🍓Strawberries🍓 (Reddie)

~2~

Richie's POV

Im waiting outside the principal's office, my mom and pop are in there. I have no idea what they are discussing but it must be important enough for me to miss 1st and 2nd period. Im thinking about what the Losers Club would be doing right now. Oh god I miss them. While im lost in though I hear the door lock click open.

"Come in, Mr. Tozier." Says the principle. I walk in. I see my dad as usual smoking a cigar and my mom neat and perfect. Then I look at me, ripped shorts, cuts all over my hand, my hair over grown and untamed. Gosh Im such an embarrassment. I sit in the seat between my mom and pop.

"As you know Richie your grades last year were.. something, now you're a smart one but its almost if you don't care," the principle states," last year you missed 10 full days of school, and skipped classes 27 times." I looked at my pop he was serious my mom looked sort of guilty and angry yet calm look on her face.

" Richie we just wanna know why you skipped so many days. Are you skipping cause you think it cool to? Are you getting bullied? What is it Richard please tell us we wont get mad." My mom said in an argent voice. I wanted to tell her why I skipped a specific class almost everyday. I wanted to tell her. That the reason I skipped was because of Conner, Conner Bowers. A kid I was embarrassed by all because he called me a stupid name that one horrible day at the arcade. And everyday I didn't skip hed keep calling me it.

" I kept skipping cause I got bullied." I said in a quiet voice , " But I dealt with him so hes not a problem now." They all looked at me with dull faces.

" Okay now that we dealt with that heres your consequence. Either you join the football team cause they are low on players or you join FFA cause no one seems to be interested in it these days." The principle stated. " FFA?" I asked. "Yes , Future Farmers of America" he replied. For the next 10-20 minutes he explained FFA in detail, and I was hooked. I was also hooked because i heard Eddie, my sweetest spaghetti, would also be in FFA.

"ill join FFA" I said to the principal in excitement " Great! Ill put that in your schedule." Once he finished putting it in my schedule, my family and I were allowed to leave with a warning "Don't skip a single class or you'll get held back" when we where out the door my pop took out and said "Where are the bathrooms in this place?" "Ill show you pops" I replied. I took him to the bathroom and when we got inside the bathroom he said "Check the stall make sure no ones in here." "Okay?" I replied it seemed weird that he was talking so much to me- before I could finish that thought I felt a SLAP across my cheek. I fell to the ground noticing my pops facial expression, rage. He kicked me with his boots and picked me up by the collar and told me " If you skip another god dang class ill beat the shit and piss out of you, you little faggot fucker." He let my collar go, and I fell to the ground. I could barley hold my tears in. My pop walked out of the bathroom like nothing happened. I let my tear fall, snot come out and the sting of bruises on my face. Why couldn't I just be normal?