Previous day
That day started out just as any other day might. Average and all that. Waking up, school, all the gist.
I slammed my locker door closed, grateful to hear the final bell.
"Honestly, Dahli, do I have to spell it out for you?" Cue Sophie McGee, my quirky, nerdy, over-dramatic best friend since birth.
We walked out to the bus lane. "Sophie, this is not one of your Romeo and Juliette novels we're talking about, here. This is real life."
"Oh, but just picture it!" She waved her hands in the air for dramatic effect. "Dahlia was just your average middle school girl, untill she walked into Mr. Marus's math class and-"
I brought her hand down. "Enough."
Suddenly I heard a voice behind me. "Well look who it is. The ginger and the Jew."
I whirled around. "Billy, I swear, if you ever want to have kids, I highly suggest yu and your little group of tourists go somewhere else."
One of the others stepped forward. "Aw, c'mon, sweet cheeks, he was only havin some fun."
I twisted his arm and pressed his face against the brick wall. "Done?"
"Y-Yes," he stuttered.
I let him go and he mixed back into the group.
"C'mon," Sophie said. "Let's go." She pulled my arm towards the path we had been taking.
But Billy wasn't done yet. He talked amongst his group.
"This is a bad idea," I heard one of them say. "Remember how she bit Sydney Harland in the first grade?" I smirked. Yes, I did actually bite her. And I don't regret it, either. She was as much of a bitch then as she is now.
"You seriously are going to let a girl scare you off?" Billy said.
"No, but-"
"Then shut it!"
Seeing our chance to escape, Sophie and I began to walk away.
"Where ya going, little penny snatcher?"
Oh, hell no.
I grabbed the person and flipped them on their back, giving them several blows to the face.
"There a problem here, Ms. DiNozzo?"
Great. Why is it the principal always comes at the worst moment?
I walked outside, rolling my eyes at the talk with the principal I just had.
"Hey!" Oh. Right. Sophie.
I walked over to her. "What?"
"Ya wanna come over to my house this weekend?" she asked.
I laughed. I went over to her house pretty much every weekend. "Yeah, sure." I glanced down at the folded slip of paper in my hand. "I just gotta drop something of at home first." Oh, this should be fun...
"Shalom, Ima." I said to my mother, tossing my backpack on the chair. "Where's Dad?"
"Director called him in a while ago."
I walked over and gave her a hug. Had to be on my best behavior. "I have something I need you to sign..."
She sighed. "Dahlia, this is the third time you've gotten in trouble this week!" she said as I brought over the form. "Suspended!? What did you do?"
"I put David Warren in a head lock..."
"Dahlia Caitlin!"
"He called me a penny chaser!"
Her eyes softened. "Dahlia, do you want to switch schools? If the bullying is too much, I can arrange that."
I shook my head. She'd been asking me the same question for a while, and my answer stayed the same. "No, Ima. Sophie still goes there. Who else will stick up for her?" Like me, Sophie had gotten bullied since elementary school. At first it was because she was my friend, now because of her looks, and she's much too passive to defend herself. She's passive, I'm aggressive. We balance each other out.
She signed the form. "Alright then."
I hugged her again. "Thanks, Ima. Oh, and can we keep this between us?"
"If you're asking me not to tell your father, the answer is no," she said firmly.
"What!?" I yelled. "Why not!?"
"Well he's going to find out soon enough, with you being home."
"Ima!" I pleaded.
"No, Dahli. He is your father. He deserves to know."
Just then, Dad walked in. "What do I deserve to know?"
"I'll be over at Sophie's..." I said, trying to make a quick escape. He grabbed my hood.
"Not so fast, kiddo."
Great. Fabulous. Fantasic.
Ima gave him a look that meant it was serious. "What?" he asked. He turned to me. "What. Did. You. Do?"
Oh gosh. He's giving me The Look. He probably thinks I got pregnant or something. Aw... poor Dad. this must be driving him nuts. "Bye." I quickly go out to the back porch.
Or at least pretend to.
I sneak back in once I see them head to the couch. You may not think I can do that unnoticed, but I am well trained.
"Dahlia, I can hear you," Ima said. Crap.
I went off to te bathroom so I could hear what they were saying.
"What's going on?" Dad asked. There was an immense amount of worry in his voice.
"Dahli got suspended," Ima replied calmly.
"What!? What did she do!?"
There was a pause. "Tony, she says it was that group of boys again. I think there's more to this. From what I know, they've been bullying her and Sophie for about two years now."
"She never told me she was getting bullied..." He sounded hurt now. Great job, Dahli. Nice one.
"What if she ends up like one of those kids that kills themselves?" Ima asked in fear.
Suddenly I bursted out of the bathroom. "I would never do that!" I said.
Oh, wait...
Crap.
"You talking to someone?" Dad asked.
"Um- well," I stuttered. "No. I wasn't. I was listening. To you guys talking about me commiting suicide. Did you not expect me to listen in? Did you forget who I was raised by or something? You guys. The ninja and the federal agent. Remember that time that-"
"Okay, save it," Dad said, not wanting me to go into specific that he knew I knew.
I smirked. "Exactly. Now, I'll be going to Sophie's now."
"Dahlia-" he started.
I saw Ima put her hand on her arm. "Let her go, Tony."
He looked from her to me and scowled, knowing he'd been defeated.
Yep, in my family, the girls always win.
Or, I should say, won.
Well...
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