Between Two Girls

Chapter 24

"So, this girl was badmouthing you while you were working?" Miss Faith asks. She sounds like she doesn't believe what Paige has told her. Then again, she makes a big deal about listening to both sides of the story before deciding which is right.

"Um, yeah." Paige fidgets in the uncomfortable seat. Before today, she's never been in the principal's office. Paige was always too busy reading or doing homework, and she's made sure of that. But now that she's here, she despises it even more. "That's right."

"And she attacked you after?" Miss Faith taps her long nails on the desk. "Why would she attack you?"

"Well, um," Paige starts. She clears her throat. "At some point she said that as soon as I started talking to myself, I should have killed myself." Her statement is very quiet. "I snapped when she said it."

"Hmm, that sounds very serious." The principal leans down and opens the bottom drawer. She takes out a file and closes it. She opens it and looks through it. "Well, you're a very good student. Straight As and in some AP classes." Miss Faith looks up at Paige. "I'm confused as to what she thinks of you and why she reacted badly."

"Really?" Juli exclaims. "This is the typical high school rivalry between jocks and nerds! Did you even go to high school?"

"Juli, calm down," Emery says. "She's just doing her job."

"She's being ignorant, not doing her job!" the party animal shoots.

"Yeah, you and me both," Paige says. She crosses her arms, not realizing the air conditioner in this room is on. "What's going to happen?"

"Well, I'm going to have . . . " Miss Faith thinks for a second, and then looks out the window that leads to the outside of the office. Paige assumes that's where the girl is, and also assumes that the principal knows her. "Niki come in and tell me her side," Miss Faith finishes. "After that, I'll decide what's going to happen."

"Can I go back to my class?" Paige asks boldly. "I have am important project to do."

Miss Faith dismisses her with a wave of her hand. Paige stands up and walks out of the office with a sigh of relief. She walks past Niki, who's giving her a death glare, and goes out to the hall. "That was intense," she says.

"Probably for you!" Juli says. "She was being stupid!"

"Juli, for once calm down," Emery replies.

"I'm a party animal. I don't do calm!"

Paige gets to the classroom, and finds Lucy. She sits down and picks up where she's left off. "What happened?" Lucy asks.

Paige groans. "Not you, too," she says.

"What?" Lucy looks confused.

"Never mind," Paige says quickly. "Um, Niki was talking trash about me, I snapped, she attacked." She doesn't say anything else as she writes something down.

"Oh."

"Oh? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, Niki told me a different story," Lucy explains.

"Of course she did," Paige mutters. Lucy opens her mouth, and the bookworm raises a hand. "And no, I don't want to know what she said. Honestly, I don't want to talk about it. I only want to use this time wisely by working."

"OK." Lucy falls silent, and leans over towards Paige. "You misspelled a word," she points.

"I did?" Paige looks at the paper in front of her. "Oh." She erases the word and spells it right this time. "Thanks."

"Anytime."