by R. M. Garcia
“I’ll try,” he said and got up. Kelly’s dive drove the combatants back and over a nearby table. They both landed on the floor in a tangled she-mess. Misha moved so that he could get a better view of the action. Donnie moved over and looked at him in disbelief.
“Dude, seriously aren’t you going to help?” Donnie asked.
“Nope, it’s karma. I have waited a long time to see CeeCee kick some ass again,” Misha said. Donnie maneuvered around students, trying to get the girls to try and pull them apart. A small crowd gathered, and the familiar school yard chant started; fight, fight, fight. The fight was evenly matched. Cecilia had size and strength on her side, but Kelly had speed and agility. Kelly used her agility to get on top of Cecilia and quickly grabbed a handful of hair. She used her position and began slamming the back of Cecilia’s head into the floor repeatedly. Cecilia swung upward and struck Kelly on the side of her head. The force of the pummel knocked Kelly off her chest. Donnie moved in and got in between the girls as they stood up and suffered a barrage of nails and knees, trying to keep them apart. In one sudden burst of power, the girls thrust Donnie aside and back over the table. He landed at Abbie’s feet. Donnie looked around for the security guards. He needed help. The girls continued their vicious assault on each other. Kelly delivered several kicks to Cecilia’s thigh and rib cage that momentarily stunned her. She took advantage and tackled Cecelia again, driving her to the hard floor. Donnie got up and jumped over the table but was stopped by Trevor. Trevor was Kelly’s boyfriend and Donnie’s teammate on the basketball team.
“Trev, what are you doing man? We have to stop them,” Donnie said.
“You have to let this play out. Kelly will only fight her again tomorrow or the next day,” Trevor explained.
“Screw that. We got to talk some sense into them,” he argued. Trevor held Donnie still. The six-foot-eleven-inch center of the basketball team was well accustomed to blocking forward movement.
“Get out of my way, Trevor!” Donnie cried.
“Nope, this has to finish,” Trevor replied.
“You’re insane. Let go of me!” Donnie screamed. Trevor maintained his hold on Donnie. When the security guards arrived, they spotted Donnie and Trevor wrestling and assumed they were the ones fighting. The six guards quickly detained and removed the two boys from the cafeteria. Donnie’s protests went unheeded, and they were dragged out of the area. Kelly was landing hammer fist after hammer fist on Cecilia. Her face was now a bloody mess. Misha jumped on a table and began cheering Cecilia on. Cecilia got a handful of hair and pulled Kelly over and off her and tried to mount Kelly, but she proved too fast and got up quickly. Cecilia’s nose was possibly broken. Kelly danced around, looking for an opening, and tried to kick Cecilia again. Cecilia caught her leg and jerked her toward her. Cecilia delivered a forearm to Kelly’s chest, knocking her clear off her feet. She landed on her back and slammed her head against the floor.
“Go, CeeCee!” Misha yelled. “Kick her ass!” Trista had enough. She grabbed a few plastic food trays and then stacked them on each another. She moved toward the fray. She struck Misha with the makeshift club on his knee. He fell forward and landed headfirst on the table. She proceeded to strike him repeatedly on his back.
“I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” she screamed, and she flurried blows on him. Abbie was surprised by the amount of violence she was witnessing. She could only yell for her friends to stop. Cecilia kicked and stomped Kelly’s midsection violently. Kelly rolled under a table to get away from the assault and stood up on the other side. She pounced on the table like a cat and once again dove at Cecilia. Cecelia was not surprised by the same move twice and jumped aside and watched as Kelly sailed by. She landed hard on the floor. Cecilia moved to Kelly, but Kelly moved faster and kicked Cecilia’s ankle, causing her to fall forward. Cecilia’s head struck a pillar as she fell and dislodged a tooth. She spit the tooth and blood out and leaned down and grabbed Kelly by the hair. She pulled Kelly up to her feet and hit her with a savage elbow. Kelly went immediately limp. Cecilia dropped her to the ground and looked for Misha and Donnie. The fight was over. She spotted Misha on a table. He had been beaten unconscious. Trista sat nearby with a strange look on her face. More security guards arrived, and soon all the parties involved were detained.
