School Spirits | I Don't Do Friends

31- Anticlimactic

Mina decided not to come to the rally and instead locked herself in the theater. She said she was mourning the school's production of Romeo and Juliet but Caroline knew she was mourning herself.

She wasn't worried. There was a point in time she didn't leave the library for a year, she'd get back to getting better when she was ready.

Besides she wasn't completely alone, Rhonda knew about her plan and was extremely excited to see it in motion. Caroline had revised it since, adding the crows. But that was just candles on the cake.

It was simple, her mother would be introduced and Caroline would shove her hand into the gym's electrical switches. Piece of cake.

At first she was worried about Mr. Ghost Narc seeing her do it. But after some thought she didn't mind the open rebellion. What would he do? Lecture her?

The first step of the plan was to get to the gym early and take out one of the windows. It was about 30 feet up. She had to climb through the ceiling rafters and onto the ledge that was a little to small for comfort. She got to work removing the bolts.

She was having a grand time with her vandalism until she heard a voice.

"Caroline! What are you doing?" Dawn called from the ground. Caroline nearly slipped and plummeted the 30 feet but caught herself.

"Shit-! Taking out a window! It's for the rally tonight!" Caroline took a deep breath and decided she definitely didn't want to look down.

"Oh! Well, that doesn't seem safe!" Dawn didn't ask for specifics.

"Well it's not like I can die."

"It would hurt like a bitch. Want me to keep watch?" Dawn asked. This is why they're best friends. Caroline mended their relationship after everything with Mina. It felt right.

"Yes please! I'm running a little late. It took so long to get up where!" Caroline continued removing the hardware of the window.

There was grass on the other side, so when all the nuts and bolts were out of the window she just pushed out the metal frame. It didn't make a profound shattering sound but instead, a thud following by a couple cracks.

"We've been found out!" Dawn called from the doorway. "Scatter!"

Dawn bolted down the hall like she was being chased. Probably gave her flashbacks to the party scene of the 70's. Caroline couldn't blame her for that, but she considered blaming her for yelling because the loud and sudden noise made her tumble off the sill of the window and plummet to the floor.

She landed on something... but it wasn't the floor. It was a person.

"Caro- ugh!"

She fell back first onto his head and they both slammed into the wooden floors. She rolled a few times to the side but eventually just gave into the ache in her body.

Wally was sitting up and pinching the bridge of his nose by the time she opened her eyes. The pain would subside in the following minutes but damn that hurt.

"Sorry." She groaned pulling herself off of the floor.

"This is the second time I've been a direct victim of your shenanigans." He was moving his jaw side to side to make sure it still worked and his vowels were elongated.

"This is the second time you've gotten in the way of my shenanigans." She stretched the ache out of her body, walked over, and helped him up.

"I figured cause you're breaking shit and sneaking around that you're back to normal. Seriously, this feels like too much." He looked up at the window.

"Well, that's your opinion." She put her hands on her hips and took a few deep breaths.

"I'm guessing you don't want anyone to know about this then, huh?" He sighed. She knew he was conflicted, and she knew she'd change. But that's what happens after years in limbo, he'll survive her evolution.

"That would be... preferable." She almost returned his tone. But she took a more confident one instead.

"Fine. But I'm so done pretending this doesn't bother me." He turned on his heel, head hung low.

She did something she didn't expect. She bit her tongue. Let him get the last word, and she loved the last word. She planted her feet, clenched her jaw, and remembered why she was there in the first place.

The student body entered the gym not to long after. The group sat in the back as usual, she was in the top corner. The principal stood at the podium in the middle of the gym.

He gave introductions and pleasantries and whoever the delinquent was vandalizing the school. The lights directly above her flickered and went ignored. It would be hard to ignore her over the next few minutes.

"Now onto thanks to Ms. Shannon Otev for her generous donation to our literacy program."

The older woman didn't speak, she just struggled to stand to shake the principal's hand. She looked to be almost 80. All the lights in the gym lights flickered as Caroline stared.

She looked... pathetic, nothing like the women who antagonized her throughout her childhood. She had a similar face, but her eyes said nothing, she wore an empty smile and sat down.

Caroline realized that the whole "make the school pay" thing, was a petty act of revenge against her mother. Who was now, just a senile old lady without a thought behind her eyes.

Rhonda scooted down the row to sit next to her.

"What's wrong, cherry-pop? Got cold feet?" She said it like it was a joke, to hide the worry.

"I can't do it." The light above her stopped flickering as she signed deeply. "I'll just break the switch board tonight."

"Worried she'll have a heart attack and you'd be stuck here with her or what?" She asked.
That was a good point, actually.

"No, she's a fucking vegetable." Caroline swore she saw a little drool on the old lady's mouth.

"Well, sorry. I know it's probably not easy." Rhonda averted her gaze.

"Yeah."

Rhonda put her hand between them and opened it. Caroline took it without a word.