Writing Royalty

Chapter One (Continued - Part 2)

I open my textbook to the correct page and allow my sheath of brown hair to cover my burning face. Mr. Harlow doesn't even blink twice at my tardiness. He just sighs briefly before continuing on with his lecture on Beowulf. Students are late to first period all the time, but more to the point, I'm one of his favorites.

He won't write me up.

I stare blankly at the page before me as thoughts race through my mind. Maybe I should delete it? Or maybe I should just rewrite it, change the names. No, but everyone already knows who's who. Changing names now wouldn't mean a thing. I could take it down, start a new profile, and keep writing the story. Or I could just forget it, write something new...

"Bailey," Mr. Harlow's voice cuts into my thoughts, "What is your take on this?"

I blink, my head popping up. Someone snickers from the back of the room.

"Umm– Can you please repeat the question?" I ask, embarrassment already crawling up my spine. It threatens to steal my breath.

Harlow frowns, his dark eyes studying me for a moment. I feel my blush deepen now further and I'm almost sure he's lost lose his patience with me. While he does like me, he won't put up with students coming to class unprepared. I'm sure that's how I appear to him. Do middle-aged folks follow Cassidy Klein? It's unlikely he has no idea why I'm so distracted. But he gives me a small nod and continues, "How does the theme of revenge come up in the epic poem of Beowulf?"

Easy. "Revenge is a cycle," I say, straightening my back. "There's many battles in the poem centered around it. Grendel kills some of the king's men. So Beowulf kills Grendal. Then Grendal's mom goes after him. In the end, revenge is what ultimately kills Beowulf."

He nods, pleased with my answer. But I'm not done yet.

"So the bigger question to ask," I continue, "is if revenge is worth pursuing?"

"Very good," Harlow smiles and turns back to the chalk-board. He begins scrawling out my question, the chalk clicking with each letter.

"Suck up," a voice fake-coughs from behind.

I turn to find Eshan Luthra sitting right behind me. I glare. He normally sits in the very back of the class, but apparently not today. He waggles his eyebrows up and down and I flip back around.

Eshan is also one of the characters in my book. The story centers around Roan and Char the most, but her friends Taylor McCallen and Emory Castle have significant roles. As do the other kids in the popular crowd, Noah, the other Cain brother, of course, and then there's Eshan Luthra and Grayson Hawk. Seven main characters in all.

"Let's continue with this question Bailey posed," Mr. Harlow turns back to the class. "Is revenge worth pursuing?"

No one raises their hand.

"Bailey," Harlow nods to me, "Care to elaborate on that thought?"

I shrink into my seat as Eshan chuckles. Now I really do look like a suck up. Is it my fault that I actually do the reading instead of looking up all the answers online? "Well, just that if revenge only ends up with other's taking it out on you, then it's probably not worth pursuing."

"I disagree," a silky voice chimes in from behind. I know that voice. Taylor McCallen.

"And why is that?" Harlow asks, not bothered by her interruption. We don't usually have to raise hands unless the discussion gets out of hand.

I turn to face her. She's five rows to the back and two to the left, but from my vantage point, I've got a clear view. And if looks could kill, I'd already be cold in the ground.

"Because some things in life are worth fighting for," she says.

She looks beautiful as ever, with dark wiry curls styled in a massive halo around her face, smokey eye makeup and matte red lipstick perfectly applied. Her skin is smooth chocolate and her eyes bright amber. I bite my lip, trying to push away envious thoughts. I don't want to be vain, but isn't it normal for a teen girl to want to be beautiful? I couldn't look that good even if I had a team of professionals on staff.

"Go on." Harlow prods. Taylor rolls her eyes. "Please elaborate your point Ms. McCallen."

She straightens in her chair. "If revenge ends badly, then so be it. It's worse to just sit back and do nothing. If someone threatened to tear my family apart, I wouldn't hesitate to destroy them." She says this last part with a sneer in my direction.

A prickle of heat creeps up my back, but I won't apologize. It's just a story! It's not real, it's fiction. There's nothing in there that could rip anyone's family apart, and if their group of friends could be so shaken by little old me, then they have bigger problems.

"You're sure you'd fight back, even if you knew that meant your ultimate demise?" Harlow questions.

"Oh Mr. Harlow," she laughs. "You're assuming I'm Beowulf. But in this scenario, I'm the dragon."

I flip back around. "The dragon dies too. Didn't you read it?"

Someone coughs. The room falls into silence.
I shouldn't have said anything. Someone else would have called her on her bluff. Of course, I can't seem to stop myself from saying stupid things today. What has gotten into me?

She shrugs, her whole expression turning molten. "Maybe. Or maybe someone should change the story."

Message received.

Harlow chuckles, but the entire class is still silent. They glance back and forward between us. Who's going to back down first? Not me. "Well, it's true that we don't know who wrote the poem, but we certainly can't go changing history," Harlow says.

Silence.

He frowns, beginning to clue into the tension that's blanketed the room.

"That's funny," Taylor says, smiling politely up at him. "Some people think they can change whatever they want."

I shake my head. "It's a story, Taylor. It's not to be taken literal."

"Well, hold on," Harlow has now walked down the allies to stand in-between our stare-down, "what is literature if we can't learn from it?"

"Yes, that's true," I interject. "But it's not real life. The reader knows that. Suspension of disbelief, right?"

"But it can effect real lives," Taylor snaps.

I shake my head. "Only if you let it."

She stands suddenly, textbook falling to the floor with a thump. "Take it down! You don't know what you're doing. You really hurt Char's feelings, you know. And you made me out to be a slut. I'm not like that!" By the end of it, she's screaming. My eyes widen, angry tears begin to blur my vision. I hate it. I don't want to be so weak. I force myself to keep the tears from falling.

Mr. Harlow's face is entirely drained of color by this point, his mouth opening and closing like a trout. The room erupts into a whirlwind of shouts as our classmates take sides.

"Don't bully her," someone shouts toward Taylor.

"Bailey's the bully," someone else calls back.

My whole body goes hot, then cold. Could it be true? Am I really a bully? Prickles of shame rise into goosebumps across my arms. The tears will burst at any second and I know I can't be here anymore. I snatch my things from my desk, my fingers fumbling to grip the notebook.   Eshan's cruel laugh follows like a serpent as I sprint from the room.

***author notes***
What did you think of this scene? It's fun for me to have a protagonist who may not entirely be in the right.

PS: Soooo sorry it's a day late. We're on a family vacation and I totally spaced posting this. I am new here, have mercy 😔