I watched as Austin fell to the ground.
He wasn't moving. At all. Did I knock him out?
"I guess I don't know my own strength" I thought. "Wait, no! Why am I thinking that?"
I finally realized what I had done. I punched Austin in the face.
My legs gave out and I fell to my knees, sobbing.
"What did I just do?" I whispered.
The cafeteria was filled with whispers.
"Did she just knock him out?"
"Who is she? I've never seen her before"
"What a jerk"
"Second day of school, and this happens"
"Why would she just punch him like that?"
"Anyone know exactly what happened?"
"Is she insane?"
My hair fell in front of my face and I didn't move it. My shoulders were shaking. Whatever makeup I was wearing has probably been cried off.
I hear someone call my name.
"Sienna!"
"Sienna!"
Multiple voices. I looked up. My vision was blurry but I could just make out four people. Maisie, Luna, Hailey, and Niki. Did they see the whole thing?
I feel someone grab my arm and pull me up. At first, I thought it was one of my friends. Instead, I see the face of the principal.
Principal.
That only meant one thing.
I was in trouble.
Big trouble.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
"Okay, are you calm now?"
I had sat in the principal's office for an hour, crying nonstop. I couldn't even speak. She had decided to leave me alone to calm down.
"I t-think s-so" I said between sobs.
She handed me a tissue, which I used to wipe my tears. "I think I'm calm now" I said.
I wasn't calm, but I couldn't stand being here.
The principal went from sympathetic to stern once I said that.
"Okay, what happened?" she asked.
There was no use lying or anything. I told her the first thing I thought.
"Honestly, I don't know what happened. It's a long story, but I myself don't know the reasons behind my actions. It started when I sort of got mad at something Austin said. It was a stupid reason to get angry, but I did. At lunch, I didn't sit with my friends; I sat alone. I saw them all sitting and talking like I was never there. I didn't blame them. I put in my earbuds and took out a book. It wasn't long before Austin came over and tried to ask me what was going on. I kind of lost it and started yelling at him. I know he was just trying to help me, but I was already irritated and tried telling him to leave me alone. It was like a warning because I have a bad habit of losing my mind when someone I'm angry at tries talking to me. My head felt like a mess, and I didn't know what I was saying. He didn't leave me alone, and I got really mad. That lead to me punching him. I immediately realized what I had done, and regretted it so much. This sort of thing has happened before, but I never physically hurt someone before today"
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had finally explained it all, and it was off my mind.
The principal's expression didn't change.
Finally, she spoke.
"I see. Although I believe you, there are no excuses for your actions. You will be suspended from school for the rest of the week. Next week, you may return and pretend nothing ever happened."
"Thank you" I replied as I got up.
"Go collect all your stuff and leave. We will see you again next week"
As I went to my locker, I felt people staring. I mean, why wouldn't they?
I just kept looking at the ground. I collected my stuff and left.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————
As I entered my house, I was prepared to get yelled at.
Until I remembered both my parents were at work. At least I had some time to myself.
I couldn't stop thinking about what happened. I got SUSPENDED. I know there are a ton of people that would enjoy not going to school for three days, but not me. The last thing I wanted was to miss three days in a row.
I checked the time. School would be almost over by now.
I needed to talk to someone. Anyone.
School was still in session, but I couldn't wait. I scrolled through my contacts.
"I need to call Jacob"
As much as I hated him, he was trustworthy and a great listener. He was always there to listen to me rant about my problems. Plus, his school was already finished.
I hesitated as I pressed call.
I put the phone to my ear, hands shaking as I waited for an answer.
