Journey to Psitharis

Chapter 3

Three

The bad news was I had sprained my hand; pretty badly from what the nurse said. She thought it better if I had a doctor look at it. I asked her if she had met my mother, at which Ms. Martin chuckled involuntarily. Either way I was told I should head home and rest my hand and REALLY consider going to a doctor. I told her I was fine, it didn't hurt anymore and I could probably even get through the school day. Truth was it hurt like hell, but I didn't want to deal with my mother. I picked up my book bag with my good hand and started out the door, but before I could get out the door a taller man walked into the nurse's office. Behind him were the Terrible Twosome, looking falsely contrite. "Okay girls. The camera caught you doing it. Now let's hear it."

Sasha was the first to speak up, mainly because the tall man gave her a stern look. "Look goth....." the clearing of the man's throat made her change track, "ummm, Medora. I'm really sorry about what happened. I honestly thought it was an accident. We'll try to be more careful in the future." She backed up to allow Jennifer to extend her warmest apologies. Needless to say, I didn't buy a word of it.

"If there are any medical bills involved with this incident please have them sent to me." The man put his hand reassuringly on my shoulder. Sasha looked at me as if she could kill me. "By the way, high time I introduced myself. I'm Porter Daniels. I'm the principal of this school."

Daniels....Daniels. The name sounded familiar. Then it hit me. At roll call the teacher called out "Sasha Daniels" as she went down the list. This brat was related to the principal. I'll tell....Dad. Even worse, this man was her father. I felt as if I was going to be sick. The principal was the father to one of the spawns of Satan. "I can assure you I will deal with my daughter and her friend Miss Langston with the appropriate punishments. Now girls, time to head to class. See you tomorrow, Miss Langston."

See you tomorrow? After what they did to me? I wanted to scream at him, to demand that Mr. Daniels send his hellspawn and her evil "bestie" packing! They didn't belong among normal people, they belonged in a reform school! I watched Sasha take her things, kiss her father on the cheek and say cheerfully "Okay Daddy!" She shot me a dirty look as she walked out the door. She and Jennifer didn't even make it out of earshot before they rejoined Peyton and started laughing hysterically. Mr. Daniels just sighed and spoke to me about how sometimes girls get a little silly and how those two would walk the line from this moment on. He also broke some additional bad news to me; he had already taken the liberty of calling my mother. I groaned, which he mistook for a groan of pain. "Don't worry, little lady. We're going to get you all fixed up."

I tried to get him to let me call her back before she headed for the high school. All I wanted to do was finish out the day. He told me I really needed to get additional medical attention and he would not take "no" for an answer. I couldn't help but think he never said the word "no" to that little slut he and his wife created in a drunken stupor eighteen years ago either. I sat in a chair by a fake tree and waited for the storm to blow in.

And blow in she did. Twenty minutes after he called she stormed into the school, absolutely irate. "Mer, how in the world did you wind up tripping over someone's foot?" She was already turning red with rage.

"I didn't trip over her, she tripped me! She and her friend! She made me fall because she has a problem with me!" I wasn't taking responsibility for this.

"After one day of school?" she demanded. "What could you possibly do that would make someone that mad at you after one day?"

I wasn't going to take the blame for this. "Mom, I'm serious. She's just a brat. Her dad is the principal. She knows she can get away with stuff, so she did it. And she gets to come back to school tomorrow!"