palette in the moonlight | x-files teen au

ix. principal's office blues

Mulder is called into Tarren's office first. Scully can't hear exactly what they're saying, but she's pretty sure Tarren is asking about how the event played out.
Roughly 15 minutes pass, and Mulder exits the office, the door closing behind him.

"How'd it go?" she asks, grabbing her bag as she gets up from the bench.

"Okay, I guess. I told him you were defending me, so just talk as little as possible about knocking out Dermott, and you should be fine." he replies.

"Do you want me to wait for you?"

"No, it's okay," she answers, her hand on the doorknob, "I'll let you know how it went when I next see you."

Mulder nods. "You shouldn't keep him waiting. He's kinda pissed."

She turns the doorknob and enters principal Tarren's office.

The office is a small room, but even at first glance you can tell that it's much better furnished than any other room in the entire school. The wall is covered by a bright yellow wallpaper (Scully has to look twice, to make sure it isn't just the white walls growing yellow thanks to years of no repainting, but no such luck), along with (mostly empty) picture frames.

Tarren, himself, is a small man. Shorter than Jane Holmvik, even, and she's the shortest girl in her class. Concerning his face, there isn't much detail that can't be described by saying that he looks like a human version of a French bulldog. The fact that his glasses manage to stay on his face surprises everybody, considering the fact his nose is so small, it's almost nonexistant. If she remembers correctly, there were even  betting pools last year on whether or not his glasses will drop to the floor once he bows at the end of a school ceremony (and there were many that year!)

She knows it's mean, but she can't help it. Tarren's the kind of principal everyone in and out of the school despises, including the employees. As soon as you meet him, you dislike him. It was either his inability to act as a hammer of justice when it was required, or his enhanced ability of preaching hate and injustice to the students and faculty.

"Sit down, Ms Scully," he commands, looking down at the documents set across his table, trying to appear as busy as possible, despite being practically workless.

Dana sits down in the comfortable leather armchair (is this where yearly library funds go to die?) across from Tarren's very own, currently very occupied armchair.

The only thing that separates them is the aforementioned mahogany table, which, by having legs noticeably shorter than both the armchairs, makes the room seem more like a very tiny living room than a very tiny principal's office.

"Ms Scully, you are one of the very last people I expected to have to punish for this kind of behaviour."Tarren says, visibly fuming, "I want you to understand that this kind of behaviour will simply not be tolerated at Bridgewood High."
Scully crosses her legs.

"Mr Tarren, sir, if I may try and defend myself in this situation," she pauses, waiting to see if he'll interrupt. He simply nods, signalling for her to go on.

"While I do understand that violence against other students is prohibited, and punishable with temporary, sometimes permanent suspension," she keeps going, "I believe Mr Mulder already explained his, Mr Dermott's, and my involvement in the situation."

The room smells like old records, dust, and chalk.

"May I remind you that, despite his current injuries, Mr Dermott started something that he didn't expect to evolve into a fight. No, he was simply abusing Mr Mulder, who, at the time, was taken by surprise and unable to fight back." Scully explains. Tarren nods once again, starting to write something down in his notepad.

"And, then again, not overlooking Mr Dermott's injuries, he was simply taken to the infirmary for bruises, and went unconscious because of the impact between his head and, well, the ground, with no permanent injuries. Unlike Mr Mulder, whose injuries go past the level of bruises; a split lip, a nose that's as good as broken along with a temporarily damaged sense of smell, amongst others, not counting past abuse that went unnoticed by the school faculty, which, by the way, you represent, for months, if not the whole two years that Mr Mulder had spent in the school."

Mr Tarren arches an eyebrow, eyes glued to the tiny notepad until the last part of her sentence, after which he looks up at her.

"Ms Scully," he sighs, and Dana can almost hear the poison of fear (of demotion caused by blackmail) making its way to his brain, "If your punishment is minimalised, I suppose you won't inform anybody about the failure of the school faculty to notice abuse that has been going on for a while before a noticeable event concerning the abuse occurred?"

"I suppose you're correct, Mr Tarren."

Scully answers, pulling back her knee.

"Two weeks Saturday detention is what I have decided on."

She nods.

It feels like she's betraying Mulder, in a way. Promising to stay silent about something that hadn't even affected her.

She decides to shut down the part of her being that's in charge of her conscience for just a second. Just until she gets out of this mess, and then she can worry about Mulder some more.