The Principal

Chapter 10: The Punch

The morning alarms ring loudly throughout the Price household, and Serena, in a state of exhaustion, covers her ears with her pillow and groans loudly. She struggles from under the twisted covers towards the end table to where her alarm sits. She quickly gets out of bed and gets dressed, noticing the dark gray patches of skin under her eyes.

"You look horrible today. Are you trying for the ghostly look?" Lonnie teases Serena as she enters the kitchen.

Serena cringes at her brother's voice as she digs in the cabinet for a bowl, "Shut up. I didn't get much sleep last night, and I am not in the mood for your lame jokes," Serena snaps at him.

Lonnie raises his hands defensively, "All right, all right. You don't have to bite my head off."

Mrs. Price wanders through the kitchen. The strap for the laptop sloppily hangs over her left arm, and she grips a stack of papers.

"Okay, you two, that is enough, and Serena, you better what that language."

Mrs. Price sets the things down on the counter before pouring coffee into a cup. Serena drags the spoon through the cereal. She crosses to her children, gives Serena a quick peck on the top of her head, and pinches Lonnie on the left cheek. Lonnie pulls away quickly with a pained look as he rubs his cheek.

"Mom, do you really have to go?" she complains.

"Honey, I know this isn't ideal, but I need to take this business trip; it is important. I will only be gone for two weeks. You both will be fine. I can trust the both of you, right?" she asks them.

"Are you leaving before or after the performance?" Lonnie asks as he pours juice into his glass.

"I can make it to opening night, and I should be back right after All Hallows."

"I can't believe you will miss All Hallows," Serena continues.

"I know, honey. I will let you know if I can make it back sooner," she starts and then points a firm finger at Lonnie, "But that does not mean that you can throw a party when I am gone."

Lonnie holds up his hands defensively, "Hey, no promises, Mom," he tells her jokingly and then breaks down into laughter.

Mrs. Price slides their lunch boxes to the edge of the counter as she packs the rest of her things up, "Danny is also more than welcome to stay over while I am gone. Just let him know," she informs Lonnie as she makes her way to the garage door, "Have a good day at school. Love you both, and we are having yakitori tonight."

They listen to her pull off.

"You're not going to tell her, are you," Lonnie says.

Serena sighs heavily, "I don't want her to worry. I know this trip means a lot to her even though I don't want her to go."

Lonnie frowns and just shrugs before going back to eat his breakfast.

Lonnie is away busy doing work for the theater as the deadline for opening night looms closer overhead. The techie's jobs are completed, other than last-minute preps, which are ordinarily done the night before; this leaves Danny free to make sure Serena and Mr. Lowell cannot cross paths or at least engage in the very least. His presence should be qualified to keep Mr. Lowell away, but it doesn't relieve Serena. In fact, the other students start to increase their curiosity about the two of them, and the gossip begins to morph. Serena trudges through the school, with only Danny following her this time. The whispers behind her back buzz around her ears like annoying flies.

In addition, she has become an outcast in the school system. Although she wasn't concerned with being popular in the first place, there were a few people she could retain conversations with from time to time. No one was indeed considered a friend, but they still had a good relationship, and there were no issues other than with the mean team, as Lonnie called Amelia, Fanny, and Jackie. Instead, Serena was made the center of attention, a laughingstock of the school, which is undesirable. She clenches her fists tightly and grits her teeth. On the other hand, Danny could care less, ignoring the rumors as he is driven to protect the person he likes most. He merely wants to keep her away from danger.