The Girls from Downstairs

two: Reality

My phone vibrated between my legs, making me jump enough to slam my hands on the desk and my papers to fall to the ground.  The principal and one other kid in the room gave me a weird look.

“Sorry.  Thought I felt a spider on my back,” I lied.  They went back to doing whatever they’d been doing before.  I looked down at my phone; Mackenzie sent me a text.  I angled my body away from the desk so the principal couldn’t see me read it. 

Still in detention?  Meet me in the bathroom by the cafeteria if u can!

My hand immediately floated into the air.  “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Principal Lame stared at me over his glasses.  “I don’t know, Miss Swete.  Can you?”

I groaned.  “May I go to the bathroom?”

“You fell asleep in my class when I specifically told you not to.  No, you may not.”

I rolled my eyes; it wasn’t even his class.  He was subbing for my English teacher, for Christ’s sake.  I could recite the play word for word by now.  Was this detention really necessary?  I crossed my legs; now I really had to go.  When I could no longer stand it, I stood up and raced to the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Unless you’d like pee all over the seat and floor, I’m going to the restroom!” I shouted over my shoulder.

There is no relief like finally being able to use the restroom after you’ve held it for so long.  Mackenzie wasn’t there yet, strangely.  I washed my hands, not bothering to glance in the mirror; I hadn’t done my make-up this morning.  It wasn’t bound to be a pretty sight.

Something moved in front of me.  In the mirror was me, but behind me wasn’t the crappy school bathroom with the ugly pale blue bathroom stalls.  There was this amazing green field, filled with lush green grass that blew in the breeze.  The sky was brilliantly blue, with streaks of gold and silver sticking out from the clearly visible moon and sun on opposite sides of the sky.

My eyes shifted towards my own reflection.  I was different, happier.  My skin was flawless and my eyes full of life.  My hair fell loose around my shoulders and a tiara sat upon my head.  My hair was back to its natural dirty blonde color.  I splashed water on my face; the world was gone.

“Hey.”

I jumped again, one hand over my heart.  “Mack!  You scared me!”

Mackenzie now stood behind me.  “You okay, Ezzie?  You’re acting kinda weird today.”

“Fine.”

She gave me a funny look.  “O-kay, I’m going to pretend like I believe you.  How long do you have for detention?”

“How long is left of lunch?”

“It’s been over for nearly twenty minutes.”

“Are you kidding me?!?  If Strauss marks me down as ‘absent’ I’m gonna get a write up!  And that means my parents are going to know, and that means-“

“No Orlando Bloom!” she pouted.  Her face brightened after a second.  “What if I fake a doctor’s note?”

“I’ve been with the principal the whole time.  He’s bound to tell her.”

She sighed.  “Oh.  Right...  Well, Brock’s looking for you, too, by the way.  He really wants to talk about something.”

I rolled my eyes.  “That kid drives me bonkers.  I went to one dance with him and he thinks he owns me.  It doesn’t help that my step-brother is his best friend and he’s over at the house all the time.”