The New Girl

Chapter Nineteen

Cecily covered her face with her hands, fingers slightly parted at the areas of her eyes, and sprinted out the principal's office. I was too stupefied to act. The principal was still glaring at me questioningly.

"You called us for the meeting, sir," I managed to say finally.

The principal turned to his assistant and said, "Did I?"

"I don't remember you calling anyone for a meeting, sir," Miss Swan said.

"I- I'll leave then," I said, the cogs in my mind working crazily. My legs guided me out in the corridor.

From how I saw and heard, it looked a lot like Brooklyn had successfully hypnotized all in that circular room, excluding me.

When did he learn to do that? And why didn't hypnotism work on me?

I couldn't dig deeper on this topic because the bell rang signaling the start of the sixth period. I bounded to my previous class to gather my stuff.

***

"How did the meeting go, C?" Arvon asked me after school, walking along side me in the hallway toward the building's main exit.

"The meeting did not go smoothly. It ended up in confusion. Nobody but me and Brooklyn know what happened during the meeting."

"What happened?"

"It was Brooklyn. He did som -" My phone buzzed. Surprise! Dad Number One calling. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, little C," my dad's in excited tone said. "Where are you?"

"Shouldn't you be asking me 'how are you' first?"

"I'll get to that later. Are you in school?"

"Yes, I'm."

"In the class?"

"No. why?"

"Good. Come and check out the parking lot."

"Dad -"

"Bye, little C."

I pocketed the phone and told Arvon, "I think my dads are here."

"Dads?"

"I've two gay dads."

"I didn't know that, man. I'll see you in the -"

"No, come with me." And I dragged Arvon toward the parking lot to meet my parents.

I recognized them from the distance: they were standing right next to the only one lamp post in the parking lot, dressed in superheroes costumes, only without the masks on and one of them was carrying a small white bundle.

"Surprise!" they cried together when we reached them.

"I'm not surprised," I said. "I already had a hunch." I gave a tight hug to both of my dads one by one. While doing so, I noticed the bundle was actually Chinnuah. "And who is this little beast?"

"His name is Jim," Ian said (Dad Number One) who was in Super Man suit and carrying Jim. "New member in our family. We got him through one of our friends just yesterday, and we're here to show him to you."

"And also to meet you," Max said (Dad Number Two) who was in Bat Man suit.

"May I?" I extended my hand toward Jim.

'Oh yes, you can." Ian handed Jim over to me. Jim didn't wiggle in my embrace. "He's so calm like he already knows me, and cute." I lifted my arms and kissed Jim in between his ears.

"Who is that guy behind you, little C?" Max said, looking over my shoulder.

"Oh," I turned to Arvon apologetically, "he's my friend, Arvon Roper. And Arvon, my dads, Ian and Maxim."