Faith pulled her shoulder length hair behind her ears. She dug into her backpack and pulled out her pack of cigarettes, opened the box and sighed heavily.
"Empty. Just great." She threw the empty pack to the ground. She zipped up her backpack and pulled out a stick of gum from her back pocket. Faith stuck the piece of gum in her mouth and began chewing noisily.
"Can I join you?" A voice said from behind her.
"No," Faith didn't have to turn around to know that it was Jon. "What do you want?" She turned.
"What I can't join my best friend for a smoke?" He lit the cigarette in his mouth "Mmh. Breakfast of champions." He exhaled.
"Can I have one?" Faith held out her hand.
"I don't know…can we hang?" Faith's eyes glared.
"Sure." She sounded annoyed. Jon handed her a cigarette. Faith quickly lit it. "Oh God, that's good."
"Miss Morris. Mr. Johnson…"Faith and Jon knew that voice.
"Yes Mr. Todd?" They both said in unison.
"My office. Now!"
"Shit!" Jon muttered under his breath. Dropping the cigarette in his mouth. Faith threw her newly lit cigarette on the ground and squished it beneath her boot.
"Waste of a perfectly good cigarette."
**************************************************************************
Outside thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Faith sat alone outside Mr. Todd's office. The rain drummed against the skylight window over her head. She licked her lips and got closer to the door to listen to the conversation between Jon's father and Mr. Todd.
"Do you understand the severity of your son's actions?"
"He's 18. He had cigarettes which are LEGAL to buy once someone has turned 18. This school doesn't have a designated smoking area so who's to say no one is allowed to smoke under the bleachers."
"He was skipping class and her gave cigarettes to a minor!"
"A minor who is turning 18 in two weeks I've heard. The part that gets me is that you are keeping him out of his English class. The ONLY class he needs to graduate to tell me that he was smoking cigarettes, skipping class and the reason you could not have told me this over the phone is?
"Damn, you have a cool dad." Faith said to Jon who had just gotten back from his trip to the vending machine.
"I know," he said with a mouth full of Doritos "he's the best dad in the whole world. He bought me and my friends drugs for my sixteenth birthday party."
"Listen Principal Todd. I will deal with this in my own way. Just send my son back to class and I'll be on my way." The door opened and Faith and Jon sat straight up. She looked at Jon's father.
"He looks a lot like his father." She thought to her self.
"Go to class Jon, we will have a discussion about his when you get home." Jon got up. Mr. Todd walked out of his office. Mr. Johnson stuck out his hand "Thank you for wasting my and my son's time." He turned and walked off. Mr. Todd looked bewildered, his face grew red. He turned around and stepped back into his office. Slamming the door behind him. Five minutes later he stuck his head out of his office.
"Faith, could you come in here please." Faith got up from her chair and walked slowly inside, she shut the door behind her. "Have a seat." Mr. Todd's back was at her. He was looking out the window. Faith sat down, still chewing her gum. "Miss Morris we were unable to contact your mother."
"There's a shocker." Faith said sarcastically.
"I have decided to call social services."
"What?!" Faith got up from her chair. "Why?!"
"We feel that maybe your home isn't the best place to be…your home. A social worker is on his way to pick you up. Please go to your locker and collect your things. You won't be coming back." Faith stood there motionless, not even breathing or blinking for a few seconds. She blinked turned and proceeded to exit the room.
"You know what Mr. Todd? I've been waiting a really long time to say this. You're an ass." She slammed the door behind her causing a few pictures to get knocked off the wall. Mr. Todd, still facing the wall, turned and sighed heavily.
"That has been the hardest thing I've done all year." He said aloud to himself. After scratching his nose he picked up the phone receiver and dialed the set of numbers on the post it next to the phone he got from the man he had talked to moments earlier.
"Hello? Mr. Hardy? This is Mr. Todd, principal of Netamer High School. A called earlier inquiring one of our students? She is ready to be picked up."
"Thank you I am on my way." Malcolm Hardy got up from his seat inside the coffee house. The smell of coffee and new books hanged heavily in the air. Malcolm exited the building and walked slowly to his car. With his umbrella in his left hand and his keys in the other he entered his car. It was about a twenty minute drive to the school. He started his car and as he looked in his rearview mirror he practiced the speech he had been taught ever since he was told we was going to be a watcher. "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer…and you my darling are that girl." Filled with confidence he pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the school. There was a lot of changes in this Faith girls life.
