DISMANTLED | riverdale

iii/

three (iii.) || big syd energy 

Whatever was going on needed to stop. Or needed to be fixed. Anything. I just won't allow it. How could things be going so wrong now? I'm getting a D in all of my classes? It doesn't make sense. I show up. I participate when I can. I turn in my work. I get passing grades. What the hell is going on?

How can this be happening when Harrison is coming back to school? Just when things are getting good again?

Well first thing I have to do is talk to all of my teachers. There is no way I'm failing. If I fail then that means I go back to living with my mom. And I am not doing that. 

This reeks of her!

After she leaves town I'm suddenly not passing all my classes? Can she pay people to fail me? I mean how would that work anyways? Unless she wants me back home with her. I can't for the life of me think why.

Great.

Harrison's gonna have to wait.

-

I walk down the hallway to get to weatherbee's office. But looking through the shaded windows he's not at his desk. He's not even in his room. 

A series of whispers can be heard further down the hall and I just know that its about the southsiders. Should I go see him now? Or just wait until I'm finished with this whole grade debacle?

The crowd suddenly parts and everyone starts going their separate ways. I can see the man I need to speak to walk down the hallway and come my way.

"I need to talk to you about my grades. There's a problem."

He looks around the hallway at first- weird- and then he opens his office door. He lets me in first and comes in after me, closing the door. 

Principal Weatherbee rounds the desk and sits in his chair and instead of pulling up anything on his computer he sits there. Hands linked together and face straight. Something about this isn't right.

"Please take a seat Ms.Simon." He directs me and I want to just stand. I don't want to sit, I have things to do. But if I don't sit, if I don't comply I won't be able to convince him that these grades are not mine.

I sit.

"I checked online and my grades for all my classes are all D's. And I know that I don't have all A's but I know for a fact that I am not getting D's in any of them. I've turned in the work, I've participated, everything. So I wanna know what's going on." I tried to not shout but my voice raised several volumes. 

I had an itch as to what was going on. I don't want to be right. Because if I am then I have no clue what to do.

He looks at me and then finally pulls up something on his computer. He scrolls slowly and pulls a face at the screen.

"I can see that. I hope you get to working on bettering your grades before they slip even farther than they have already." 

Did he just-

I clench my jaw to try and bite back the harsh words that I want to say. Why would I come in here and say there is a problem with my grades, if I knew what the problem was? Only an idiot would not see there was a problem here.

But he's not an idiot.

He's been bought. That may be the case but all my teachers have my work. I've got evidence on my side.

"I'm sure you can talk with my teachers they'd tell you that my grades are not like that. I've turned in a lot of work since I transferred here." I spoke to him but he didn't budge. I needed to hit the right spot then. "If it's money you want they why don't you think smarter?"

"Excuse me Ms.Simon?" He asks like he's appealed at the notion that something like that is happening here. Yeah right.

"My mother gave you money to fail me so she could take me back upstate. It's pretty noticeable. I just wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt here but obviously that can't be done." I stood up from my seat and placed my hands on my hips. "But why take this one time deal when you could let me pass and basically keep the cash flowing?" 

His tight lips are sewn shut for a whole minute.

"You are dismissed Ms.Simon."

-

As soon as the bell for lunch rang out I ran out of class. I needed to drop off my bag in my locker and find Harrison. I didn't think it'd be this hard. Some of his friends were in my classes. 

Trying to avoid bumping shoulders with anyone I make it to my locker. It wasn't tough to open it and then smash my bag inside and lock it once again. 

Now where would he be?

I begin walking to the cafeteria. It's lunch. He likes eating. He'll be there. Where else would he be? I get to the archway and am about to walk through when I'm suddenly being pulled by my arm somewhere else.

My immediate response is to scream. So I do.

But it doesn't last long because the person's hand is over my mouth. And I can recognize that stupid hand anywhere. That idiot.

Harrison lets me go as I push him away.

"Sorry I just wanted to surprise you- I didn't mean to scare you or anything." He begins to apologize to me and for a moment I don't move. He's really here. More than that. He's here and he wants to speak to me. He was looking for me.

I didn't want to waste another second so I collide my body with his and wrap my arms around him. He steps back a bit at the impact but he does the same. I can feel him breathing against me, his hands rubbing circles into my back.

"I- I missed you. I really missed you." I wasn't expecting it buy my eyes start watering and I have to shut them to get the sting out of my eyes.

"Are you crying- did I make you cry? Jesus christ I'm really sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing. Please, Syd. I'm so sorry." I can feel his hand come up to smooth out my hair and pet my head. His voice sound muffled with my face in his chest.

I look up at him "Its okay Harry. We're gonna be okay."