Maybe In Another Life

Chapter 3

Saint Raymond High was in full motion that day, as most students were outside, basking in the sun of this warm autumn morning.

Similarly to every other highschool, everyone was split into groups, fulfilling the stereotypical tasks that came along with their cliques.

Some gossiped, some ran around the football field. Others studied, bullied, or got bullied.
Nothing new.

Mavis and Soren sat parallel to each other on different sides of the field.

While she licked her fingers clean of the sweet chili pepper chips she just attempted to eat, he leaned against the bleacher's fence with his back to her.

Mavis sat alone, fiddling with the box of Parliament cigarettes as she studied the group of boys on the bleachers.

"The golden boys."

There were four of them:

Andrew Zhou, the smart basketball player.

Slater Hathaway, the one in a boy band.

Caden Baz, captain of the swim team.

And Soren Masalis, the boxer.

They were all different. One was a player, the other in a committed relationship, the third had occasional one night stands, while the last one was simply uninterested in girls. Something about them being a waste of time.
And even though each had a different personality and diverse interests, they had one thing in common: wealth.

Soren's conversation and playful banter with his friends was interrupted when someone -Kevin- decided to shove him.

Mavis watched as the two got into a heated argument before fists started to fly around.

She lowered her eyes for a second to light herself a cigarette, and once she looked up, an immense audience had formed a circle around the two in a brawl.

From across the field, she could see nothing of the fight any longer as it had been concealed by the viewers, but the loud distant cheering of Soren's name confirmed her educated guess of his victory.

Inside the ring of people, Soren had tackled Kevin to the ground and tried to stop him from fighting but to no avail. The latter flailed and directed unsuccessful punches at Soren's face, who reciprocated them once his patience wore out.

One punch, two punches and they kept coming.
Why did his morning have to be ruined? He bets he was going to be the one held accountable for something he didn't even start.

Mavis indulged in her cigarette, as if it were popcorn and the fight was a movie. She was so busy squinting her eyes trying to see, she didn't even hear the haste footsteps grow louder as they approached her.

Cold, boney fingers roughly tapped her shoulder, before the cigarette was snatched from in between her fingers and stomped.

"My office now!" The principal yelled in her face.

Not waiting for a reply, the middle aged woman rushed towards the commotion, and Mavis watched as the crowd of students split before her like the sea before Moses.

Soren was ripped off of Kevin by his friends under the principal's demand and the two in conflict were dragged to the school nurse.

•                                      •                                         •

A heavy silence lingered in the room as the three students awaited Principal Marshal to enter her office.

Mavis, unphased by the whole situation, sat sprawled out unlady like on one of the seats. Soren leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his bandaged up knuckled resting above the opposite elbow. While Kevin meekly sunk into the other seat, ice pack in hand.

The clacking of heels resonated in the halls before a wild haired principal entered the office, slamming the door behind her as she sternly stared at the trio through the rims of her glasses.

"Kevin, your parents are here to take you to the dentist." She said, as she took a seat behind her desk. "You are dismissed."

The swollen faced kid got up and limped out of the room, whimpering as he walked past Soren.

"Now, let's start with you Ms.Carpenter." The middle aged woman spoke as she rested her hands on the wooden desk.

"It's Charpentier. Don't Americanize that too." Mavis rolled her eyes.

Ignoring the student's comment, Mrs.Marshal proceeded. "Why were you smoking on school grounds, knowing damn well that it's prohibited?"

"Why do you do it?" Mavis spoke, not meeting neither the principal's eyes, nor Soren's green ones which now stared at her.

"How dare you accuse me of such unproven claims?" She retorted.

"The yellow nicotine stains on your teeth, middle and index fingers of your right hand are enough proof. Not to mention the lighter you always carry in the left back pocket of your trousers, the red Marlboro packs in your desk drawers, and the cigarette stench you emit." Mavis blurted out, studying her bitten off fingernails. "If you can smoke every third, fifth and seventh period behind the gymnasium, why can't I?" Her eyes finally met her superior's, who had her mouth agape.

Soren snorted as he watched Mavis bite her lip, preventing a smirk from drawing itself on her face.

The principal's nose flared as she cleared her throat. "Let this be your last warning." she says for she had no comeback. "Your shorts also violate dress code, so you just earned yourself detention. Keep it up and you'll get expelled." She mockingly smiles at her student.

"Whatever. Am I dismissed?" Mavis yawned, showcasing just how much she didn't care.

"Yes."

As she got up and walked to the door, Mrs.Marshal spoke again.

"Also a piece of advice. Those fishnets make you look like a hooker. Stop dressing like a slut, for future reference."

Soren's eyes widen as they jumped between the two females.

Mavis paused, her hand on the doorknob. 

"Oh no! I would never dream of dressing like you." She says, smiling in a sickeningly sweet manner as she innocently batted her eyelashes.
"We don't all cheat on our husbands with our colleagues. I'll leave the slut persona for you. Have a nice day Katherine."

And with that she was out the door, leaving a dumbfounded Soren, and red handed principal in the office.