Abby

CHAPTER TWO

The next morning, she went straight to the principal's office like she'd been instructed. She checked in with the secretary and waited. The principal didn't make her wait long.

"Abby." He said without a smile. "Come in." She did, and she sat down. Mr. Harvey, her algebra two teacher, was already in there with him. "We're just waiting on an officer to join us." He sat back in his chair and stared at her. He tried not to smile as he watched her sweat. She looked scared. Which was exactly what he wanted. An officer finally joined them. "So you know why you're here." He assumed.

"Yes." She replied, but it barely came out audible. She cleared her throat. "Yes."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" This was absolute misery. Hell. She so desperately needed to get high right now. She shook the thought from her head.

"No." Her parents had asked them to make this as uncomfortable for her as possible. Scare her. Teach her a lesson. Good parents.

"Nineteen forged notes. Five failing grades. And you have nothing to say?" She shook her head. She just wanted the punishment so she could leave. "Being that you have already missed so much class time, it seems counterproductive to give you nineteen in school suspensions. We can compress them into fewer out of school suspensions." The thought of sitting at home all day with whichever parent would babysit her seemed like a nightmare. And the thought of wanting to get high hit her again. She shook it free with a deep breath.

"If I'm making up nineteen days of missed work, I'd rather be in school. This is my first time being in trouble in the eleven years I've been in school. Perhaps there is leniency for that. And I serve five days ISS. Go to class for five days. Serve another five. And if those fifteen days go well, the rest are forgiven, and I'm all caught up." There in that moment was born the Abby who could wheel and deal her way in and out of anything. The principal gave her idea some time to settle in. He knew the Demarco's would have strict consequences at home as well.

"Yes." He said, pretending to ponder the idea but knowing he didn't really have a better one. "I think that would work. Absolutely no tardies, absences or early dismissals in those fifteen days. And you understand if we require a call from a parent for every single tardy, absence or early dismissal in the future."

"Of course." She said. That was a given.

"As for legal action, forgery is a federal crime." The officer began. Abby had no idea how well she'd get to know this officer over the next nine months. "You can receive anything from probation and restitution to jail time." She debated how far they'd actually get in court for forging absentee notes to a high school, but she wasn't going to argue. She just wanted this to be over.

"I understand." She said.

"On a more personal note," the principal began, "if there's anything going on that you need to share, please do. This is oftentimes an indicator of new friends that are a bad influence, even drug use." He wanted to see her reaction, but he didn't want to flat out accuse her. That never went well, and it really wasn't fair. Yet. She nodded.

"Okay." He waited.

"So, there's nothing going on that took a straight A and well-behaved student and turned her into a nearly straight F troublemaker in a matter of weeks?" She looked away. Holding his gaze was impossible. It was all happening so fast. New boyfriend. Smoking weed to hang out. Drinking at parties. Smoking every day. Drinking just to hang out. Forging notes, skipping school. Using drugs. She got dizzy with the realization being thrown in her face.

"If I need help, I will ask for it." She lied. She was a liar. So many lies in one early morning meeting. She was dismissed. No one believed a word she'd said, and she knew it. She went straight to ISS where there was a pile of work waiting for her. She took it piece by piece. The morning flew by, and before she knew it, they were dismissed for lunch. But she wasn't hungry. She wasn't in the mood to mingle in the cafeteria, either.