Lessons In Butterflies

Chapter 15: The Best.... stapler?

Mr Caldwell's POV (1st Person):

As soon as I saw her face under my desk, I couldn't believe it. What on earth was Shella doing here? 

Under my desk, of all places.

And then, as if the situation couldn't get worse, I caught the tail end of two heads disappearing from the window. Dani and Juliet. 

Of course.

I stood up too fast, smacking my head on the edge of the desk. "Ow!" I winced, rubbing the sore spot and trying to make sense of this ridiculous situation.

 I could feel the frustration bubbling up, but I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. 

The last thing I needed was to completely lose it in front of a student.

Shella was scrambling out from under the desk, stammering some half-hearted excuse that even she didn't seem to believe. "I—I was just—" Her voice was tiny, almost like she was hoping I'd just forget she was there.

"Get out from under there," I said, probably a little harsher than I intended, but what was I supposed to say? 

This wasn't exactly the kind of thing they teach you how to deal with in teacher training.

As she stood up and brushed off her kilt, I caught a glimpse of her face—completely red. Great, now I was feeling bad for her. But she had been sneaking around in my office, and she wasn't alone. 

I couldn't just let that slide.

I sighed, gesturing toward the door. "You and your friends better have a good explanation for this," I said, my patience wearing thin. "And don't think I didn't see them, too."

Shella's eyes widened. I could practically see her calculating how much trouble she and her friends were in. 

She muttered something under her breath, too quiet for me to hear. But I was tired, and the headache from hitting my head wasn't helping.

I glanced out the window again, half-expecting to see Dani and Juliet still there. Of course, they'd already bolted. Typical. 

They leave Shella here to take the fall while they run off.

Turning my attention back to her, I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want to tell me what this was about, or should I just assume you're all up to something... stupid?"

She looked like she was about to burst from nerves, but I needed answers. And fast.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the desk, waiting for her to speak. 

Shella was still fidgeting, looking everywhere but at me, her face so red it practically matched the school crest on her uniform.

"Well?" I prompted, trying not to let the smirk show on my face. This was ridiculous, but the fact she was so clearly panicking over it made it... a little bit funny.

Shella cleared her throat. "We were... um... we were just, uh, looking for a... stapler."

I blinked. "A stapler?"

"Yes, a stapler!" she blurted out, clearly thinking this was a brilliant plan. Her eyes widened, and she tried to nod as if she'd just delivered some foolproof excuse. 

"Dani said you had the best one."

I stared at her. "The best stapler."

She nodded furiously, now committed to this terrible lie. "Yeah, like... the kind that doesn't jam. You know how annoying those are, right?"