Project: High School

Chapter 5 - "Wait, is that even allowed?"

"I'm going to have you decide on how my recruits will be disciplined for their ridiculous actions earlier."

Katy stops short, making Richerson almost crash into her. She pauses for a split second longer before spotting a leaf sitting on the ground and makes her way over to it. With a sharp CRUNCH, the leaf crumbles underneath her heel before she moves over to another.

This goes on for awhile.

"Katy."

No response.

"Katy."

Still nothing.

"EARTH TO KATY!"

"WHAT?!"

Richerson sighs, scratching his chin, as Katy turns around to look at him, tilting her head to the side with confusion written on her face.

"Do you need something?"

"Can you tell me what I just told you?" Richerson places a hand on her shoulder, as if human contact is what she needs to remain on Earth.

Katy crosses her arms over her chest, "Sure. You said 'Earth to Katy!' really, really loudly."

"Before that, Katy."

"Oh. No clue then, sorry." And with that, she turns back to the leaves on the ground.

"Oh no, you don't," Richerson grabs her wrist and starts dragging her over to the nearest office building, where his office was conveniently located. "I need the adult Katy right now, not the kid Katy."

Katy attempts, weakly, to pull her arm out of his grasp. "But I like being a kid, it's much more fun than an adult."

"I realize that Katy, but I really need you to act like an adult right now, and these bloody leaves are not helping."

The door to the building open as a wave of cool air, made cool by the air conditioning, rolls over them and the make their way over to Richersons office. The office walls are painted in a warm brown with evergreen details, and all the furniture was themed around fall. Warm oranges and dark greens made the room feel cozy and welcome while also feeling cool and collected at the same time. The perfectly organized desk definitely added to the collected feeling.

Richerson let Katy's arm go with a sigh before making his way over to his desk and taking a seat. Katy stood near the door for a second or two more before making her way over to the spinny chair that he kept in his office specifically for her.

It helped her focus was her response when he inquired about the many spinny chairs throughout her office.

She spins around a few times as he checks his email out of habit. The clacking of keys fill the room, joined by the their comfortable silence.

"Richy...would you mind repeating what you said earlier? I kinda, sorta zoomed in on the leaves." She look sheepishly over to the man sitting in front of the computer.

He sighs as he shuts the computer down, "I told you that I put in a request that was accepted that you be in charge of my recruits discipline. You were the one that the harmful comments were made about and they admitted that they were hoping to get a rise out of you."

Katy seems to perk up at this new information, "Really? You gunna let me choose the discipline for them?" She pauses for a split second. "Wait, is that even allowed?"

Richerson chuckles, slowly scrolling through his email as he responds, "Quite right, but the guys in the office made an exception for this situation, and this situation only."

"Thats fair." Katy nods to herself before standing and walking over to the whiteboard on the wall opposite. She grabs a pen and starts writing. Starting at the top with a simple box with the word "discipline" in it.

Richerson looks up at her as she continues to write, evidently confused by what she was doing.

"What in the world are you doing, Katy?"

"I'm helping my thought process by writing it out. Duh."

He sighs, giving the board a once over before returning to his computer screen. "Couldn't you just use your own whiteboard, in your own office?"

She stops midword and takes a moment to think. Then she shakes her head and returns to writing. "True, but I need to know what they like, what they don't like, and what they hate."

Richerson glances up, confusion written on his face again as Katy continues.

"After all, they brought up something that I hate, so why not punish them with something that they really don't like or that they hate?"

He chuckles quietly to himself as he pushes the chair away from the desk and stands, "And people wonder why you're a sergeant at only 17."

Katys responds only with a grin before she turns her attention back to the board. Richerson shakes his head and sits down in the spinny chair, waiting for her to start asking questions.

-- 20 Minutes later --

The board is covered in a combination of doodles and some sort of graph-like looking thing filled with all sorts of random information. Katy is sitting on the spinny chair and Richerson is laying upside down on his arm chair with a red face.

They're both staring at the board, as if they're waiting for some miracle to happen, when Katy suddenly leaps off the chair, knocking it over, and yelling, "I've got it!"

Richerson is snapped out of whatever trance he was is, and falls off the chair, hitting the floor with an 'oof'.

"What, Katy, what have you got?"

Katy twirls around and looks at the chair before glancing down and chuckling at Richerson. Shaking her head, Katy answers.

"I know what I'm gunna do for their punishment."

Richerson grumbles under his breath something incoherent, to Katy at least, and attempts to get up. Katy waits after he's tried a few time before she holds out her hand and pulls him to his feet.

"You're getting old, Richy."

"Why did you say that like a statement and not a question, Katy?"

"Cause it is a statement, not a question, duh."

Richeraon glares at her for a second before sighing. He glances at the board and seems to remember his earlier question.

"So what have you decided on?"

Katy smiles, a genuine smile that changes her entire face. It lights up her eyes and her dimples make an appearance, making her look like a normal 17 year-old.

"An obstacle course, designed by their fellow recruits."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hi there, uh, so it's been a while. I got sick for two weeks and was recovering for a third, so I've been, just exhausted. BUT! I hope to have a second chapter done before the end of this week.

Did you know your pupils are the last part to stop working when you die?

They dilate.