New: Powers

New: Powers (Chapter 12)

Chapter 12: I am framed

The next day at lunch, something terrible happened. I was walking to my lunch table, as I passed Megan. I saw her stick her foot out in my way, so I went around it. Unfortunately the girl sitting across from her also had her foot out. This time, I didn't see it. I stumbled forward, and landed face down on the floor, sending some of the food from my tray flying. Some of it landed on me. Most of it, unfortunately, landed on Megan's shirt. I got up, and everyone was laughing at her. "UGH! YOU'RE SUCH A KLUTZ! THE ONLY PERSON WORSE THAN YOU IS ELLIE HAMILTON!" Megan screamed at me. Something clicked in my brain. Wasn't Ellie Hamilton the girl we had to look for? I looked at Connor to make sure he had heard what she had said. I shook the thought from my head. "What are you talking about? You're the one who told that girl to trip me!" Megan leaned in until she was uncomfortably close to my face. "You may think you're hot stuff, just because you've got a hot boyfriend and a hot brother. But you're not. You're pathetic. What would Connor say if he saw you like this?" "He'd say that you're a bitch who needs to get a life," a voice said behind me. I turned around to find Connor with a napkin. He gave it to me, and I wasted no time in wiping some of the spaghetti of of myself. Right then, one of the teachers came into the cafeteria. "What is going on here?" he demanded. We all started talking at once. I stopped, and Megan continued. "Mr. Barks, I was just sitting at the lunch table, eating my salad like usual, when Jessie here, takes her spaghetti and meatballs all over my new shirt." Tears started forming in her eyes. "What?! That isn't what happened at all! I tripped and-" Mr. Barks stopped me. "Save your breath, Ms. Ferguson. Come with me." The teacher grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the cafeteria.

"No! You can't call him! Please, sir! I just tripped! It wasn't my fault!" I begged to Principal Howard. His finger lingered just above the call button. "Fine," he said, as he put the phone back. "I won't call him this time." I sat back in my chair in relief. "You've never given me any reason to call your parents. But now you have. So next time you won't be so lucky." I sat in the chair, half-heartedly agreeing with everything he said. I left the principal's office to see Connor waiting outside. "So what happened?"

"He just gave me a warning. But I'm getting detention next time."

"That sucks. It wasn't even your fault."

"Wait, you saw what happened. How come you could go in there and help me out?"

"Yeah, but I mean, I'm your boyfriend. Principal Howard will just think I'm covering for you."

"I guess you're right."

"So who do you think this Ellie Hamilton is? Didn't Megan mention her during her fake meltdown?"

Connor chuckled. "I don't know, but whoever she is, she sounds... Nice."

As we were walking down the hallway, I spotted Alex. She knew who everyone in the school was, it seemed. I pulled Connor over to her with me. "Hey Alex!"

"Hey Jessie! Carter, right? You still owe me ten bucks for what you did the other day. That was really sweet by the way."

"Thanks. I'll pay up tomorrow."

"So, Alex. Did you see what happened at lunch today?"

"Yes! I saw the whole thing! Megan is such a... A..."

"Bitch. Yeah. We know. So, she mentioned a girl named Ellie Hamilton... Do you know who she is?"

"Yeah, but she likes to keep to herself a lot. I think she usually sits in the janitor's closet or something during lunch. I've got to get to class. Catch you guys later."

The next day at lunch, Connor and I were supposed to meet up in front of the cafeteria. It was ten minutes into lunch, and Connor still wasn't there. I was about to go to the closet without him, when I heard someone running down the hallway. "JESSIE! Wait!" I heard Connor yell. I stopped as he caught up to me and stopped, breathing heavily. He was wearing a black and red football jersey with the number 12 on it. "You made the team! How?" I asked excitedly. "Well, I was on the field, for a tryout. And I apparently did so good, I made the team! Also, he said that the team wasn't doing so well this year." All I could do was smile as he told me the exciting tale of his tryout. I put my finger to my lips as we reached the janitor's closet. Connor's mouth closed. I slowly turned the doorknob, and opened the door.

There was a girl sitting on the floor eating a balogne sandwich, playing some game on her school laptop. She wore glasses and fingerless gloves. She had long brown hair that was put in a side braid. She looked up to see us standing at the doorway of the janitor's closet. She looked at me, then at Connor, then at Connor's jersey, then froze. "I'm sorry. Whatever it is I'm sorry. Here, take my banana, just don't touch me!" She threw the banana, shut her laptop, and held it in front of her face like a shield. This officially weirded me out. Connor held the banana in his hand. "We're not going to touch you... But I'm keeping the banana." I closed the closet door behind me and Connor. "We just need to talk to you. You're Elisa Hamilton, right?" She lowered her laptop, to reveal her face. "Yeah... That's me. But I don't want to talk to you." I thought for a moment. "Well then don't talk to me. Talk to my friend. Meet her tomorrow after school, behind the school." I left the closet with Connor and started walking to the cafeteria. "What are you doing? We were supposed to tell her!" Connor hissed. "But if we tell her she'll never believe us. And she might go blabbing to everyone which won't make us look good! But don't worry. I have a plan."