Who Corey Was

9

After how early I was woken, I could've easily gotten to class on time, but on the bare principal of the thing, I deliberately wasn't. I took extra time in the shower, extra time curling my hair, extra time perfecting my eyeliner, my ruby lipstick. I spent over an hour picking my outfit alone. I was feeling a particular theme. I finally settled on a fitted black outfit and stilettoes with red accented heels. A choker and bloody teardrop earrings suited the mood.

Already a couple hours late, I took my time retrieving the shredded papers from my room and descending the stairs. I strutted into the classroom, and by the time I took my seat at a desk in the very centre of the room, all eyes were on me. I had the brief satisfaction of seeing that Kelsey was absent.

"Miss Cochiti," Teacher McBitch greeted, unimpressed. "We were beginning to wonder whether you'd ever join us today."

I shrugged, looking at her through hooded eyes. "I decided I would grace you with my presence after all." A few kids snickered.

The teacher sighed. "No uniform again, I see."

"It's a type of uniform," I replied innocently.

"She's a vampire," Xander stated from his corner at the back of the room. I turned and winked at him. "A blood sucking whore," he continued.

"Xander," the teacher warned. Another sigh directed at me. "And do I dare ask where your homework is?"

I pulled the destroyed paperwork from my pocket and handed it to her, waiting for her to take the bait. She did.

"And what is this supposed to be?"

I shrugged, fluttering my eyelashes. "Dog ate my homework?"

A few people laughed. I couldn't help but notice that Dylan wasn't one of them. Xander grinned.

Teacher McBitch fought to maintain her composure, working to get the better of me. "Miss Cochiti, this is a boarding school. We don't have any dogs."

I bit the end of my pen and widened my eyes, blinking a few more times. "Well, that's a matter of opinion," I replied, insinuatingly eyeing her. A single laugh rang from the back corner. She continued as if she hadn't heard. "I would rather assume that a...'vampire'...ate your homework."

I smiled slightly around the pen. "Nothing gets past you, does it Miss?"

One snicker, again most definitely Xander. My smile grew. The teacher turned red. "Detention, Miss Cochiti."

I made a tsking sound. "Again?" I whined as if I was four years old. Her nostrils flared. "Fine," I sighed, dragging out the 'I'.

Dramatically, I rose from my seat with another great sigh. I took my time getting to the door, pausing every now and then to glance back at the teacher, pouting like a kicked puppy. I paused at the threshold to take one last forlorn, longing look at the class. There were varying degrees of amusement or disgust on everyone's faces. Xander was watching me with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow. Dylan shook his head. I blew him a kiss. The teacher had had enough and yelled, "Out Miss Cochiti!"

I flipped her off as I exited the room. I went straight to the office where Ms. Doe was slightly less than surprised to see me.

"No uniform again?" she inquired with a sigh.

"Actually, that's not why I'm in trouble," I replied.

"Well then, what is it this time?" she asked in the same tone she'd used on Xander yesterday.

I shrugged. "The dog ate my homework."

Ms. Doe raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Finally, she sighed. "That's two strikes, Miss Cochiti. If you continue like this, we'll soon have to put it on your permanent record."

"Oh?" My interest was piqued.

She thought I was worried about my record. "Oh, yes," she began with enthusiasm. "We have a very limited number of warnings here, Miss Cochiti."

I noticed she didn't tell me a specific number, and I was willing to bet the amount of warnings for an orphan was far more than for a townie. I was also fairly certain she had neglected to tell me the number to scare me into thinking this was my last warning. I wasn't buying it, but there were other things I was more interested in at the moment.

"My permanent record?" I pressed.

She shrugged. "When you run out of warnings, you get detention and a probation period. If you act out during the probation period," she gestured to one of the doors she hadn't mentioned during the office tour, the one on the right at the end of the hall, "you lose your extracurricular and it gets put on your record."

My gaze blurred around the edges as I focused on the door, but Ms. Doe was continuing, and her next words recaptured my attention. "Speaking of extracurriculars, we've decided that you're a perfect candidate for CPR and Apprentice Nursing."

My sharp gaze snapped back to her. "Nursing? What the hell makes you think I'd have any interest in nursing?"

Her smile never faltered. "I think you'd be surprised. We see potential in you."

Crossing my arms, I demanded, "And why can't I choose my own extracurricular?"

Again, her expression remained confident, though I thought I saw a flicker of something in her eyes, gone before I could identify it. "Everyone chooses when they start ninth grade. Anyone who joins the school after their ninth grade, we place them where we feel they would fit best. It's school policy."

"That's bullshit!" I protested.

"Hey!" Ms. Doe warned.

I sighed. I knew she was lying. Dylan and Sarah had joined the school a little under a year ago, in the summer before Sarah's ninth grade when she was thirteen, almost fourteen. She'd still been forced into an EC, whether she enjoyed it or not. "Whatever, Jane."

Before she could respond, I spun to leave the office. On my way out, I bashed my arm on the door handle. "Ow!" I yelled, glaring at the culprit. I turned my dirty look on Ms. Doe once again before storming out.