The Whip of a Miracle

Chapter 1: East Oak High

I'd been sitting in the office for about fifteen minutes before the stupid secretary spoke to me. They must have been quite desperate when they hired her because she's no where near material for this occupation. The woman was blond, with bouncy curls that looked natural but probably weren't. She wore a black pencil skirt, not exactly slutty, but just weird for a high school secretary. She had on some red button-up, cheer blouse. And probably the worst of all, her cheetah print heels. I could easily tell this secretary was pushing the staff dress code to the limits. And oddly, she just looked so young, maybe a few years older than myself.

Anyway, she was busy, oh absolutely, answering the phone to talk to concerned mothers and her stalker ex-boyfriend. She shooed away a girl with a bloody nose, telling her to go to the bathroom and deal with it. She was obviously flirting with some good looking student who looked a year younger than me, probably a junior. I figured out his name, since she was saying it to begin every flirtatious sentence, he's Michael Bass. And after listening to them, I've also figured out he's the principal's troublesome son. In between all this busyness, the secretary who's nameplate read Miss Teckle, couldn't weave me into her agenda.

And I was annoyed.

Majorly annoyed.

Suddenly I felt the need to rip off my Aeropostale skinny jeans and pink/white sweater and those damn black Vans my mom forced me to wear. All I wanted to do was slip into bed with my Pink robe on and watch some Harry Potter or Star Wars. No, even more, I wanted to go home. This place wasn't where I belonged. Sure back home we weren't receiving a generous income, but we made things work. And I already missed Berry to an all time high. In case you were wondering, Berry Jones is my best friend. He and I fit together like a puzzle, but I'd never date him and he'd never want to date me.

Anyway, breaking my aggressive train of thought, Miss Teckle finally spoke to me. And it was quite freaky she knew my name, too.

"Ms. Bass is open, Colette. Her office is in there." She said in a voice that reminded me of my peppy aunt. She gave me a big smile, like I'd been in her sorority in college.

Anyway, I followed her pointed arm and politely knocked on a door as instructed.

In about five seconds the door swung open and I saw the resemblance between Michael and her immediately. They both had light brown skin and a Crayola color of brunette hair. She, unlike Miss Teckle, looked like what she should. She was wearing black dress pants with a white, modest blouse. On her feet were expensive looking, red heels. But not the type of heels you'd consider sexy, just... Just heels.

She gave me a warm smile, something I felt much more comfortable and appreciate with than Miss Teckle's. She gestured for me to join her by her desk.

"Welcome to East Oak High School." She said finally.

"Thank you, it's a beautiful school." I replied. And that wasn't exactly a lie despite how badly I'd want to call it ugly.

"Yes, I'd hope so." She agreed, looking at a window with open blinds. It overlooked a garden with a couple sheds. "Anyway, I am Mrs. Bass, the principal here."

"So I figured." She stuck her arm out for a shake, so I did. Her hands were warm and cold at the same time. Her rings nearly cut into my skin, too. "Colette Long."

"What a beautiful name!" She told me, and I swear I saw her flutter her eyelashes a couple times, but I could be delusional.

Once we'd said our introductions and discussed my home and my school and my parents' "old" jobs, she decided to give me a tour.

This school was beautiful.

There was a small fountain out front on the lawn that reminded me of the White House. And yes, the gardens were, as I learned, ran by the Agriculture class and Green Club. And the sheds out there that held all the gardening supplies were built by the woodworking class. There were tables to eat lunch at outside, tables that reminded me of Victorious. The inside was no exception, if anything, more extraordinary. Each classroom had a SMART Board, but that was usual, like my school at home. It's just that the desks were super nice and clean and I noticed they had nice tablets for every student in attendance. The classes were decorated like a party, much different than my school at home. And as I noticed, the teachers were funny and the students found them relatable. It was like this wasn't school, no, more like a friend's house.