I took a seat at the back of the classroom right as the teacher walked in, shutting the door behind him. Leaning back in my chair, I slipped my hands into my pocket. Feeling a small bag, I brought it out. That little jerk. I didn’t even notice, but he’d slipped in a stupid white pill.
The small baggie had a yellow smiley face on the front. There was no other indication about what it was, but I had a good inkling. A little happy pill. This drug had caused a lot of locker searches this year already.
I looked around the classroom. No one was paying any attention to me, like always. What the hell. I slipped the pill into my mouth, swallowing it without water.
By the time class was over, my thoughts were less negative and there was a slight bounce to my steps. The pain my body was completely gone as I entered the hallway.
Maybe I would have to reconsider this whole doing drug thing.
I felt light, like all my worries were taken off my shoulders. I had no care in the world right that minute, and I’d gladly bask in it like a cat in the warm sun. Getting to my next class took a bit longer than expected, as there was yet another commotion—this time, right behind me. Someone grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to come to a full stop. I turned slowly, meeting the eyes of the same boy who had slipped the drug into my jacket pocket.
“Since you took it, I need a name.”
“What?”
“A name for the pretty sad girl,” he said. “And I’ll give you one more pill. It helped, didn’t it?”
“I didn’t take it,” I lied, turning around.
“Hey, wait!” he shouted as I blended into the hallway. I lifted the hood of my black jacket, knowing it’d hide my hair. It was too easy to find me when you have one of the lightest hair colors in this school. A pleased smile lifted the corner of my lips, but only for a moment.
I slipped into my seat at the back of the classroom as the bell rang. The teacher walked past as I pulled my books out of my bag and placed them on the table. She paused, looking at me, then the floor. A moment later, she bent down and picked something up.
“You need to come with me to the principle’s office,” she stated, pulling everyone’s attention to us.
“Why?”
Without a word, she held up the clear plastic package with a raised eyebrow. “You know drugs of any kind are grounds for expulsion.”
Shit.
With a sigh, I shoved my books back in my bag and made my way to the office, everyone’s eyes on me as I made the walk of shame.
At least I got out of class without skipping the entire afternoon. I sat in the corner, farthest away from the front desk, and let my body relax in the seat. A few other students sat about the waiting area, each one different from the next. What a lovely little group we were.
The teacher went straight to the principle’s office, then left again moments later.
My eyes took in the office; it wasn’t a place I made a habit of visiting. The walls were a welcoming cream color, the carpet a light blue with coffee stains.
The secretary sat behind a tall light desk with file cabinets all around her. It looked like she was a queen of the school, and the thought nearly made me laugh. There was a student at the desk, trying to get some sort of information from the secretary, and normally I wouldn’t have paid any attention to it. But my name caught my attention.
“Please. My dad sent me to come pick her up,” he paused, leaning against the desk. He wore jeans, a dark green band t-shirt, and he had light brown hair. “He should have called ahead of time.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but her file says nothing about any other family,” the secretary said. “I cannot release her to any random person.”
“Then call Scarlett up here, and see for yourself. I’m her brother,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I’m not able to do that, either,” she said, her eyes glancing over at me quickly before turning back to her computer screen.
The man caught her look, and I pretended to be staring across the way, but not too far away from where they were. There was no way that the man, who wasn’t in fact a student, would even know me.
He marched over to me, staring me down, but it wasn’t threatening—more hopeful. His light blue eyes looked familiar, like I’d seen him somewhere before. But that wasn’t possible.
“Scarlett,” he sighed.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
“Miss Adams––my office, now. Mrs. Ball, please call her father,” the principle said, stalking past me into the adjacent room.
