September 7, Monday

Reason for being in detention:

-Eating in Class.

I reclined in my seat, and pulled out a banana.

"Nico!" The teacher boomed. "No food is permitted in the classroom."

I looked at him in the eye, and casually started to peel my banana.

I shrugged. "I'm sorry, sir. But I'm hungry!"

The teacher frowned at the recalcitrant Nico di Angelo. Gosh, he really was one of a kind. The teacher shook his head in frustration.

"Nico! You are not allowed to eat in the classroom!"

The teacher stood up with his hands on his desk. He leaned forward to gesture that he is serious.

Serious? Yeah right.

I looked up at him and took a bite from my banana. "But! Sir! I-"

The teacher became red with range.

"Nico! This would be your last warning! Put your food away now!"

I refused, obviously, and continued eating my banana.

"Wait! Hold on sir! Let me just finish this one!"

All the other students were looking at me with their Nico-strikes-again! face.

I swallowed the last bit of my banana, and licked my lips. I stood up and without the teacher's permission, walked across the room and dumped the peel of my banana in the bin. The teacher, being the idiotic teacher, just looked at me. When I sat down again by my empty desk, I started rummaging my backpack. The teacher must have thought I was going to bring out my textbooks, so he looked away and relaxed. But, um... I'm Nico.

I picked an orange.

The teacher seeing a flash of a bright colour immediately looked up.

"I told you to put your food away!"

I shook my head and gave him a mischievous smile.

"But, sir!" I said earnestly. "In the school handbook, there isn't a rule that states that we are forbidden to eat food in a classroom!"

I handed him my handbook, and the teacher fervourously started to flip through every singly page. Frustrated, he handed the book back to me.

"I told you so." I said innocently.

The teacher gave a small chuckle and said, "Well, Nico! It seems that you are right! However, the rules does state that students can be punished for bad behaviour."

I nodded my head feverishly. "Yes, sir! That is correct. Rule 3: Any student may be assigned punishment in the forms of warnings, demerits and detentions. In extreme cases, suspensions may be given out, but only with the headmaster's agreement. You see, sir! I've memorised the rules!"

I licked my fingers after finishing my orange and put the peel in a tissue paper. I rolled the tissue containing the peel in a ball and aimed for the rubbish bin. It went through.

"Score!" I shouted, throwing my fists in the air.

"Nico! Detention! After school! Two hours!"

What I'm going to do:

-Bring food into a classroom.

Example?

I entered the detention hall thirty minutes late, carrying a big bulky plastic bag in my left hand. I nodded at the proctor in greeting.

"Hello."

He snarled at me. "Nico! You are very very late."

I looked at the ground apologetically and shifted on my feet.

"I know sir." I murmured. "I apologize."

He nodded his approval.

"Nico. What is that plastic bag you are holding." He gestured the bulky plastic bag in my left hand.

"Ah, yes! Mr. Lyndon (he looked very surprised at this). I was late because I needed to buy this. As I said earlier, I apologise! This is a gift for you!"

I handed him the very heavy bag and when he didn't take it, I put in gingerly on the desk.

He peered inside curiously yet cautiously. What he saw surprised him. Very much.

"A... a... A w..." He stuttered.

I looked at him expectantly. I urged him forward with a jerk of my head. He looked dumbfounded.

"A watermelon?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir! Do you like it! I spent my pocket money on it. It's really nice, but it isn't the biggest one. I couldn't carry the biggest one."

He looked at me startled. "Well, Nico. That's very nice of you but-"

"You don't trust me!" I shouted, looking hurt. "Then I'll prove it to you."

I took my Stygian Iron switchblade and cut the plastic bag so it covered the teacher's desk. The teacher leaned back on his chair, anticipating the worst. My blade went through the watermelon like it was made of butter. When it split into half, it revealed juicy red watermelon flesh with flecks of black seeds.

The teacher shook his head in confusion. "So it's just a normal watermelon..." He muttered.

"Yes, sir! Why wouldn't it be?" I nodded my head vigorously.

The teacher, however, was not convinced. He looked at the watermelon suspiciously and then to me accusingly.

"Look. I'm sure the watermelon's delicious!" I stepped forward and cut one half of the watermelon into half, and then into half again, until there was two small slices, followed by a slightly bigger one and then a bigger one. I took one of the smallest slices.

I bit into it. "Mmmm..."

The teacher relaxed a bit. "So it really is a normal watermelon."

I jerked up at this and lifted by head really quickly to meet his gaze. "Ha! So I was right! You really didn't trust me! I went and bought you a watermelon and you didn't trust me!"

"I'm sorry, Nico. I didn't mean any offence."

"Eat it then!" I demanded.

He gingerly went and picked up the other smallest slice. I concentrated on my own watermelon slice.

"Delicious!" I heard him say. By then I was finished with mine and through the remaining part in the bin.

"See, I told you so."

He looked at me with a thankful smile.

"So I guess this is to repay me for calling me Mr. Cabbage and et cetera."

I narrowed my eyes. "No sir, I bought this watermelon because they were out of bananas and oranges."

I turned and faced the other students in the detention hall and picked a seat next to the wall, leaving the teacher to his own thoughts, dumbfounded.

And also, I thought to myself, to prove that we are allowed to have food inside a classroom.