Chapter6

Spinelli's mom wouldn't let her miss a day of school.

"If you don't have a temperature than you're not sick!"

That was her mom's slogan as to whether or not she was sick enough to miss school. Spinelli may not have actually been sick, but she definitely didn't feel very good. Visions of the party replayed over and over in her mind and Lawson's voice kept echoing between her ears. For the rest of the weekend she had shut herself in her room, only getting up for food.

Maybe I'm depressed, the thought had hit Spinelli a couple times but she didn't know what to do to prove if she was actually depressed or not.

Therefore, Spinelli was sent to school.

"Pookie!" her mom called up to her, "Pookie, you're awfully late. You best get going."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Spinelli grumbled as she dragged herself downstairs, "I'm coming."

"Should I get your father to drive you to school?" her mom asked frantically.

"No, I'll run there." Spinelli slammed the front door before her mom could protest. However, she didn't run. She didn't even do a brisk walk. Spinelli had no intention of getting to school on time. She couldn't stand having to face anyone – not Chuck, not the gang, especially not Sunday…

The school bell rang just as Spinelli approached the school. The front yard of the school was empty, or at least that's what she thought at first. She soon realized though that three figures were sitting on the school steps. As much as Spinelli wanted to back away, she knew she had seen them. Taking a deep breath, she approached them.

"Hey guys," she said, voice raspy as she nervously clutched her backpack straps, "sorry about Friday. I dunno if my mom told you but I was really sick –"

"Oh, cut with the crap Spinelli." Vince cut her off.

Gus nodded. "We know where you were on Friday. And I have a pretty good guess that on Saturday and Sunday you were recovering from your hangover."

Her throat went dry and the edges of Spinelli's eyes started to sting. "Come on, you know I hardly drink… how did you…"

"How did we know you were at Lawson's?" Gretchen finished for her, her eyes narrowed behind her glasses, "Well the three of us including Mikey and TJ each got a lovely email from Lawson saying how you had ditched us to go to his party."

"Not to mention the whole school is talking about how he got beat up at his own party," Gus added, "by a girl!"

"Gee, now why does that sound so familiar?" Vince added flatly.

Spinelli felt like she was choking on the three pairs of eyes glaring at her. "Where's Mikey and TJ?" she coughed up at last, not sure what else she could say.

"In class," Gus shrugged, "they didn't feel like waiting up for you."

"God, what horrible friends," Gretchen said sarcastically as she arched one eyebrow. Vince sniggered.

"Come one guys, stop doing this!" Spinelli cried, "I'm sorry, I really am. I just… I just wanted to go and I didn't think you'd make such a big deal out of this."

"What, you mean you didn't expect us to care that you lied to us," Vince snapped, "and then ignored us for the rest of the weekend?"

"Spinelli, you could have just told us where you were going," Gus's face softened for a second, but only just, "Even if it was Lawson's party…" he added bitterly.

Gretchen sighed as she took off her glasses to wipe them with the edge of her t-shirt. Perhaps she was doing that so she wouldn't have to look at Spinelli as she spoke. "Look, normally we wouldn't be mad at you Spinelli, but we are because… well, because you're not Spinelli!" she said quickly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" scowled Spinelli.

"Did you think we just wouldn't notice you weren't eating with us at lunch?" Vince asked.

"So, what?" Spinelli spat, "I'm not allowed to make new friends?"

"You know that's not where this is going." Gus rolled his eyes in disbelief. "You're allowed to make new friends, obviously, but we didn't think you would just forget about us."

She couldn't take it anymore. Shoving herself between Gus and Gretchen, Spinelli lunged for the door. Running down the halls, she prayed that they weren't chasing after her. But when she realized they weren't, Spinelli was surprised to feel that it hurt her. Out of breath, she burst into her math classroom.

"Spinelli?" the nasal voice of Mr. Duffy filled her ears, "Do you realize you are late?"

