Black Smoke

Three's A Crowd

-4:05 p.m.- School Library

Detention.

After-school detention.

Ashton Creek High School

I swear, just another thing to add to this bad start. Things usually set forth the minute Dante and I walked into class, I'd usually just fall asleep and wing the day away.

But, according to Principal Burnett, "five-star rated principal for ten consecutive years since he was thirty-five", the fact he's now sixty-seven probably gives him a thought to just randomly give out detention slips whenever he feels like it.

Not my fault he and his wife are having intimacy issues.
Whoops, did I say that out loud?

I looked around the room, noticing the teacher in charge of today's fun festivity running a little more late than usual.

I stood up from my wooden stiff chair and made my way to the back of the room, around the encyclopedias and dictionaries section people never really came toward. I pulled out a cig from my ankle sock, knowing damn well that I was breaking a promise to Dante, but it was something much needed.

Just before I could pull the matchbox out of my back pocket, the entrance door opened.

"Hello?"

Dante?

I quickly grabbed a book off the shelf to my right, stuffing the cigarette in there and closing it back up.

To Kill A Mockingbird. Got it.

"Dante?" I asked, walking back up to the set of tables.
He smiled back at me as we sat down beside each other. We'd usually sit in the back of classes, but of course, when it's the principal, you'd have to sit where he can see you, and let's just say..well..he's not far-sighted.

"Figured you'd be in here after that little misunderstanding this morning."

"What misunderstanding?" I asked. "Everything was pretty clear."

He scrunched his face. "You sure?"

"Absolutely. Why?"

As if on cue, the door opened again. In stepped Principal Burnett. Behind him? 

Vanessa. Taylor.

I rolled my eyes mentally while in reality, my heart skipped a few beats.

"Good afternoon gentlemen. And Mr. Markson," Burnett scowled as he gestured toward the tables. 

"Please, Miss Taylor, have a seat." She did so, sitting right behind me! As if I didn't get enough of her this morning! But her scent! Her vanilla and coconut scent waved over my nose like the sweet smell of vanilla-bean coffee from Starbucks. I looked down quickly, controlling myself from turning around and complimenting her.

Instead, I looked back up and gave Burnett a slight glare, taking offense to his greeting, but shrugging it off as he took a sip of his coffee, spilling it on his silk purple tie and suit.

"Oh! Aw, crap."

"Aw, well there goes the fifth star you worked so hard for," I muttered under my breath with a low chuckle.

"Something funny, Mr. Markson?" He asked me with a vein squirming in his forehead.

A lot of things were, to be honest. What principal wears high-waters to school? He always denied going bald in the center of his scalp. Not to mention, his fourth button right behind the bottom of his tie was unbuttoned probably due to always eating donuts for lunch or something. A lot of things were funny, but if I mentioned any, I'd get add-on days from here.