Chapter 3
Trouble
Narrator:
--
The next morning, Lila was taken to school early. Sytik kissed his daughter on the head and waved to Fajor. Lila almost immediately spotted Scout; she looked down. Lila grinned.
"Hi, Scout!" said Lila. Scout nodded.
"Hi, Lila," she mumbled.
Lila frowned. "What's wrong?"
"My parents got mad when they found out I walked home."
Lila didn't move. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have walked home."
Scout grunted. "You need to get into trouble once in a while... You DO get into trouble at home, right?"
Lila shook her head. "Not a lot. Do you?"
Scout smiled, but shook her head. "Only a little."
Lila looked at the school where students were piling in. "I guess we should go inside."
Scout sighed. "This lesson better not be as boring as the last one..."
"Hey, it's your second day. Now, hush."
Scout blushed. Fajor pulled her aside and spotted Lila.
"Ah, Good morning, little one!"
"Good morning, Grandpapa," said Lila.
"Lila, please take your seat. I want to talk with... erm...."
"Name's Scout!" said Scout. Fajor nodded. "Yes, yes. Now, run along Lila!"
Lila walked to her seat, and Fajor began whispering to Scout.
"Now! It is the second day of school. I am your teacher, and you will show me respect. And don't think I didn't see you walk home yesterday. I don't care how close you live, you're too young. Now, go sit down, understand me?"
Scout nodded frantically. "Yes, sir!" she said, tears almost in her eyes.
"Good. That's a good answer. Now run along!"
Scout ran into the classroom and sat next to Lila.
"What'd Fajor want?" asked Lila. She immediately regretted her words when she saw Scout's eyes watering.
"He got mad at me. He saw me walk home."
Lila smiled. "Is that all?"
Scout looked at Lila strangely, then nodded. "You wouldn't know. I hate getting in trouble."
"Then don't do anything to get in trouble for!"
Scout stared. "You're saying to be good?"
Lila nodded.
"But that's boring! I need to break rules! It's soo fun!"
"Not when you get caught," said Lila.
Scout fell silent for a moment, then started again.
"Why don't you ever try it?" asked Scout.
Lila breathed deep, then frowned. "I don't know. I just don't like making my Mama and Papa mad."
Scout giggled. "Then don't get caught! You've got to be something more than a goody-two shoes for once. It's exciting!"
Lila shook her head. "I just can't-"
"Alright! Settle down! Settle down!"
The class fell silent for Fajor. He smiled.
"Good morning!"
"Good Morning, Mr. Fajor," said the class in unison.
Fajor turned away. "Very good! Today we learn about two more colors. But first... how do we spell 'red'?"
This time, Lila's hand went in the air.
"Yes, Lila?"
"R-A... I mean, R-E-D."
Fajor smiled. "Very good! You listened! Now then..."
Fajor turned away, and Scout frowned.
"Lila... you didn't get a check."
Lila shrugged. "It's okay. I'll get one eventually."
Lila continued to listen to Fajor for a few moments, then Scout interrupted.
"Lila, this is the perfect time for you to break a rule. Give yourself a check anyway," said Scout.
Lila looked back at her checklist, and tried resisting the temptation.
She looked back at Scout and shook her head.
"It's not fair to the others."
Scout stood from her chair and looked at Lila's checklist. Fajor was busy rambling on about the color green.
It just happened. Neither Lila nor Scout could explain it. Scout made a grab for Lila's berry pen, but missed. She stumbled and used Lila's desk for support, and appearantly the 40 pounds of youth in revolt was enough to send a crack up the desk leg and cause a failure. The desk fell to one side with a loud crash, and Scout hopped into the air and landed back in her seat with a smile. Fajor was startled by the sound, and he turned around to see Scout sitting at her desk with a shocked look, and Lila sitting at her desk with a frown on her face and a pen in her hand.
The paper she had been writing color names on settled to the floor.
Lila's eyes slowly watered with tears.
"Lila?!" gasped Fajor. "What just happened?"
"I...I...I..."
"Lila, you should have told Fajor about that crack you spotted!"
Lila turned her head to glare daggers at Scout, which was hard to do with tears visible in her eyes. Scout silently mouthed the words "I'm sorry" as Fajor approached.
"Lila, you noticed this and didn't mention it to me?" he asked. Lila stuttered.
Just tell the truth... Scout deserves it! She's mean!
"Um... I...."
