Bitchin' Mara Jade

Chapter Eight

It was coming up to exam time and Luke was doing revision for the upcoming test for math. Mara sat up the back of the class, her feet up on the table while she chewed some gum. There was people in the class staring at Luke and wondering when they'd be taught the stuff he was talking about, others were quickly taking notes and having moments of realisation, some people had just given up. It was that time of the year.

"Rigsby." Luke uttered. "Can you tell me the answer?"

"I'm just gonna tell you now Mr Skywalker. I'm screwed and so is the rest of the class."

"That kind of language will not be tolerated." vice principle Tarkin said suddenly. They all looked up and groaned. Mara rolled her tongue and looked out the window, keeping herself from sending Tarkin some sort of insult, her mind focussing on wondering if he could walk through walls.

"It has come to my attention that some students in this school have been dealing and using drugs. Like cannabis or weed or marijuana."

"How varied." Mara uttered sarcastically. Luke sighed. An argument was about to start.

"Enjoyed the amount of variety of drugs going on campus?"

"Weed, marijuana and cannabis are the same thing. Do you not know anything about narcotics? It is no wonder that you are confused though. The substitution of the term Marijuana for cannabis was a deliberate ploy at the time when certain commercial and racists influences were hell bent on getting cannabis prohibited. In fact, another word for cannabis is hemp. Before 1937 Hemp was a vital agricultural commodity, used to make paper, fiber, clothing, food, rope, birdseed, oil, medicine, plastics and fuel. Those who wished to see it banned knew that the congress would never do so if they knew they were banning hemp, so they dredged up a Mexican slang word for it which they felt would sound exotic and foreign and sinister. The Congress, true to form, did not realize that marijuana, hemp and cannabis were the same. They believed the anti-marijuana propaganda, and, sadly for humankind, they banned it."

"Let Miss Jade's knowledge in narcotic history be praised." Tarkin stated as two men in uniform stepped into the room.

"These deputies will be searching random bags although Miss Jade has volunteered for a bag search." stated Tarkin. "Haven't you Miss Jade?"

"No. I know my legal rights." Mara responded. "And you're not searching my bag without the presentation of a written warrant. Hence why these handsome gentlemen were about to ask me to let them take my bag. They need my permission. So no. I'm not having the contents of my bag searched in front of this class and you know the beauty of it? Everyone here knows they don't have to show their bag either."

"You have very clever students Mr Tarkin. Might we see Principal Organa before we go?" a deputy asked.

"I will show you the way just wait outside. I want a word with this class." Tarkin stated.

When the deputies left, Tarkin approached Mara's desk. "Are you not happy unless you're embarrassing someone? Your father? Your mother? No wonder they wanted you out of the way? You might have broken them." He snarled. "But you won't break me. You'll find yourself in detention after school today. If you don't attend you will face expulsion."

Luke was up at Mara's desk before Tarkin could finish his sentence. "If that's all I'd like to get back to helping my students prepare for their upcoming tests." Luke said pointedly.

"I'll see you in detention." Tarkin growled at Mara.

"I promise to attend detention if you promise to start brushing your teeth." Mara responded, her comeback was the only thing that probably stopped Luke from smacking Tarkin. He really looked like he wanted to. "But we both know that's when hell freezes over." Mara stated and blew a bubble with her bubble gum. "Gum?"