The Abduction of Stephanie

Chapter 7

THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MOST POPULAR CHAPTER IN THE STORY SO FAR SO I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE IT WITH YOU GUYS. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS CHAPTER AND WHAT YOU THINK OF MISS SIMPSON'S CHARACTER. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

            Today is Monday, Agnes’s least favorite day of the week. She sits in Miss Simpson’s English class and feels a cool breeze against her skin. It is an unusually warm day in April and all the windows in the school are open. Outside Agnes can see that some of trees have grown leaves again and the azaleas in the garden next to the building have begun to bloom. Spring is finally here, which means her favorite season, summer, is just around the corner.          

   Agnes loves everything about Miss Simpson from her laid-back attitude to her unorthodox sense of humor to the way she genuinely cares about each and every one of her students. Most of all Miss Simpson is Agnes’s favorite because she never puts up with any crap from any member of the blonde wolf pack. In Miss Simpson’s class Agnes feels protected from ridicule and torment which make Mondays just a little more bearable.         

    Miss Simpson sits on top of her desk in the front of the room, with her legs crossed under a black skirt and a pink blouse that is not buttoned up very high revealing just enough cleavage to tease the high school boys. Her long brown hair is tied in a bun on top of her head and her black-rimmed glasses hang low on her face, held up by her nose. Miss Simpson is absolutely stunning and everybody knows it, she has the looks and the personality to go with it making her the perfect woman.          

   Agnes grabs a pencil and a notebook from her bag and is looking forward to her English lesson. She looks up at the board and in pink chalk Miss Simpson has written, “What is Love?” The bell rings, Miss Simpson making herself more comfortable on her desk, fixes her skirt and lets down her hair, some of it getting tangled in her hoop earrings, making the testosterone driven boys drool all over themselves. Even Billy can’t stop himself from sneaking a peak.            

The facial expressions on Stephanie’s friends show that they are clearly jealous of the way the boys react to Miss Simpson, and none of them seemed to like her for that reason. Trying to get his attention away from his beautiful teacher, Melody leans in closer to Billy, trying to get him to notice that she has straightened her hair today. Everybody knows Melody has a crush on Billy, but Billy and Stephanie were Prince High’s hottest couple and the two of them were inseparable. It isn’t that Melody isn’t pretty, she like Stephanie has long blonde hair and green eyes and the only flaw on her body may be her slightly pointed nose.           

  Brianna has her hair tied back in a ponytail like always; she wears another see through shirt for the fifth consecutive day, and is obsessively biting her fingernails, a habit she can’t seem to break. Raine is leaning forward in her desk, exposing her black thong underwear and a tramp stamp stenciled in turquoise and black, drawing some of the boy’s attention off of Miss Simpson and on to her.            

“So what is Love?” asks Miss Simpson. Brianna raises her hand, and before Miss Simpson can call on her, she clenches her desk and says love is what happens when you straddle a guy and he presses his big hard….”That’s enough Miss Barry, we get it, oh and perhaps you could consider wearing a brassiere to school tomorrow.” The entire class roars with laughter and even Miss Simpson shows off her perfect pearly whites between her freshly painted lips. It’s no secret that Brianna’s lawn has been fertilized more times than a petri dish at a sperm bank. Disgruntled she turns bright red, this is why Agnes loves Miss Simpson, because she knows exactly how to handle girls like Brianna and other bullies like her.           

  “Raine, can you tell me what love is? “Love is nothing more than a hole in your heart leaving you with an empty and unwanted pain until you ultimately succumb to your death.” As Raine speaks she stabs her pencil through her latest drawing that shows Miss Simpson trying to crawl out of a fiery hell. “Raine you really freak me out sometimes” says Brianna. Raine gives Brianna a blank stare. “That’s a very interesting take on love Miss Trinetti.” I’m a very interesting person,” says Raine causing the class to burst into laughter once again.          

   “What about you Agnes? How would you define love?” “No one would ever love Agnes, I mean look at her, eww” says Melody who is inching ever closer to Billy. “You know Miss Quinn Prom will be here before you know it, and I hear you are still without a date.” Melody is extremely angered by Miss Simpson’s comment and it’s clear that she isn’t used to being picked on.           

  That’s how Miss Simpson is, someone who doesn’t put up with any bullshit from anyone. It seems like she is the spokesperson and protector of all the nerds. She seems to be someone who must have been bullied in high school and is clearly using this time in her life to get revenge those that harmed her. Though it’s hard to imagine anyone would bully her, she is gorgeous and witty, with a slight touch of sarcasm, making her almost irresistible to any guy and an immediate threat to other women. One time after class Miss Simpson showed Agnes an old yearbook picture. The picture showed Miss Simpson with frumpy hair, thick glasses and a pimple covered face; it was a classic case of the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan. “Hang in there Agnes, High School doesn’t last forever.” It’s the best advice Agnes has been given to this point in her life.

Agnes hopes that one day things will turn out better for her like they did for Miss Simpson but as for now the process of natural selection has been all but kind to her. Shortly after Miss Simpson questions a few more students, the bell rings again signaling the end of third period. “Don’t forget to have your poems about love ready for next week” shouts Miss Simpson as the class exits the room. Agnes walks out of the room just behind the evil blondes, Raine and Brianna are chatting with each other and walk the halls looking like lost puppies without Stephanie to guide them. Melody doesn’t seemed to be phased at all by Stephanie’s disappearance as before long Agnes sees her flirting with Billy a couple lockers down from hers. Everyone knows that with Stephanie gone Melody would be the new queen bee and she is definitely next in line for Prom Queen, which makes Agnes think for a brief moment that Melody could be behind Stephanie’s disappearance. “Was it possible? Could she have done something like that?”

Three boys in baseball jerseys walk behind Agnes and she can hear them whispering “Five bucks on granny panties” says one, “Five on thongs” says the second one, “five on no panties” says the third. “You’re on” agree all the guys at once. Agnes begins to walk faster but it’s no use, the athletes quickly catch up to her, she screams as all at once they lift her skirt. “Granny panties. I win.” says the tallest of the three. He holds out his hand and collects money from the other two and the walk away laughing.

Agnes collects her books that fell to the floor when the boys lifted her skirt and proceeds to her locker. She opens it and finds a training bra hanging inside of it with a note attached. “It belonged to my little sister. It doesn’t fit her anymore. Thought you might be able to use it. Love Mel.” Agnes gives Melody, who is still flirting with Billy an angry stare, but Melody is unaffected by it and just smiles and waves. Agnes rips down the training bra, slams her locker shut, bangs her head on it repeatedly and thinks to herself “When will this nightmare end?”