After they were treated and cleared by the school nurse, they were all hauled into the principal’s office. They were seated in a semicircle in front of his desk. Principal Stinson was beside himself. He had trouble keeping his temperament under control. He paced back and forth, searching for the right words. “What the hell were you all thinking?” he said to the gathered students. Misha, Donnie, Kelly, Trevor, Trista, and Cecilia were all seated in his office. Several security guards were also in the office to stop any further fighting. “Who started it?” Principal Stinson demanded!
“I did, sir,” Kelly said. “I picked a fight with Cecilia.”
“And you, Ms. Feldman, you did nothing to encourage this?” Principal Stinson asked.
“I didn’t try to stop it,” Cecilia replied.
“I should expel you, Ms. Feldman,” Mr. Stinson said and added, “six fights in two weeks at your last school and two here in the last three days. I know what happened at your last school. I know it was humiliating, but I cannot allow you to continue the same pattern at this school.”
“Do what you have to do. I only wanted to graduate and be around friends. I didn’t want to start anything here. I only wanted a fresh start,” Cecilia whimpered and uncharacteristically burst into tears. Donnie and Misha went over to her and hugged her. Kelly had a wave of guilt come over her. She didn’t think to try to understand what Cecilia had been going through. She had only been blinded by rage.
“What about you, Mr. Guerrero? What is your involvement in this?” Mr. Stinson asked.
“I was just trying to stop the fight, sir,” he replied.
“And I was stopping him from stopping the fight,” Trevor added.
“What! Why would you not want to stop your girlfriend from fighting?” Mr. Stinson asked.
“I thought she would win . . .” Trevor said. “In hindsight, I should have stopped her.”
“Damn straight you should have. I can’t believe this shit!” Mr. Stinson added.
“Mr. Guerrero, you are free to go. Now get out!” Mr. Stinson ordered. Donnie got up and looked at Cecilia.
“I’ll be outside,” he said and exited the office and was met by Abbie.
“What happened?” Abbie asked.
“I’m off the hook, but everyone else is still in trouble. Mr. Stinson is about to blow a gasket. I have never seen him so mad,” he replied. Donnie and Abbie took a seat and waited for the outcome.
“What about you, Mr. Busby? What is your involvement in all this?” Mr. Stinson asked Misha.
“I knocked him unconscious with a food tray!” Trista said excitedly.
“Why did you do this, Ms. Rogers?” Mr. Stinson asked.
“Revenge,” Trista replied.
“Revenge, for what exactly?” Mr. Stinson asked.
“He knows what he did!” Trista said and crossed her arms.
“Well, it looks like I have a complete picture now. I think,” Mr. Stinson said, “Now I need to decide how to discipline you all.” The group looked around nervously at each other, except for Trista who expected to be happy with any punishment that was handed down.
“Trevor, I am disappointed with you. You should have stopped the fight,” Mr. Stinson said and added, “but not being involved in it. I won’t suspend you from school, but you are suspended for three basketball games.”
“But . . .” Trevor began to say.
“I know there are college recruiters watching you. You can have one last game. Now get out!” Mr. Stinson said, raising the decibel in his voice considerably. Trevor got up and walked out of the office swiftly.
“Now for you two,” Mr. Stinson said, looking at Cecilia and Kelly. “I will need to expel one of you.”
“S
o can I go then?” Trista asked.
“No!” Mr. Stinson yelled at Trista. “You are facing criminal charges. You were the only one that used a weapon. If Mr. Busby or his parents wish to press charges, the police will be escorting you off campus in handcuffs.” Trista gulped and went especially pale as the color faded from her face. She suddenly realized that she was in real trouble.
“So I have the head cheerleader, who started the fight, and a known troublemaker who has already been expelled once this year, choices, and more choices,” Mr. Stinson said, looking over the girls.
“Expel me,” Misha said. “Expel me. I’ll take all the blame.”
“Please explain why I should agree to that?” Mr. Stinson asked.
