Frost

Chapter 4- Smack

Tick tick tick. Mr. Monroe's clock ticks as I sit across from the guy, in silence. I don't want to talk to him right now, I'm just not up to it. He messes with some papers on his cluttered desk and adjusts his glasses. I look down at the carpeted floor, is he staring at me? I feel eyes staring at me.

"Mr. Royce, it has come to my attention that you caused a behavior disturbance during sixth period? Now can you tell me what the hell that was about?" My principal snaps.

I'm tired. I continue to look at the carpet that now has a little ant waddling around through it. Mr. Monroe starts to yell at me about "discipline" or something. I remember Caitlyn and I would always poke around in anthills as little kids. That was before she turned into some whiney teenager. One time back when that jerk Hoffman lived in my neighborhood, Holiday was over with him at our neighborhood's park when we were there and they were squirting their water guns directly into some anthills. This really ticked Caitlyn off. She stopped what she was doing (building some castles in a sandbox with me), jumped out and and beat the crap out of those guys with a giant pine tree stick. I guess she whacked Holiday pretty hard in the head, because his forehead was dripping with blood and he was crying like a baby and ran all the way back to his cousin's house. If you look really closely, you can actually see a really small scar in his hairline.

All of a sudden Mr. Monroe slams his hands down on his desk.

"Dammit Royce are you fucking listening to me?! Your sister Caitlyn, now she never acted like this when she was here! Have you seen your grades young man!? She graduated from here at Oakridge North Middle School with excellence in both grades and behavior!" Now he's yelling.

Nervously I look up to find him glaring at me. I don't know how to respond...

"Mr. Royce GODDAMMIT look at me when I'm TALKING YOU," he roars.

He gets up from his desk and walks up right towards me. What the hell? He raises his hand up to me smacks it right across my face.

"Learn some damn respect you brat and get the hell out my office. I don't want to see you back in here again. You got that Royce?!"

I nod. With my hand I hold the side of my face. I taste blood. I look down at my legs. I'm shaking. My knees are shaking. I'm scared.

"What the hell did I SAY! Get the hell out."

• • •

My cheek has this huge red mark on it. Once I get back to Algebra, people are going to wonder. Should I just skip it along with seventh period? I never just walked out of school before, ever.

When I rinse my mouth out in the sink, the cold water is stinging. After I ran out of Mr. Monroe's office I just hid in here, the boy's second floor bathroom. No one better come in here. I grab some paper towels and hold them under the sink water. I pressure them against my cheek. I wonder if it's even legal to hit a student. I keep pressuring the wet wad on my face as some kind of substitute ice pack. Maybe I'll just go to the nurse's office and ask for an ice pack. I'll just tell her I'm not feeling well and of my mom can just pick me up early. Yeah I'll just do that.