Battle Royale: The Blood of The Lambs

Back to School

Chapter One

"So... what exactly what I did wrong again," I question.

She slams her locker door shut, letting out a long sigh through her flared nostrils. "I'm seriously going to punch you in the face," she says.

"We were just having a conversation, Jess! Nothing more to it!"

"Oh, please, Lui! We've both known Hailey Banville long enough to know that she's interested in a lot more than just talking!"

"Come on, Jess! I've known Hailey since the fourth-grade. You remember when I told you how people would--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she interrupts. "How people would pick on her for her red hair, and you'd come to her rescue. I've heard it before, Lui." She runs her shaking fingers her dark hair, visibly frustrated. "It's just -- I can't understand what makes you so... oblivious. Half the school knows she's been into you since last year-" 

"But," I propose, "Everyone also knows that we're just good friends."

"Yeah, too good of friends,"  she says with a sneer.

"Stop that, Jess! You've got to stop being so paranoid! You're starting to blow this out of proportion..."

Her eyes blow up like bright blue balloons, astonished at this accusation. "Really?" She asks.

"Uh, yeah!" I scoff.

She stares into my eyes intensely for a while,  her lips tightly pressed and brow furrowed. I curse myself inside, because I know I've made her mad now. "Okay," is all that comes out of that tiny little mouth of hers. Is that it? "Okay?" I ask, eyebrows raised questionably. "Yeah, sure." Her face is familiarly un-readable, and I have a feeling that has yet to be resolved. "I'll see you later, Lui," she says. As she turns, I'm able to catch hint of disappointment in her eyes, and confirm this is far from over. " Yeah, see you," I call back to her.

She walks slowly down the corridor, head tossed into the air in a trance-like state. She always does this after we fight like this. Instead of showing she's mad like a regular girl, she hums a little tune and then skips away; As if everything is just perfect in Jess World. She's wonderful, but if I could change one thing about her, this would be it.

A girl who's quiet after a fight is nothing to be happy about. It's very much a ticking time tomb, set to go off at the first bit of provocation. I shudder, not looking forward to the moment when she goes boom. As she turns the corner to homeroom, the bell let's out a ring. I slam my locker door shut and haul it to homeroom, hoping to cross the doorway before Mr. Tyson takes notice of my tardiness. Coming on a corner, I turn sharply to the left.

Suddenly, what feels like the body of a horse, knocks me on my back. "Son of a...! You want to watch wh-" I look up to confront the object that winded me, and the opinions I'd planned to voice are put to an instant silence. "Collins..." says a a large, stiff, beady-eyed Mr. Simmons. "Tell me; What might you be doing in the halls after classes have started?"

"Well, I uh... I happened to uhh..."

I begin to stumble over words, unable to voice exactly why I'm not in class right now. (It's probably mostly because I have no reason as to why I'm not in class right now. Unless you count, "I was arguing with my girlfriend," as a credible excuse.) No other teacher in this school could make me seem like such a blithering idiot except for Mr. Simmons; And as you might imagine, it's not just me who's creeped out by the guy. I'm not one to admit these things, but he's a very intimidating man.

He's nearly 6 foot 3, and at least 70% muscle. His voice sounds so guttural, like a garbage disposal, but ironically, it's nearly as quiet as the hum of a ceiling fan. To top it off,  there's been rumors going around that he was convicted of some crime, and sent to prison when he was a kid. Everyone says it was a homicide, but you can't believe too many things you hear around here. Of course, the look on his face that says, "I will kill your whole family," starts to make the rumour pretty convncing.

Mr. Simmons could very well be one reason why a lot of kids have not showed up at school too often. Who'd want to be there with a 6'3 homicidal gym teacher roaming the halls freely? "Well?"

He beckons again, nearly growling at me. "I-I...I'm actually on my way there now," is the best excuse I can come up with. He glares at me through squinting eyes, unimpressed. "You kids... You have no idea what it is to be dedicated."

What? 

I'm greatful I do not chuckle. Where did that come from? I'm only a little tardy; No need to make it seem like I skipped school all of ninth grade. Still, I'm frozen, as he curves his back, bringing himself eye level with me. "The lack of care you kids have sickens me to the core. You're all lazy, arrogant, and just plain disrespectful." The harsh tone he's taken on sends a shiver up my spine, forcing words out my mouth and my feet forward. "I really need to get to homeroom. You know first day and al-" He snatches my arm firmly, and my body goes rigid. I want to resist; to say something, but his voice keeps me glued to where I stand. "I'm making you a promise right now, kid. One day, you, and everyone else, are going to know what it means to be dedicated."

He releases my arm, and wasting no time, I turn around immediately and make a dash for my classroom. It's quite a distance down the hallway, but I'm approaching it in less then 5 seconds. Behind me, I can can here Simmons letting out an eerie cackle, along with the words, "You'll find out... even if it kills you." And that's it. I lunge forward, grabbing the door handle, and frantically tumble into the classroom; What I thought had been away from danger.