Don't do it Lila! You want to make friends, right? Lie! Everybody has to lie now and then!
"Lila?"
Lila sighed, the tears in her eyes slowly vanishing.
"I'm sorry, Grandpapa. I should have told you, but I thought it was nothing..."
Fajor stared at Lila with his mouth agape, as did Scout.
"I shouldn't have put my elbow on it..."
Fajor's mouth closed, replaced with a gentle smile. "That's alright. It's not like you're covering for anyone or anything!"
That. Hurt. Lila's conscience unleashed a brutal attack with it's most powerful weapon: Guilt.
Fajor dragged another desk towards Lila, and patted it. "Here, you can sit here."
Lila took her pen and paper off the floor to sit in the empty desk, and Fajor patted her head. "It's okay. You didn't mean for it to happen. Alright, let's continue!"
Fajor began walking back up the aisle, and the other yoshis began looking forward again. Lila sighed.
"And Lila?"
She looked up at Fajor.
"Give yourself a check for being a good girl about it."
Lila felt filthy... after a single, little tiny lie.
"Go on! Put the check!"
Lila looked up at the front of the room, then back at the checklist, and reluctantly filled in one box.
--
The lesson went on, but the material passed through Lila's head. She was too distracted by the guilt she was feeling after one lie.
There was another feeling, too, though. She felt... good. She felt good that she defended Scout, who was becoming an infection.
"Good day today! You are dismissed. And remember, wait out front until your parents come!"
Fajor stared at Scout as he spoke. All the students walked outside to wait for parents, and Lila began hearing Scout.
"Hey... sorry about that."
Lila said nothing. She started tapping her foot.
"Okay, I know you're mad, but you got me off the hook! That was good! You're not such a boring goody-two shoes after all!"
Lila continued tapping.
"Okay, okay. I acted like a jerk. I'm really sorry. I only knew you for two days. I shouldn't do that stuff to my friends. I won't do anything to you anymore."
Lila reluctantly turned back to Scout.
"Promise?"
Scout nodded. "I promise. You kept me out of trouble, so I owe you! And hey! You got a check out of it, too!"
Lila was silent. "I feel bad."
"But! You also feel good, too! Right?"
Lila said nothing.
"Come on... You must feel good."
"I feel good... for keeping you out of trouble only. That's it."
Scout grinned. "Yaaaaaay!"
"Lila!"
Lila turned her head and saw Kai.
"Mama!"
Lila hugged Kai, and Kai smiled.
"Hi, sweetie."
Kai looked up and saw Scout. "Hello. Are you Lila's little friend? Scoot?"
"Name's Scout!" she pouted. Kai put a hand to her mouth.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Lila's Mommy, Kai."
Scout's pout vanished, and she smiled. "Hi."
Lila turned back to Scout.
"Scout, would you like to come over for dinner? We'd have you if you ask your parents!"
Scout smiled, and turned toward her house.
"Mom?" called Scout. A few moments later, an adult yellow female yoshi walked outside.
"Hi, Scout. How was your day?"
"Good, Mom. Can I have dinner at Lila's tonight?"
Scout's mother looked at Lila.
"Oh, so you're Lila?"
Lila nodded. "Yes 'm."
Scout's mother smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Alli."
Alli looked at Kai. "And you must be her mother."
Kai smiled. "Yes, I'm Kai. It's nice to meet you, Alli!"
Alli smiled. "The feeling's mutual."
"So, Mom? Can I?"
Alli looked at her daughter, then at Lila. "Why not? Go on."
Scout approached Lila. "Thanks, Lila. I owe you two things now!"
Lila said nothing.
No matter what Scout said, she still felt guilty.
"Well, shall we?" asked Kai.
Lila smiled and the three yoshis began walking.
It was time for dinner.
End of Chapter 3
Buu! Bad Lila! Don't lie!
I know, she lies about something miniscule, but she still feels bad. You'll see how she behaves as she gets older. Maybe she'll be a good girl, or maybe a bad girl!
And what of Dareyl? We haven't heard from him this chapter...
Scout is a troublemaker, obviously. Maybe she'll grow out of it later in life, or maybe she won't. You'll see!
Oh, and yes. Someone reminded me where the name "Scout" came from! It's from To Kill a Mocking Bird. I read that a while ago and forgot about it ^^'
I'm forgetting something.... I know it. I'm too sleepy. -.-