Unorthodox (BOOK 1)

Chapter 14

~Vesper~

"You don't get to publicly embarrass someone who tries their best."

All eyes fall on me.

"You don't have the place to tell anyone that 'they shouldn't even try' all because they have a few more pounds than you. Or that they've been cursed because they have acne. It's part of growing up. A person isn't weak if they keep silent while you throw words like darts at them. They are strong and are actually more mature than you'll ever be." I glanced back at the mousy girl whose eyes are downcast, standing rigid in front of the class. Her chestnut bangs overshadowed her face giving no one the chance to see her reaction to this outburst. That's good; if she just happens to be crying; no one  will see.

"Again, I say you don't do that, Lorraine."

Lorraine scowls. "And who are you to tell me what to do? No one was even talking to you! You're lucky that-"

"Lance is not here? That his friends aren't here to wring my neck? When are you going to actually do something yourself? Are you really so weak that all you can do is yell orders while your friends fight your battles for you?"

That's when she lunged for me.

                                                                                             ***

"This is getting ridiculous!"

"Tell me about it."

"I want an explanation. Now."

I remove the ice-pack from my cheek and look up at my mum who is pacing non- stop, chewing on a piece of black licorice. It's a thing in our family. The good old stress reliever. The thing you want to champ down own when you want to tear things apart.

I wish I had some.

The class was split up into two groups; one supporting Romeo and Juliet's suicide; the other against. No one had a choice in the matter, so I ended up in the supporting group. So did Lorraine. The teacher was the judge based on the evidence brought. Everyone had to provide one reason for being with or against the young couples' decision.

My turn had already passed. So far both teams had put forth good points. The last bit of material was forced upon a quiet and rather invisible girl that I'd occasionally see smoking in a dark corner of the cafeteria. Well, not really smoking. The cigarettes were never lit; only hanging limply between her lips. However, almost everyone believed she did. What she said when she got up in front shocked everyone, including the English Lit. teacher.

"Both Romeo and Juliet were stupid. They were just kids and they wanted to run away from the only home they had without a single plan into a world where beheading was still legal. All for the sake of love?! Oh please! Juliet was 13 and Romeo 14 or 15. What do they know about love? Any plan could have been used! Friar Lawrence, the mastermind, got them both killed! Nobody gained. Romeo and Juliet couldn't run away because they were... dead. The families put an end to the feud but feels stupid with regret. There was no meaningful profit."

"You're supposed to support Romeo & Juliet's death, dumb*ss!"

If anyone felt stupid then, it was her.

Lorraine fumed. "Smoking all those cigarettes really does kill brain cells! Because of you, we're going to lose the case! I hope you aren't too high to hear what I'm saying! Ever wonder why you have no friends? Why no-one likes you? Because of you and your pothead parents! They have no sense and they are the reason why you wear trash every day! And then you make an effort. I mean; how pathetic can you be?"

I was fidgeting with rage. Lorraine. She shouldn't be talking when she was one of the students that said a load of crap for evidence. The girl literally said that they should be founders for a match-making online service. How stupid can she get?

I watched Lorraine run her mouth on, insults and black-mail gushing out of her mouth like a tap left on. Everyone, like me sat there doing nothing except for the obvious few with their phone cameras peeping shyly behind desk. Mr Hendrick watched quietly on, as if he was watching some exciting soap opera.

Picture the popcorn.

So yeah, I got up and faced Lorraine head on when no-one did. Yes, I defended the girl whose life story became the front cover of the school's newspaper, Echo Witness. Yes, I even tackled with Lorraine so hard that two students had to drag us down two separate hallways to the principal's office. 

My reward?

One- day suspension for interrupting class and provoking other students into violence. 

Life sucks, doesn't it?

And so, I, Vesper Dusk, sit down on the kitchen- bar stool, trying to solve an algebra problem that I would have finished a long time ago, if my mom wasn't pacing as if she is trying to engrave foot-steps into the tiled floor. She came home late last night and only found out about my antics this morning. The principal called. 

Apparently, I was in the wrong for what I said. Defense or not, I spoke out of turn. Using expletives, bullying right in front of authority, speaking out of turn and even throwing the first punch was not overlooked. Lorraine and I suffer the same punishment. But still, who do you think is right?

I also heard from Circe today, that Talon and MB had to defend a girl who was being beaten up by a few members of the football team. The same girl victimized by Lorraine in class.

This is the reward for voicing your thoughts or opinions. If everyone says 'A', you better not even think about 'B'. Even though it is your mind, you have no say. No-one cares about how you feel.

Because that is how the world goes round.

Am I fed up? Yes. We cannot continue like this much longer, otherwise, we'll have a lot of broken souls and mentals in asylums. That is why I want to start a rebellion. Where we can have a voice in free expression and have no worries about whether the world is against you or not. Of course, I'll need Talon, Circe and MB. They all have what I'm looking for; a heart.

I'm texting them right now to come over at three in the afternoon.

And I no longer feel for that black licorice.

*&*&*&*

Yeah, yeah yeah, I know. Another late update. I won't even bother apologizing since I stared at the white blank page for two days. No excuses.

See ya next week. (-,-)