Hellfire's Angel | Stranger Things

Air Hockey

        Frankie hadn't wanted to go to class once the lunch bell rang. However, she needn't have worried about it as Principal Higgins cornered her in the corridor when she finally left the girl's bathroom. A word in his office, he demanded. She knew it had to be about Travis. Lo and behold, the man himself was already sitting in front of the principal's desk when she arrived. His eyes were daggers, trained on her, ready to strike.

"Take a seat, Miss Evans," Principal Higgins said.

She sat. Avoiding all eye contact with her ex-boyfriend.

"It has been brought to my attention there was an incident this lunchtime," he began, "Now, I'm not sure what it was about, and frankly it is none of my business, but when you bring your outside drama into school, it doesn't just affect you, it affects everyone around you. I expected better from you," he directed that line at Travis, "from both of you. You are not children. Travis, you are the Captain of the basketball team. And, Francine, you were the Captain of the cheer squad. You are supposed to be upstanding students, setting a good example to those who are younger than you."

"I apologise, Principal Higgins," said Travis.

"Don't apologise to me, son, I'm not the one in need of an apology."

Oh, God. She realised what he was making them do. The last thing she wanted to do was even look at Travis, let alone apologise to him. But that was exactly why she was here.

Unexpectedly, Travis turned in his chair to look at her. "I apologise for my behaviour, Frankie. It was immature of me, and I don't blame you for how you reacted."

She could see now the faint bruising forming underneath his eye, her fist instinctively began throbbing. While Principal Higgins might have thought he was being genuine, Frankie could see through him. He wasn't sorry in the slightest, he just didn't want to be reprimanded any further.

"Francine," the principal prompted.

She sighed, but not in defeat. He might still be the Captain, but she had nothing left to lose. "I hear your apology, Travis, and I will take it into consideration, but at this moment, I do not forgive you. Your behaviour has been unacceptable and quite frankly, borderline harassment. If you continue to do so, I will not hesitate to inform the police. My father is a man of the law after all. So, if that is everything?" She turned her attention back to Principal Higgins, "I have a class to be getting to."

The police comment had thrown him, so he said nothing. Travis too began looking very sheepish. So Frankie pulled her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the office, saying a "Good day," on her way out.

She kept walking, all the way passed her next class and out of the exit. She walked all the way around school, down the steps and into the woods. She never stopped walking until she reached the clearing in the forest, dumped her bag on the picnic bench and screamed.

"I'm losing my goddamn mind," she said out loud. She had so much rage for Travis and the principal. How dare he try to make her apologise when all she had done was stand up for herself. She had no intention of going to the police about it, or even telling her father, however, the look on their faces when she mentioned it was enough. She hoped it put the fear in them, prayed it meant they left her alone.

She sat down on the bench, resting her elbows on the table and burying her face in her hands. When she closed her eyes she saw those sheets of paper falling out of her locker, the vile words screaming at her. It was true what they said, words hurt, and they were hurting her right now. She refused to cry over it, she rarely did, but her eyes were prickling with the threat of tears.