I Don't Really Know...

Chapter 8: A Black Eye and The Principal's...What?!

I walked into the door the next morning at school.  Hard.  Rubbing my forehead, barely reacting to the thump, I walked down the hallway slowly, people rushing past me like their lives depended on it.  Some students held textbooks, rapidly reading to cram before a test.  I approached my locker, Alicia rudely bumping into me, making me drop my books.  Tears brimming the rims of my eyes, I wondered what I ever did to her.

The hallway rapidly emptied, leaving me and the hollow sounds of my life.

I suddenly heard laughing.  But it wasn’t “that-was-so-funny” laughing-it sounded like “you’re weird” laughing.  Mean clique laughing.  I ran to the source of the sound, to the same corner, same posse, and same victim.  

Vanessa was there.

Alicia was there.

Alicia.  

“HEY!  GET AWAY FROM HER!”  I screamed, pushing through the posse and standing in front of the girl.  I never got a good look of her face, but I’ll worry about that later.  

Vanessa’s sharp laugh halted.  Her icy blue eyes turned to me.  She whispered to her clique.  They all smirked with their caked-on lipstick.  

“Hey, you’re Zara or something, right?” Vanessa asked, her face a confused expression that didn’t give a care in the world.  I fiercely leaned in.  

“My name is Zoie.”  My tone made her lean back, surprised.  She quickly recovered and put a hand on her hip, leaning to the side.  Her 5’’ spiky heels threatened anyone standing close to her.  She flipped her hair.

“Yeah, whatever.  A name doesn’t mean anything.  So, ZOIE, you’re friends with…” She bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows sarcastically.  Her eyes widened, and she fake-smiled.

“Oh, that’s right!  You don’t HAVE any friends!  Just as I thought.  Who’d want to be friends with the freak?  OH yeah, you have a brother.  Jaison, right?  He’s, like, such an idiot.  He doesn’t even play any sports, he’s so stupid.”

My eyes blazed with fire and I started walking towards her, my fists ready.  A strongly-built girl who was almost growing a beard stuck her combat boot out and I flew to the floor.  I heard the girls shrieking with laughter and giving each other high - fives.  I looked up and…

The bullied girl was gone.  I never got to see who she was.

I got up, and I looked at the manly girl, raising an eyebrow.  

“So, that’s how it’s gonna be.  I see how this is.  Trying to prove you’re all tough?  I’ll show you tough.”  

I started walking away, and I sensed the girl was confused.  I smirked.  Spinning around on my left foot, and I raised my fist and it collided with her jaw, spit spewing from her mouth.  She returned with a kick in the shin.  I gritted my teeth in pain, and we clashed.  Punching and kicking erupted from us, looking like we had started World War III.

You could say I have anger issues.  

And, let’s just say we both ended up in the nurses office, her with a bruised jaw and myself with a black eye.  But, I barely minded the pain.  I was just glad that I finally stood up for that girl.  I still wondered who she was.  

“Zoie Linda, please come to the principal’s office.  NOW.”  An angry voice growled behind me.  I looked over my shoulder to see a grumpy, elderly woman with a glued on frown.  With my chin up and my eye throbbing, I walked to the small principal’s office to see a big, big, big man with a deep, grape-purple suit and a hot pink, soggy tie that seemed as if it had been dipped in coffee.