𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 | 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙝 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙨

21: I'd rather lose somebody than use somebody

The next day unfolded normally. I mean, nothing was out of the ordinary.

...Except for the fact that most of the boys in my class were pulled out in the middle of French.

Someone had snitched, and since they didn't confess, all of them were going to have a private talk with the counselor and the principal. It felt strange to sit in English class after that - the usually filled room was very, very empty.

The only boys present were Felbec, Laubrac and a few others. Naturally, us girls were innocent, so we remained. Not that I felt sorry for any of the boys found guilty; in fact, I was quite thrilled that none of them were here. It would just remind me less and less of Joseph. 

I sat at the empty table next to Simone and Michele, right in front of Laubrac. I felt the urge to take advantage of the vacant seats, and what better way to do that than to sit beside my friends? I usually sit on the opposite side of the room, so it was a refreshing change.

"It certainly feels emptier than usual," Simone speaks up, glancing around. Michele does too, and I notice her gaze drifting back towards Laubrac. "I would have never guessed that Belkacem was involved." 

"Really?" I ask, grinning as I unpack my things from my book bag. "He's best friends with Dupin and Vergoux; I would have been surprised if he wasn't involved," 

What these girls didn't know was that I was the one that had snitched. 

With the rage from yesterday still swirling inside me, I decided to bike to school early to have a brief talk with Mr. Bellanger. If Joseph wasn't going to admit it himself, then I would, and I made sure that everyone guilty was named. 

Sure, I felt a bit bad for Applebaum, Lamaziere and Pichon, but they could learn to avoid associating with types like Joseph and Jean. Maybe Mr. Bellanger and the principal can knock some sense into these boys' heads. 

"Are you going to do it with him?" I hear Michele say, and I perk up my ears to try and overhear. I had missed what Michele had said before that, so the question was open-ended. What was Simone going to do with whom?

Ms. Couret comes in before Simone can answer, yet the glances the two girls exchange seem to be enough of an answer. We stand up, and Ms. Couret dismisses us after her eyes fall on the empty state of the classroom. She unpacks her bag, placing a small stack of newspapers on the table. I thought we were supposed to work with the Beatles.

"Well, we're not going to wait for your fellow classmates," the English teacher sighs, before a small chuckle escapes her lips. At least she's trying to find some humor in this situation. "They're getting tortured in the dean's dungeon." 

"Today, we'll start with an article on President Kennedy's murder," 

I furrow my brows slightly. I was excited to work with the Beatles, and not like I had any problem reading about President Kennedy, I was just... slightly disappointed. I mean, we were supposed to be listening to a record and analyze the lyrics, not read the news and write about that. 

"What about the song?" I raise my hand up. Ms. Couret's resolve seems to falter slightly, and she clears her throat before she answers. "There won't be a song," 

You could basically feel the class frowning, and I sighed. Maybe she's doing this because of how poorly her students have behaved in each of her classes. It was still unfair, as none of us sitting here were in the wrong, yet we were still getting punished as a group. "I couldn't find the record," 

I let out another sigh as Ms. Couret passes the papers around, rolling my eyes as I glance to the side. God, even when he's not here, I still feel the impact of Joseph Descamps.