I sat in my usual seat in the principal's office. Darry is going to kill
me. I glanced around to make sure there were no sharp objects near me.
Then it dawned on me that he could kill me with his bare hands.
I need a cigarette.
I stood up and headed for the door but just as I got there, I saw Darry walking towards me. I backed up and bumped right into the chair behind me. My face got red when I heard people laugh. Our principal, Mrs. Jackson, saw Darry walk in and came out of her office to greet him.
"Good to see you again," she said with a warm smile.
"Sorry it had to be under such circumstances," Darry replied, looking over at me.
"Let's go in my office and talk," she said. She nodded towards a man behind the counter.
"Carl, please escort Ms. Curtis to her locker so she can get her books." Carl nodded at her and stepped out from behind the counter.
I walked silently to my locker. Take my books home. Did Mrs. Jackson seriously think I was gonna study?? Well I had to now that she opened her big trap about my geometry grade.
I opened my locker and reached for a pack of smokes, forgetting that Carl was right behind me. He cleared his throat so I put them back and reached for my geometry book. Where is my geometry book? I got down on my knees and start looking through all the junk at the bottom of my locker.
"What are you doing, Zeta?"
I looked up to see Ponyboy standing next to me.
"What are YOU doing?" I asked. I turned and glared at Carl with a raised eyebrow. "Do you mind?"
He rolled his eyes and walked to the window.
"Two Bit and me were gonna skip next class and go see Soda."
"Yeah well I wouldn't if I was you," I said, still searching for that stupid geometry book. Who cared about geometry anyways?
Ponyboy gave me a funny look.
"Darry is up in The General's office right now," I said. We all called Mrs. Jackson 'The General' occasionally. She was nice, but could be very harsh.
Harsh. Calling Darry certainly was harsh. That girl deserved what she got.
"Why?" Pony asked.
I finally found my geometry book and stood up. "I got in a fight this morning, so Jackson suspended me for 2 days. When she called Darry, she let it slip that I was failing geometry."
"Have you ever even opened that book?" Ponyboy asked, pointing down at the geometry book I held. The pages were nice and neat. "Of course I have. I tore a page out to spit out my gum once."
"Darry's gonna beat the tar outta you," Pony said. I nodded. I coulda told him that.
Carl came back and cleared his throat again. How annoying. "You should really get that checked out," I said.
When we got back to The General's office, Darry was waiting for me. "Let's go, Zeta Claire Curtis," he said.
I hate it when he calls me my full name. We got in the truck and rode the whole way home in silence. I didn't say anything to him because I could see his knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel so tight. We pulled into the driveway and Darry finally spoke.
"When I come home, I expect the house clean, the laundry done and dinner made. Do you understand me, young lady?"
"Yeah yeah."
"We'll talk about this when I get home," he said. I got out of the car and he took off to go back to work.
I need a cigarette.
I stood up and headed for the door but just as I got there, I saw Darry walking towards me. I backed up and bumped right into the chair behind me. My face got red when I heard people laugh. Our principal, Mrs. Jackson, saw Darry walk in and came out of her office to greet him.
"Good to see you again," she said with a warm smile.
"Sorry it had to be under such circumstances," Darry replied, looking over at me.
"Let's go in my office and talk," she said. She nodded towards a man behind the counter.
"Carl, please escort Ms. Curtis to her locker so she can get her books." Carl nodded at her and stepped out from behind the counter.
I walked silently to my locker. Take my books home. Did Mrs. Jackson seriously think I was gonna study?? Well I had to now that she opened her big trap about my geometry grade.
I opened my locker and reached for a pack of smokes, forgetting that Carl was right behind me. He cleared his throat so I put them back and reached for my geometry book. Where is my geometry book? I got down on my knees and start looking through all the junk at the bottom of my locker.
"What are you doing, Zeta?"
I looked up to see Ponyboy standing next to me.
"What are YOU doing?" I asked. I turned and glared at Carl with a raised eyebrow. "Do you mind?"
He rolled his eyes and walked to the window.
"Two Bit and me were gonna skip next class and go see Soda."
"Yeah well I wouldn't if I was you," I said, still searching for that stupid geometry book. Who cared about geometry anyways?
Ponyboy gave me a funny look.
"Darry is up in The General's office right now," I said. We all called Mrs. Jackson 'The General' occasionally. She was nice, but could be very harsh.
Harsh. Calling Darry certainly was harsh. That girl deserved what she got.
"Why?" Pony asked.
I finally found my geometry book and stood up. "I got in a fight this morning, so Jackson suspended me for 2 days. When she called Darry, she let it slip that I was failing geometry."
"Have you ever even opened that book?" Ponyboy asked, pointing down at the geometry book I held. The pages were nice and neat. "Of course I have. I tore a page out to spit out my gum once."
"Darry's gonna beat the tar outta you," Pony said. I nodded. I coulda told him that.
Carl came back and cleared his throat again. How annoying. "You should really get that checked out," I said.
When we got back to The General's office, Darry was waiting for me. "Let's go, Zeta Claire Curtis," he said.
I hate it when he calls me my full name. We got in the truck and rode the whole way home in silence. I didn't say anything to him because I could see his knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel so tight. We pulled into the driveway and Darry finally spoke.
"When I come home, I expect the house clean, the laundry done and dinner made. Do you understand me, young lady?"
"Yeah yeah."
"We'll talk about this when I get home," he said. I got out of the car and he took off to go back to work.