A/N: This chapter was originally posted on 9/2/14 but was edited and re-uploaded on 9/13/14. I really didn't like how I ended the chapter the first time, so I decided to rewrite it. There will be a new chapter up soon, I promise!
Reprimanded
Dez, Trent, and Mildred exchanged nervous glances between each other and Ally's empty chair as the high-pitched sound of the last bell pierced their eardrums. Mildred was tapping her toes against the floor so fast it seemed almost superhuman. It was only a matter of time before another student complained, and it would certainly be an issue when the teacher arrived. Not only was the noise obnoxious, but it made it very obvious that something was up.
"Hey...cool it.", Dez whispered to her as subtly as he could and she looked back at him with worried eyes, "Ally's gonna be fine. Don't trip."
He saw the struggle in her face and a twinge of sympathy struck him. He knew well that the girl's anxiety issues sometimes cursed her with a level of empathy that was through the roof. She was often way too concerned for the outcome of others - probably because then she could focus less on her own troubles. Although in this situation, Ally's fate would have a direct effect on them. They had big plans that night, and Ally was necessary to pull them off. But luckily for them the teacher was still nowhere to be seen, and if Ally could somehow manage to sneak in before him she may actually get away with not being on time. Soon enough the sound of large feet making their way through the hall could be heard through the open door. Just as the three silently started contemplating Ally's fate, the previous sound was drowned out by the tell-all sound of sneakers screeching and pounding their way around them. Ally burst through the doorway first and managed to slide into her seat seconds before the teacher appeared. He instantly shot her a scowl of disapproval.
"You're late, Miss Dawson.", his deep voice boomed between the small classroom walls
"Likewise, Mr. Neidermeyer.", she remained noticeably calm and cool as she shot two 'thumb and pointer finger' guns his way
Some students snickered but he remained unamused, silently handing her a detention slip.
"God dammit.", Ally cursed under her breath just loud enough for everyone to hear
The teacher glared at her once more but only shook his balding head, turning his back towards the class to write on the board before them. Ally turned around quickly to beam at her friends. She knew it was a long shot, but perhaps if she seemed positive they wouldn't be so pissed. But as expected they only shot her down with harsh, narrowed glares that forced her to slump back into her seat as she faced forward again. Normally they would have no opposition to Ally's smart ass antics. But this time she fucked up big. She shook it off as Mr. Neidermeyer started talking, knowing that her friends would be over it before the night was even over. Despite the fact that she was never opposed to fucking with the staff, Ally was actually very intelligent and impressive with her schoolwork. A significant number of teachers had learned by now it was easiest to turn the other cheek to her foolishness considering she would always ace every assignment no matter what she did. But Ally was convinced this guy had less fun in his body than the small patches of blonde hair that circled the back half of his shiny head. Despite the fact that his round face and continuously red cheeks bared a resemblance to Santa, the middle aged man was anything but jolly. The atmosphere of the classroom soon returned to normal as he began to lecture them about genetics, with Ally furiously scribbling every word he said into her notebook.
Meanwhile Austin still sat outside in the same position Ally had left him in, staring off into the direction she had ran. He watched her as she became a speck in the distance until she disappeared completely. He snapped back into reality by a dull pain of a soccer ball smacking against his head. In seconds a young girl, no older than 11 or 12 appeared at his side. He had seen her around before, as well as the other 4 kids her age hovering a few feet away.
"Sorry!", she flashed him a sheepish metal-filled smile as she took her ball back
She focused on the sphere between her hands momentarily before peering back up at Austin.
"Do you wanna play?!"
He shook his head no and with that she was back to chasing after her friends as if nothing had ever interrupted their game. Just like he had done with Ally, he watched them run off until their specks could no longer be seen. He rose to his feet, dusting himself off with one hand as his book remained clutched in the other. As he trudged across campus his thoughts were filled with nothing besides Ally and the little girl with the soccer ball. He didn't know them, and they didn't know him - and yet they were showing him a kind of affection that Austin wasn't used to. He couldn't be sure yet whether he liked it or not.
Since he was little, hundreds of people had walked in and out of his life. Most only appeared once or twice before he never saw them again. He thought back to when he was much younger, and Sir would say the same thing about every one of them. To Sir, every one of them was a 'nice lady'. He would remind Austin of this over and over before the boy had even laid eyes on them. Every one of them was different than the next, and this left little Austin with such a warped perspective on the word nice. Some of them were pleasant to be around. Others left very foul impressions. But no matter the experience Sir would always repeat himself one more time as he lead Austin away:
"See? I told you she was a nice lady."
Miss Suzy had other things to say about these women. She was quick to tell him every day that they all wanted something from him, and that he didn't need to do that anymore. This was the first time he had ever been told any of this, and it left him puzzled as to what they could even want. But he let her speak, trying to make sense of what she told him.
Austin had come to the conclusion that Miss Suzy didn't like Sir - though it took him a while to figure out who she was talking about. She called Sir by a different name, one that he could vaguely remember hearing a few times in his life. It was just like the name they had taken to calling him - Austin. From the time he was young, Sir had always just called him Boy. He had no idea where they got the name Austin from, but he went along with it well enough. Every day he would watch the other kids - the way they looked, the way they laughed, the way they talked so freely to each other. It all left him perplexed to say the least. With his mind cloudy he carefully played with Ally's note between his fingers - crumpling and twisting it every which way - repeating her words as he shoved it deeper into his pocket.