Spinelli stood up straight, feeling the class's eyes on her. Ignoring them, she looked right at Mr. Duffy and his round, shiny head. He had a huge nose with more hair on his upper lip than on the top of his head. He was a skinny, goofy math teacher, but Spinelli would rather be talking to him than anyone in the gang.

If she was even welcomed in the gang anymore…

"Sorry Mr. Duffy," she gasped for air and she walked to her seat, "I slept through my alarm."

Mr. Duffy just smiled. "Oh, that's alright Spinelli, happens to all of us. Before you sit down could you please hand in your homework?"

The whole room suddenly felt like ice. She guessed that Mr. Duffy could read her expression because she didn't have to say anything before he tsked. "Not finished, huh?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Duffy," she gasped, "I just forgot –"

"Enough Ms. Spinelli," he cut her off, "you'll have to go to detention after school today."

It felt like a thousand pound weight was pushing down on Spinelli, forcing her into her chair. The whole room hardly paid attention to her – so she had forgotten her homework? Who cared?

But one person did though, and Spinelli could feel Sunday's large, grey eyes on her in shock and anger.

Uh-oh…

-

-

-

No one else had gotten detention that day. Spinelli sat alone in the room, sitting directly in front of some overweight teacher she didn't know the name off.

"I'm going to get a snack," he said gruffly, "not for you because you don't deserve, but for me because I have to sit here for another forty-five minutes since you got in trouble. Don't you dare move."

"I won't." Spinelli sighed as she was suddenly alone in the large room. She didn't know how long she was sitting there in silence, head in her hands, before someone walked in.

"Hey," he said quietly.

For a brief moment, Spinelli hoped it was TJ. But then she saw Chuck standing in the doorway and just like that, she forgot about TJ. She smiled at him, glad she wasn't alone any longer. God, he looked amazing…

"Hey you," she whispered as she was about to stand up and greet him.

"Don't get up," he quickly said, "you don't want to get in anymore trouble." It was here that Spinelli realized something was very wrong.

This followed by a long, heavy silence. She almost wished that Mr. Fat-Detention-Man would show up so Chuck could leave and stop staring at her with his black eyes.

Shaking his blonde shag, Chuck sighed. "Sunday told me you had gotten a detention. At first I didn't believe her, but I decided to see for myself." He paused. "I guess she was right."

"Can you believe it?" Spinelli rolled her eyes, "A detention because I forgot to do my homework." She let out laugh, but immediately stopped when she realized Chuck was joining in.

After another long moment, he said quietly, "You know what this means, right?"

Spinelli frowned. "I don't, actually…"

He took slow steps further into the room until he was a desk space away from her. "This is going to make me sound like a bastard," he said, "but we… Sunday, Brian and me… we can't be seen with you anymore."

Her mouth dropped. "Your… y-you have to… a-a-are you kidding me?"

"Look Spin, I don't want to leave you. It really hurts to have to walk away, but if you're not doing your work and are hanging with us, they'll be wondering what you're up do. The teachers will get suspicious."

"So… so you're leaving me… leaving me for your drugs?" Spinelli choked on the words, her throat painfully tight. What was happening?

Chuck just stared at her, an apologetic look on his angelic face. It hurt Spinelli to look at him.

"I only forgot my homework once." She whispered.

Chuck shrugged. "Hey, that's all they need as an excuse."

"But what about… what about at the party when w-we kissed? D-didn't that mean anything? Didn't that mean anything to you?"

Chuck arched an eyebrow at her. "We kissed?" he made it sound as though he thought she was making it up. He took a step backwards.

Spinelli couldn't look at him anymore. Her whole world was collapsing, falling around and on top of her. It hurt her chest to breath and she wished Chuck would just hurry up at leave the room.

"You were right," she said, her voice cracked and heavy, "you are a bastard." Chuck made no signal that he had heard her as he continued walking backwards out of the room. Usually Spinelli would have said it again, but at the moment she had no energy.

The moment he was finally gone, she lightly placed her head in her hands again. As she blinked, a tear appeared at the corner of her eye. She didn't brush it away, but instead let it roll down her cheek and underneath her chin.

Never in her life had Spinelli felt more alone.