Detention
"Finally a class I can get into." Mac said walking out of the locker room and into the gym. There were volleyball nets up around the room. The other girls sat at the other side of the gym stretching. Mac sat next to Rachel.
"Watch your back, you remember what happened last time we played volleyball," she said as a reminder as Mac began to stretch. She looked over at Patty Layton.
"Oh god, is she in like ninety percent of my classes?" Mac mumbled to herself.
"Alright everyone, get to your respective teams," Coach Collins said. Mac followed Rachel to whichever team she was going.
"What are you doing? You're on that team, remember?"
She looked at the other side and saw Patty was standing over there glaring at her. "Come on Calloway."
Mac groaned. "I was just hoping they wouldn't notice," Mac said to Rachel quietly before she took her place by the net on the side where Patty was serving. Despite this new development she was looking forward to playing. It had been years, she realized, since she last had the chance to play.
On the first serve, Mac assisted in getting a spike for her team. Her reward for that, however, was a volleyball to the head on Patty's next serve. Mac looked behind her. Patty had a smug grin on her face… and nobody said or did a thing.
When it was her turn to serve, she took the opportunity to launch the ball at Patty's head in retaliation. This, however, did not go unnoticed.
"Miss Calloway," Coach Collins said pointing to the door, "to the office. Right now."
"But..."
"That was deliberate, Miss Calloway... I will not stand for such unsportsmanlike behavior."
With a growl Mac stomped towards the door. She glanced at Rachel who gave her a thumbs-up and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Your dad is on the way Becca," Booth said following her to the principal's office.
"Thank God... I'd rather deal with him," Mac said with exasperation.
Booth furrowed her brow, thinking that was not at all like Becca.
"I knew I'd see you again today," the secretary said as Mac walked into the office.
"Only because everyone seems to have a personal vendetta against me," Mac responded and handed the secretary a pack of M&M's, just as they had agreed upon the last time she had been here.
"Don't let them get to you... You should tell your mom and dad," she said smiling at the girl in front of her. "They will believe you."
"Oh... I'll think about it."
"Next time grab me a soda will you?" Mrs. Crabtree handed Mac the money for the candy.
Mac raised an eyebrow and smirked as the principal opened the door to his office.
"Come on in, Miss Calloway." Mac handed the money to Agent Booth and continued into the principal's office.
Booth looked at Mac with a baffled expression before putting the money in her pocket. Becca always kept her things on her almost never acknowledging her presence, but today, she treated her as if she were her valet. Not that she minded much, but it was strange. She wondered if Becca had somehow picked up a new habit from her mother as the President never carried anything herself but relied on her aide to have everything she would need. But that, too, would be strange. Becca hated to do anything like her mother.
Mac took a seat in the visitors chair and waited for what the principal had to say.
"All right Rebecca, you've come to see me every period today. I know you have your AP qualifiers today so I won't suspend you, but you have lunch detention for the next two weeks. What has gotten into you today?"
"I must be tired... you know studying and all," Mac said holding her tongue, and repeating exactly what her daughter was whispering into her ear.
"You know I must make the First Gentleman and the President aware of what's been happening with you. Horace doesn't seem to be having the same problem."
"That is because Horace is mediocre at best, and poses no threat to displacing your other students. You're just afraid that I could get to the top of the class and that would make it seem like you pushed so the president's daughter would be at the top so that you could suck up to her," Mac said standing up. "Don't worry, the President is well aware of the discrimination that is happening here, and rest assured, she will be contacting you personally. Are we done here?"
The principal stood there and watched a Rebecca she'd never seen before. Suddenly unsure of just what to do, all he could manage to say was, "Yes."
"Good." Mac angrily walked out. As she did, she noticed the presence of another agent whom she recognized as part of her husband's detail. She stopped short and looked at Rod. He looked livid. Oh crap, she thought.
"Dad's there, isn't he?" Becca whispered in her ear. Mac hummed and walked towards him. "How mad does he look... am I going to be grounded till I'm thirty?"
"Hi dad," Mac said tentatively.
"Your mom wants to see you, but I hear you have detention. I'm half tempted to leave you here."
"Dad... it was all so unfair..."
"I don't want to hear excuses Becca, and I'm not going to discuss it with you here. Let's go." He took her by the arm and led her out.
As they walked out of the office, Mac nearly ran into Kyle. "We have got to stop meeting like this." He smiled at her warmly, not noticing the presence of her very big, very angry father behind her.
Mac smiled just a little and stepped back to let him in.
"Becca, are you going to introduce us?" Rod eyed the boy over and instantly disliked him, just as Mac had.
"Uh..." Mac looked at Kyle, "This is my dad. Dad, this is uh..."
"Kyle, office aide." Kyle stuck out his hand.
However, Rod just nodded, thinking now it made a lot more sense as to why Becca would know him… and why she kept getting sent to the office.
Mac, on the other hand, due in part to the protest Becca was making in her ear, just looked uncomfortable with the whole situation and pushed her husband out of the office.
"Come on dad let's go... don't want to keep mom waiting," she said and waved good bye to Kyle.
Rod waited until they were in the car to say, "Is that the reason why you keep getting sent to the office?"
"Sadly, no," Mac said, placing her head in her hands. She knew this was going to be a long ride home as she would be forced to listen to her angry husband in one ear and her equally distressed daughter in the other one.