"Empty. Just great." She threw the empty pack to the ground. She zipped up her backpack and pulled out a stick of gum from her back pocket. Faith stuck the piece of gum in her mouth and began chewing noisily.
"Can I join you?" A voice said from behind her.
"No," Faith didn't have to turn around to know that it was Jon. "What do you want?" She turned.
"What I can't join my best friend for a smoke?" He lit the cigarette in his mouth "Mmh. Breakfast of champions." He exhaled.
"Can I have one?" Faith held out her hand.
"I don't know…can we hang?" Faith's eyes glared.
"Sure." She sounded annoyed. Jon handed her a cigarette. Faith quickly lit it. "Oh God, that's good."
"Miss Morris. Mr. Johnson…"Faith and Jon knew that voice.
"Yes Mr. Todd?" They both said in unison.
"My office. Now!"
"Shit!" Jon muttered under his breath. Dropping the cigarette in his mouth. Faith threw her newly lit cigarette on the ground and squished it beneath her boot.
"Waste of a perfectly good cigarette."
**************************************************************************
Outside thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Faith sat alone outside Mr. Todd's office. The rain drummed against the skylight window over her head. She licked her lips and got closer to the door to listen to the conversation between Jon's father and Mr. Todd.
"Do you understand the severity of your son's actions?"
"He's 18. He had cigarettes which are LEGAL to buy once someone has turned 18. This school doesn't have a designated smoking area so who's to say no one is allowed to smoke under the bleachers."
"He was skipping class and her gave cigarettes to a minor!"
"A minor who is turning 18 in two weeks I've heard. The part that gets me is that you are keeping him out of his English class. The ONLY class he needs to graduate to tell me that he was smoking cigarettes, skipping class and the reason you could not have told me this over the phone is?
"Damn, you have a cool dad." Faith said to Jon who had just gotten back from his trip to the vending machine.
"I know," he said with a mouth full of Doritos "he's the best dad in the whole world. He bought me and my friends drugs for my sixteenth birthday party."
"Listen Principal Todd. I will deal with this in my own way. Just send my son back to class and I'll be on my way." The door opened and Faith and Jon sat straight up. She looked at Jon's father.
"He looks a lot like his father." She thought to her self.
"Go to class Jon, we will have a discussion about his when you get home." Jon got up. Mr. Todd walked out of his office. Mr. Johnson stuck out his hand "Thank you for wasting my and my son's time." He turned and walked off. Mr. Todd looked bewildered, his face grew red. He turned around and stepped back into his office. Slamming the door behind him. Five minutes later he stuck his head out of his office.
"Faith, could you come in here please." Faith got up from her chair and walked slowly inside, she shut the door behind her. "Have a seat." Mr. Todd's back was at her. He was looking out the window. Faith sat down, still chewing her gum. "Miss Morris we were unable to contact your mother."
"There's a shocker." Faith said sarcastically.
"I have decided to call social services."
"What?!" Faith got up from her chair. "Why?!"
"We feel that maybe your home isn't the best place to be…your home. A social worker is on his way to pick you up. Please go to your locker and collect your things. You won't be coming back." Faith stood there motionless, not even breathing or blinking for a few seconds. She blinked turned and proceeded to exit the room.
"You know what Mr. Todd? I've been waiting a really long time to say this. You're an ass." She slammed the door behind her causing a few pictures to get knocked off the wall. Mr. Todd, still facing the wall, turned and sighed heavily.
"That has been the hardest thing I've done all year." He said aloud to himself. After scratching his nose he picked up the phone receiver and dialed the set of numbers on the post it next to the phone he got from the man he had talked to moments earlier.
"Hello? Mr. Hardy? This is Mr. Todd, principal of Netamer High School. A called earlier inquiring one of our students? She is ready to be picked up."
"Thank you I am on my way." Malcolm Hardy got up from his seat inside the coffee house. The smell of coffee and new books hanged heavily in the air. Malcolm exited the building and walked slowly to his car. With his umbrella in his left hand and his keys in the other he entered his car. It was about a twenty minute drive to the school. He started his car and as he looked in his rearview mirror he practiced the speech he had been taught ever since he was told we was going to be a watcher. "In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer…and you my darling are that girl." Filled with confidence he pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the school. There was a lot of changes in this Faith girls life.