“It was my entire fault. I egged CeeCee on, and I didn’t help Donnie to stop the fight. I never wanted it to go this far. I certainly didn’t want to see my best friend get hurt or in trouble. I’m sorry, CeeCee. I thought you’d whip her easily. I didn’t think she was part mongoose,” Misha said, looking at CeeCee.
“Continue,” Mr. Stinson said. Misha began to tear up. This surprised everyone in the room. CeeCee had never seen him cry this way, and Trista had thought him incapable of sincerity. He turned to Trista.
“Trista, I am so sorry I used you. I never expected it to be so hard on you or anyone I dumped. Please accept my apology,” Misha said in heartfelt tears. “I won’t press any charges. Just let them all go, please.”
“So you are willing to take the fall for everyone?” Mr. Stinson asked.
“Yeah, just don’t punish CeeCee. She has been through enough already,” Misha said. “I will bear the brunt of it all.”
“OK,” Mr. Stinson said and added, “you get expelled, and the girls can go back class after being released by the nurse.”
“No way,” Cecilia said. “I’m not letting you take the fall for me. I knew what I was doing, fighting her. I should be the one expelled.”
“I started the fight. You just walked over trying to make new friends, and I jumped you. You didn’t say or do anything to provoke me or my sister. I should be the one expelled,” Kelly said.
“I can’t believe I am saying this, but Misha shouldn’t get expelled. All he did was get a well-deserved beating. I may not like him, but I don’t think that would be fair either,” Trista added.
“Very well, you are all expelled then,” Mr. Stinson said. The group was shocked and was about to protest when he added, “Or . . . You can all get forty hours of community service.” Then Mr. Stinson said, “Your choice.”
Kelly, Cecilia, Trista, and Misha all looked at each other and then looked and Mr. Stinson and agreed to his terms.
“I will make the arrangements. Your parents will all have to come in and agree to the terms as well. The hours will need to be completed by graduation or you don’t graduate,” Mr. Stinson said and added, “and finally you will have the same assignment, which I will pick.”
The foursome accepted their fate, and they were released from the principal’s office. Bloodied and bruised, they had avoided suspension and expulsion.
CHAPTER 11
Skyhook
ON FRIDAY, PRINCIPAL Stinson selected a suitable yet albeit cruel assignment. They had to work at the school as junior custodians, and their task began that very same day after school. They were made to scrape gum from underneath chairs and tables, clean toilets, paint walls, empty trash cans, and more never-ending assortments of undesirable tasks. Mr. Stinson also made one additional stipulation. Kelly and CeeCee were forced to work as a pair. Misha and Trista also met with the same fate. It was his intention to quell any further hostilities by fostering teamwork and comradeship. His evil scheme worked brilliantly.
“This really sucks!” Kelly said as she scrapped gum on the bottoms of desks.
“Tell me about it,” Cecilia said. “I can’t wait to be done with this. You want to put eight hours in on Saturday?”
“Yeah, we might as well. There are only three games left in the season, and after that I only want to concentrate on prom,” Kelly replied.
“OK, Saturday it is,” Cecilia said. “So how is your sister doing?”
“Surprisingly, she’s just fine. She is back at home and will be back in school on Monday,” Kelly replied.
“I am glad she’s OK. I do feel awful that I hurt her that badly. I just wanted to knock some sense into her,” she said.
“She’s talking and chewing soft foods already. Besides a little swelling and her bruises you’d never know.”
“You are one tough chick you know and slippery as hell,” Cecilia said.
“Well, when your boyfriend is six eight and thinks it’s funny to tickle you until you pee, you learn to move quickly.”
“You’ve been together a while, right?”
“Yeah, it’s been almost five years now.”
“That’s nice. I wish I had a guy like that, but I only fall for jerks.”
“No rush, when your guy comes along, it will be worth the wait. I just got lucky early.”
“So is this Abbie a nice girl? I gotta watch out for my Dodo,” Cecilia asked.
“Yeah, she’s very sweet and smart. I think they’ll make a good couple,” Kelly replied. The girls continued to scrape hardened gum and talk. They found that they had a lot in common and despite everything, they were becoming friends. On the other side of the school, a different scene was playing out.
