We Were Outcasts

Chapter Two

        After I got the bleeding to stop and washed my hands and face, I headed to second period. The tardy bell had gone off while I was in the bathroom, and I was not looking forward to facing Ms. Kover.

         I opened the door and kept my head down, hoping no one would notice. Unfortunately, everyone noticed. Nineteen heads all turned in my direction.

        "Well, Max," Ms. Kover said disapprovingly. "Care to explain why you're late?"

        "I- um," I stuttered, searching for the right words. "It was-"

        "Detention!" Ms. Kover declared.

        "But I-" 

        "Are you arguing with me?"

        Ms. Kover didn't like to argue. "No, Ms. Kover," I muttered. 

        I walked back to my desk. Snickers and whispered taunts followed me.

        Casey Schwartz was the worst. He was the equivalent of Carver's pet dog. On my first day here, he made Danny, the nice boy who sat next to me, move to the front. That way, Casey could make me miserable without getting caught by the teacher.

        "What happened?" Casey whispered, keeping one eye on Kover as she wrote tonight's homework on the board. "Get beat up in the hall again?"

        "Yeah, Carver punched me in the face." I retorted. I only realized I hadn't lowered my voice when the class erupted in laughter. 

        "Well, since Max seems so eager to speak, I guess she can present her project first," Ms. Kover said once the noise had died down.

        "Project?" I asked.

        Ms. Kover sighed, earning another chorus of giggles from the class. "On the first day of school, everyone was assigned to create an autobiography slideshow which was to be presented mid-semester," she used a ruler to point to a calender behind her. "It's mid-semester."

        "Um, I've only been here a week," I said hesitantly. "This is the first time I'm hearing about this project."

        "I thought I told Tawni to explain it to you," she threw a questioning glance at a blond girl near the front of the room. "Tawni?"

        I recognized her, even though this was the only class we had together. She was a popular girl, and she was taken by the captain of the football team. She'd never even tried to talk to me before.

        "Ms. Kover, I'm so sorry," Tawni dramatically put her hand on her chest in an apologetic manner. "I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen to me. Every time I started explaining something, she told me she didn't care and just walked away. I really tried, but she's just so stubborn."

        Ms. Kover glared at me so hard I could see her left eye start twitching.

        "What? No, she never tried to talk t-"

        "I can see you're going to be nothing but trouble," Ms. Kover clicked her tongue. "I'll have to keep your parents on speed dial. You have one week to come up with a project, and I'm taking twenty percent off your final grade."

        "But I-" 

        "And that's double detention for talking back!" She slammed the ruler she still held on her desk.

        I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from yelling at her.

        "Alright, now who would like to present first?"

        No one raised their hand.

        "Anyone? Come on, don't be shy," Ms. Kover coaxed. Still, no one volunteered.

        "Fine, I'll choose."

       Everyone stayed still as she covered her eyes with her free hand, pointed the ruler to the class, and swiped it back and forth as she hummed to herself.

        Finally letting the ruler rest on a student, she opened her eyes. "Danny, you're first."

        Danny looked up from the book he had been reading. "M-me?" he asked.

        "You're the only Danny in this class," Ms. Kover replied impatiently. 

        "Well, um," Danny fiddled nervously with the strings on his jacket.

        "Did you neglect to do yours as well?"

        "No, I just-"

        "Out with it!"

        "I forgot my flash drive at home," Danny said quietly.

        "Detention! You better have it tomorrow," Ms. Kover warned.

        Danny stayed silent. He knew better than to argue.

        "Now, who's going to present?" Ms. Kover asked once again.

        "I'll do it," Tawni said, rising from her seat.

        "Oh, Tawni," Ms. Kover cooed, "I can always count on you."

        I groaned inwardly and sank down in my seat. My chances of survival this year were slim.