Adopted by my teacher

Chapter 25 Detention

SOPHIE

As soon as the last bell rang, announcing the end of class for the day, a flood of high schoolers poured through the doors to head home. That is, except for the girls and I. We, along with Brett and his pack of friends, had all been assigned detention for the events that took place in the cafeteria this afternoon.

It hadn't seemed like a bad idea at the time, retaliating against Brett's prank with a bit of flung potatoes, which started a huge food fight that involved the whole school, and for once in my school life seemed to really anger and disappoint the principal as well as my mom, who didn't take the news well. There were many others who were just as guilty; however, because the first shot was fired at our table, everyone present was held accountable.

The thought alone scared me, considering that I had never been assigned to detention before. Unlike Brett and the rest of the troublemakers who were always in detention, I never played pranks on the teacher or called without raising my hand, and I always did my homework.

So, while everyone else was left off the hook, we were stuck sitting in an empty classroom.

"I can't believe after their stunt with the exploding soda bomb, we all got in trouble like this," Chels groused as she stared out of the window at crowds of other kids forming in the school yard below, "Them and their stupid pranks."

Bri, who was skimming through a textbook, glanced up with a slight look of disdain on her face. "We broke the school's rules," she rebutted, "food fights are none acceptable."

"Yeah," agreed Alicia half heartedly from behind a Gameboy that she had been hiding under her desk, "What a bummer."

"Maybe you're right," admitted Charlotte, turning around to face us, "It just makes me mad that we have to be here at all."

"Agreed."

"Well nobody likes being in detention," Emma giggled, "if they did, it wouldn't be much of a punishment."

"Very precise," came a voice from behind. Half stunned, the girls and I twisted around to see who it was that had been speaking. It was Ms. Cabrera, the lunch lady. She was standing menacingly in the doorway, holding in one hand her trusty clipboard and in the other, a newly sharpened pencil.

"Jose!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs, "take a seat."

"Yes mam," replied the girl, throwing herself into the desk next to Alicia.

Now having control, the older lady began to stride slowly up the aisle of desks, calling out the name of each girl and boy, and checking it off on her clipboard when they answered 'here'. At the same time, the woman took the opportunity to confiscate personal items, such as Alicia's game and admonish her for even having such a device at school. And then she came to Reuben, another troublemaker.

"I'm sure he'll be along in a minute," Veronica explained after the second call, "he's always late to everything."

Ms. Cabrera stared down at her wrist, adjusting her watch, "If he's not here in thirty seconds he'll have double detention."

At that very moment, there was a faint squeak from far off down the hall. Another soon followed, and then another. It was the sound of quick footsteps against the tiled floor. They grew louder and louder as they got closer until they were right outside the room. Next thing you know, Reuben bolted through the doorframe and headed first into a desk, sending him flying over the top and then to the ground.

"Did I make it?" he wheezed from his position, "am I late?"

"No and yes in that order," the lady responded as she checked his name off of her list. "This," she explained, leaning mockingly over into the boy's face, "is why we don't run in the halls."