CHAPTER TWO
Two hours later I’m walking out of my third period class, astronomy, to go to the principal’s office. We stop by the home economics room to pick up Emily. We’re headed for the party in the principal’s office. Mr. But is my principal. Yes, it is pronounced the way you think it is.
It must have been impossible to grow up with. Most students thought that’s the reason he became a principal – so he could torture kids like he was tortured when he was young. Mr. But is a short, heavy-set man who has gone bald quite early. At only fifty-two he has the head of a naked mole rat (um…?). He’s always unpleasant; I’ve started the nickname “Mr. Chowderpants” and the rest of the school caught on pretty quickly.
As we walk into the school administration office, we pass the secretary. She looks exactly like they do in the movies – cat-eyed glasses on a lanyard and big hair. And I mean unreasonably big. The higher the hair, the closer to heaven, they always say. Just to add to the mood, her name is Mrs. Wartbelly. I was surprised at the “Mrs.” too.
Into the office we go. Mr. But sat down in his Office Max “ergonomic” office chair. Both Emily and I cringe at the sound of the chair creaking under the man’s weight. Her, being a cheerleader, and me, being a dancer, are both very thin aside from our back side and “frontal area” of course. *ahem* size 32C, but who’s counting? (Measuring?)
“Girls, do you know why you’re both here?”
“Well, Sir, I was just in the cafeteria, eating my breakfast with my friends, when –” Emily starts, but I interrupt.
“Oh save it, honey. We’re here because I have the courage to stand up for all the people who are constantly bullied by Emily every day but are too afraid to do anything about it.”
“Emily, is this true that you pick on kids every day?”
“No, Sir. I can’t imagine what A is talking about. I would never, ever do anything like that and I hope you know that too. I would never try to hurt anyone.” Oh, God, she’s using her pretty voice, I think, almost aloud, but I stop myself.
“Now, who shall I believe? The cheerleader and student council member who has helped me so much with the restoration of the school after the fire? Or the girl who has caused me so much distress by starting the fire?”
“Excuse me?” there are lines that you just don’t cross with me, and this is too much. “Mr. Buttface, you know for a fact,” I say as I stand up, “that I was in the building when the fire started and you also know that I was trapped inside the science room,” I raise my voice to a scream; I hope that the whole school can hear me. “With O and you know that he burned. He burned while trying to save me so when you say something about my brother you better be careful. You had better be very, very careful because I loved him more than anyone in the world. It was a love that you will never experience in your life so you shouldn’t be the one to talk.” I sit down, exhausted, but satisfied.
“Wow, A, I didn’t realize you had that many emotions.”
“Thank you, Mr. But.”
“Detention.”
“What?? Bu-but I have to be at O’s right after class! He’s teaching me how to, um, be, uh, normal…. You’d like that, would you?”
“Yes, but detention anyway.” Emily just smirks as he states it flatly.
“Hey don’t give me that smirk or I’ll pluck out every single one of your eyelashes one by one.” She looks helplessly at Mr. But for back-up but he only said: “Actually, she’s right. You’ve got detention too.”
