Angelica "Freak Two" Munson

Chapter 22

"You seem unusually happy today, Munson." Byers points out with a quizzical look upon his face. "You know, for someone who just got back to school after having a Tommy-induced coma."

She swipes across her face with the sleeve of her hoodie, hoping to wipe her current expression away; she has had a consistent cheerful appearance ever since her and Harrington decided to be together.

"I guess I'm just glad to get back to normal, you know?" She stops at her locker, "I mean, it's almost spring break, and then it'll be senior year in the blink of an eye."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So I–"

"Excuse me, Ms. Munson." Mrs. Welsh, the receptionist in the office, begs for their attention.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Hadeed would like to speak with you before class."

The two wave goodbye as Angie is escorted to the principals office. Mrs. Welsh gives her the go-ahead before taking a spot at her desk.

"Hello, Ms. Munson. It's lovely to finally see you back at school." He beams.

"It is lovely to be back, sir." She smiles the best she can, "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, you've been gone for quite some time."

"I had a head injury that made it difficult to come to class."

"Yes, I heard. However, you did miss an entire week of school unexcused."

"I'm sorry," Angie attempts to keep her composure, "this might come off rudely, but those absences are not unexcused, sir; they are medical."

"Either way, Ms. Munson, you are now considered truant and are at risk for losing all of your credits for this semester." He replies sternly.

"I do believe that this is absu-" She stops herself and takes a deep breath, "What exactly does this mean for me, Mr. Hadeed?"

"Well, if you miss any more days of school this year, you will have to retake this semester. Which also means, as you may already know, that it would put you at risk for not being able to graduate with your class next spring."

Angie laughs dryly.

"Is something funny, Angelica?"

"No, sir, excuse me. I'm just processing this information." She shakes her head.

From outside the office, Steve is speaking with a few sophomores about their upcoming game. He's raving about something cool he did his sophomore year when he spots something out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, he dismisses the underclassmen to observe.

Steve realizes almost instantly that something is wrong. He can see from here that she's fidgeting with her hands, automatically a dead giveaway, but she's also shaking her head in a way that she only does when she's trying to stay calm.

Interrupting his thoughts, Angie comes almost storming out of the office. She's moving so quickly that she doesn't even see him standing there concerned.

He quickly scans the hallway for any stragglers before gently grabbing her shoulders.

"Hey," He half-whispers when she tries to fight him off, "are you alright?"

Angie instantly stops fighting and sighs, stressingly running her hands down her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What was all that about?" He tenderly rubs her shoulders.

"It was nothing." She averts his gaze.

"Angie, hey, we talked about this."