“Trista, you need to help out. I’m not going to clean all these toilets alone,” Misha said.
“This is so disgusting!” Trista uttered in disgust. “I can’t believe boys are so dirty.”
“Doesn’t matter, you need to help. You have pink plastic gloves. You don’t have to touch anything, just scrub,” Misha ordered.
“All of this is your fault you know!” Trista accused.
“I know and I tried to take the heat, but you decided to speak up,” Misha pointed out as he continued furiously scrubbing.
“I know, but I never expected that I would have to do this.”
“Well, what did you expect?” Misha got up and moved over to another stall.
“I don’t know, picking up garbage along the highway with a pointy stick.” Trista wondered if she could have her maid snuck in to do this instead of her.
“That’s what inmates do, which you almost became.”
“Yeah, I know. I appreciate you not pressing charges.”
“So are we officially even?”
Trista was quiet for a few minutes before replying, “No, you still owe me one.”
“What? Are you kidding me?” Misha wasn’t surprised that she was still holding a grudge; she practically stalked him for weeks after he dumped her.
“No, you still owe me one.” Trista voice tapered off to a near whisper.
Misha got up from scrubbing his stall and faced her. “You knocked me out. The whole school knows I got beat down by a girl, and I let you off the hook with the law. That’s three in my book.” Trista was just standing there with her head held low just staring at the floor.
“Well, I say you still owe me one.” Misha detected a slight tremble in her voice as she spoke.
“Come on. How do you figure that?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
“I’m asking, aren’t I?” Misha walked toward her; she was shaking.
“Fine, here it is. One, you told me you loved me and that was a lie. Two, you took my innocence. Three, you got me pregnant, and four, you dumped me.” Trista tried her best to hold back her tears. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t shed another tear for Misha, but one look at his face, and her eyes betrayed her.
“What? Oh my god! Why didn’t you tell me? Where’s the baby?” Misha walked over to Trista.
“I aborted it. Only Kelly knows, and now you.”
“I feel sick.” Misha turned into one of the toilets and promptly threw up. Trista stood silently with her head still down. When he recovered from his puking, he walked over to a sink and
washed out his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he looked at Trista through the mirror. She was eerily still and barely breathing.
“You dumped me. I knew you never loved me. A baby might have made you stay with me, but we would’ve both been miserable.” She looked up, and she looked into his eyes. Her stare pierced Misha’s very heart.
“You should have told me.”
“I thought about it, but I made the choice not to have it. We were only fifteen. Our lives would have been ruined. You wouldn’t be going to Julliard, and I wouldn’t be going to Stetson. It was the right choice.” Trista looked exhausted as if she had been carrying this immense weight that was she could finally drop.
“No wonder you hate me so much. I never realized I was hurting people so much.” Misha recalled that Donnie had warned him over and over about his behavior, if he had only listened.
“Well, I wasn’t the first or the last girl you will devastate.” Trista could see that he was truly sorry.
“I don’t even know where to start to earn your forgiveness.” Misha walked closer to her.
“I forgive you. I dealt with it a long time ago. It was hard for me, but kicking your ass released a lot of anger.”
“Yeah, I bet you do. My back is a huge black and blue mess.” Misha smiled gently at her.
“I hope it didn’t hurt too much.” She caught herself and said, “No wait, I hope it hurt a lot.”
“I wouldn’t know. I only remember two hits, the one to my legs and the one to my head when it slammed into the table.” He smiled again and ran his fingers thru his hair.
“Wow, lucky Misha gets a huge beating and sleeps through it, ridiculous.” Trista was furious.
“Oh, I feel it now, trust me. Everytime I move, it hurts.”
“Good. So like I was saying, you still owe me one.” Trista crossed her arms and looked away.
“Feels like I owe you a lot more.” Misha felt awful, to think she carried that pain for all that time. He found himself admiring her strength.
“One will do. I want you do to something for me.” She looked again into his eyes.
“I don’t really see how I can refuse. What do you need?”