she thought nothing of it. She hurried down the hall, gave the secretary a wave as she always did, and knocked on the door of the Headmistress' study.

"Enter."

Skie pushed the door open and glanced around the now familiar room. The Headmistress sat behind her desk as always, and another woman sat across from her in one of the chairs. Skie knew who this woman was: she was the guidance counselor. But what is she doing here?

"Hello, Ms. Matthews. Have a seat." The Headmistress smiled kindly at her.

Skie sat in the other blue chair next to the guidance counselor. "Is there something wrong, ma'am?"

"Not at all, Skie. Do you know Mrs. Thompson, the guidance counselor?"

"Yes, ma'am." Skie gave a tight smile to the counselor. She had had to speak with her several times after her incident first year, and since then, she had avoided Mrs. Thompson. Not that the woman was unkind, but Skie hated talking to therapists. She treated me like a science experiment.

"There's something we need to discuss with you. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long." The Headmistress continued to smile.

Skie felt her mouth go dry. "What is it?"

The Headmistress spoke gently. "Ms. Jamison, as well as licensed therapists you have seen before have all suggested that it is likely that you suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder. However, you've never been diagnosed, have you?"

Skie shifted uncomfortably. "Not officially." Only because Dad would never let anyone diagnose me. He just thinks I should try harder.

Mrs. Thompson cut in. "Skylar, I've spoken to your mother, and she's agreed to let us do some testing to see if we can't find out what's going on."

"Oh." Skie's mind was whirling. 

The Headmistress gave her another smile. "This is a good thing, Skie. With a diagnosis, your teachers can work with you better if you need any extra help."

Skie felt nervous. "Am I doing ok? Like, do you think I need help or anything?" She winced as her question came out a bit more whiny than intended.

"Your grades are excellent, but with the added job of being head girl, we want to make sure that you aren't too stressed out." The Headmistress didn't seem upset by Skie's question, and she relaxed a bit.

"Skylar, I'll be pulling you out of class to do some tests in the next few weeks. If you have any questions, feel free to stop by my office any time." Mrs. Thompson gave Skie a smile, which seemed just a bit less genuine than the Headmistress'.

Skie just nodded, still feeling a bit shaken.

"You can go now, Skie. The lunch bell is about to ring." 

Skie got up, curtsied, and hurried out of the office just as the bell rang. As soon as she reached the cafeteria, Hannah and Dani appeared beside her.

"Hey Skie, what did the Headmistress want? I saw you leave class early." Hannah tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear.

I should just tell them what's going on, but I want to talk to Hazel first. It won't hurt if they don't know for a bit. Aloud, Skie answered, "oh, just Head Girl things. You know."

Madi arrived just then, which Skie was thankful for, seeing as it changed the topic. She walked robotically through the lunch line, pretending to listen to her friends' chatter. It's not like I didn't know something was wrong with me, it's just annoying to be reminded of it.

Skie was quiet all of lunch, but by the end, she was feeling a bit better, and was thankful for her friends being there to take her mind off things. The girls cleaned up their trays and headed out the doors of the caf a few minutes before lunch ended.

"I've gotta run back to the room, I forgot to grab my science book." Danielle readjusted her backpack.

"We can walk back with you, we still have ten minutes before class." Hannah offered.

"Sure. You coming, Skie?" Madi looked over at her friend when she realized she wasn't responding. "Skie?"

Skie felt her ears grow hot with annoyance. "I'll meet you guys there in a minute." She quickly marched across the commons.

"Miss McCarthy, where is your tie?"

Nicolette jumped slightly and looked up. "I'm wearing it."

Skie raised an eyebrow. "Not around your neck. Where is it?"

Nikki lifted the edge of her blazer to show the tie around her waist like a sash. She stared up at Skie silently. Defiantly, more likely.

Skie sighed and took the younger girl by the shoulder, leading her into an empty classroom. "Did you forget how to tie it?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you wearing it correctly?"

"I like it better like this."

Skie felt more annoyance bubble up inside her. "Ms. McCarthy, you are required to be in proper uniform during the school day. That means wearing your tie correctly. Tie it, please."

Nikki looked away from her sulkily but pulled the tie from around her waist and tied it quickly around her neck.

"Neatly, please."

Nikki glared up at her but fixed her tie.

Skie nodded. "Good. Now I told you last time what would happen if you weren't in uniform. Turn around and bend over."

Nicolette put her back to Skie, still glaring, and bent over slightly. Skie lifted the younger girl's skirt and quickly gave a dozen sharp smacks to her bottom. As soon as she was done, Nikki turned again, pouting and rubbing her bottom.

"That's your last warning. If I catch you out of uniform again, you're going to get a real punishment, understand?"

Nikki nodded.

"I'd like a verbal answer, please." Skie wasn't so ready to let Nikki off the hook this time.

"Yes." Nikki spoke in a sullen whisper.

"Alright, you can go."

Nikki hurried out of the room, throwing a dark look behind her, and still rubbing her bottom. 

Skie leaned back against a desk with a sigh. The rest of her annoyance slowly drained out of her, and she thought about what had just happened. That was...weird. I didn't really overthink it, like the other times. It didn't even feel like me.

The head girl smoothed down her hair and headed for the door. She definitely needed to talk to Hazel.

AN: So Nikki's starting to act out, which means Skie's year is about to get much more interesting. You can pretty much bet that she's not about to take Skie seriously yet.

Anyway, thank you again for reading! And please leave a comment!