Meanwhile, Bender led the remaining detainees back to the library after the daring sacrifice Sheila made in order for them to get away from Vernon.
"Your girlfriend is nuts, Dweeb," Bender said, shaking his head.
"G-girlfriend?" Brian wondered.
Andrew face palmed at his naivety. Claire looked at Brian with sympathy, knowing he didn't understand Bender's obvious quip.
"That was sarcasm, Brian," Claire explained.
"Well, Teacher's Pet has kissed him once before," Bender pointed out. "And she kissed him again, promising him more afterwards."
"Bender, just shut up!" Claire said. "Brian is confused enough already. Don't give him the wrong idea."
"But, MOM!" Bender whined like a child.
"NO!" Claire said firmly. "You shouldn't do that to someone. This should be between Sheila and Brian. THEY can decide what THEY want to do."
"Yes, Mom!" Bender quipped sarcastically.
He opened the door to the library to let them back in. The five of them went back to their seats, the buzz of adrenaline was still lingering after that risky field trip they took into the empty halls and narrowly escaping Vernon. Claire walked up to Brian in hopes to council him since he was really confused.
"Don't listen to Bender, Brian," Claire said. "Sheila wouldn't take advantage of you. She knows better than to do that."
"Yea. All Bender knows is nothing BUT sex," Andrew said in agreement. "And criminal activity."
"Well, Teacher's Pet has proven that," Bender pointed out. "She just kissed him out of the blue...TWICE!"
Claire frowned. Bender did have a point, unfortunately.
"Well, regardless," Claire said. "I think Sheila has enough respect for you to not do that."
"O-OK," the geek responded uncomfortably, playing with his shirt sleeve.
The five of them sat down. Brian looked at the empty seat where Sheila once sat. He was worried what happened to her.
"Do you think Sheila's OK?" Brian asked.
"Oh I'm sure Dick caught up with her already," Bender said. "And she's probably getting Dick's panties in a bunch with her antics."
It was at that very moment, the door was flung open, making all five of them flinch. There was a very pissed off Vernon with a very sweaty, breathless, yet defiant Sheila being frog marched into the library. He shoved her towards the desks roughly.
"Get your stuff! Let's go!" he growled; anger clawing his throat.
"Hey! Where's your manners, Dick?" Bender exclaimed. "Manhandling ladies is not very nice!"
"Keep it up, Bender," Vernon warned. "Or you'll be joining Donovan."
"Keep treating ladies like that, Dick, and you're gonna be alone for the rest of your life," Sheila said harshly.
The faces on her classmates were shocked. Even Vernon was taken aback by this savage comment.
"Whoa! Harsh," Bender said.
"Just get your stuff, Donovan," Vernon said, trying to remain calm.
Sheila began to pack up her things. Brian looked sadly at her. She shrugged nonchalant.
"Miss Comedian will be spending detention elsewhere," Vernon announced to the rest of the detainees. "I'm sorry to inform you that you're going to be without her services for the rest of the day."
"Awww. A time out?" Sheila quipped, pouting like a child. "Are you gonna spank me too, Dick?"
The detainees held in their laughter. Bender actually laughed.
"You think she's funny, huh?" Vernon snapped harshly. "You think she's real cute? You think she's bitchin', is that it?!"
Everyone stopped laughing, looking down at their desks. Except Bender.
"Look at her!" Vernon said, jabbing a finger at Sheila. "She's a pathetic clown...who got kicked out of her last school."
"Now hold on a minute..." Andrew began, sensing where this was going.
"Andy, just DON'T!" Sheila warned as if to tell him 'don't push it'; she knew how pissed off Vernon was and he didn't need to fan the flames.
"That's good you're learning your lesson, Donovan," Vernon replied. "You should be grateful for my generosity to let you stay here at Shermer. I'd hate to have to expel you after that little stunt you pulled at your last school."
Sheila swallowed. She had to admit she was scared about that possibility. She hated to disappoint her grandfather too. He could actually see the teenager was scared. Good.
"Hey! Knock it off, Dick!" Bender exclaimed. "I think you've done enough!"
"That's IT, Bender!" Vernon said angrily. "Get your stuff too! I'm through with your shit!"
"B-O-O H-O-O," he said sarcastically, gathering up his things.
"Everything's a big joke to you, isn't it, Bender?" Vernon snarled.
"Mostly you are, Dick," Sheila responded flippant, feeling her confidence coming back up.
"You wanna hear a joke, Donovan? Here's one about your so-called 'friend', Bender," Vernon responded angrily. "This 'role model' you look up to...pulled a false fire alarm yesterday. Isn't that funny?"
Sheila glanced at the criminal with a look of bewilderment. That would explain why he was in detention. While she couldn't say she was surprised Bender would do that, she honestly didn't find that funny at all.
Vernon turned his attention to Bender.
"False alarms are really funny, aren't they, Bender?" Vernon continued. After a beat, he pointed his fingers as if to emphasize his point. "What if your home? What if your family..."
He paused, knowing Bender probably didn't give a shit about his family, switching to something he knew Bender liked other than cutting classes and getting detention.
"What if your dope was on fire?" he said.
"Impossible, sir," Bender responded flippant. "It's in Johnson's underwear."
Brian's face went white and his eyes widened with fear upon hearing this. Sheila snorted with laughter.
"You think he's a real funny guy?" Vernon snapped. "Let me tell you something, Donovan..." then jabbed a finger at Bender. "Look at him! He's a bum."
Sheila looked at Bender. She saw how hurt he looked. When she heard the word 'bum', it brought back all the times Chris called her own father this word. Mostly he used the words 'deadbeat' or 'Irish bug' to describe her beloved old man. It felt like a kick in the gut. She felt a lump in her throat as she heard Vernon's words.
"You want to see something funny?" Vernon continued harshly. "Go visit John Bender in five years! You'll see how goddamn funny he is!"
The detainees sat there in silence, watching Vernon lay it out in front of Sheila and Bender.
"So, you go ahead and keep acting like a clown, Donovan!" Vernon said, then jabbed a finger at Bender, "Because THAT'S your future sitting right there! That's where you're going to end up!"
Sheila felt the lump harden in her throat. Her lips thinned as if she were resisting the urge to cry. Tears began to prick her eyes. She lowered her head, hoping her hair would hide her face.
The man approached her with a cruel smile. He was pleased to see he had managed to break her.
"Not so funny, is it, Donovan?" he sneered.
Sheila couldn't even look up. She only shook her head in silence. She couldn't even defend herself. Words failed her. Vernon had won this round. Her classmates looked at how defeated the fiery redhead was. Brian looked like he wanted to say something, but he was too afraid of Vernon.
Vernon turned his attention to Bender, squatting to his level with his lips curled into a smirk. He saw how wounded he was and decided to add insult to his injury.
"What's the matter, John?" the man taunted. "You gonna cry?"
Sheila wanted to defend Bender, but she couldn't. She felt guilty for not sticking up for him this time. Her words were stuck in her throat.
"Let's go!" Vernon ordered between his clenched teeth, grabbing the delinquent's arm.
Immediately, Bender shot up from his chair, jerking his arm out of the man's grip.
"Hey, keep your fuckin' hands off me!" he snarled. "I expect better manners from you, Dick."
The criminal slid past the tall man, striding towards the library doors. Vernon gestured to Sheila to follow as well. She shifted her backpack on her back, hugging her Army jacket. She kept her head down, following Vernon. Bender knocked everything off the reference desk, sending noisy clatters throughout the library. Vernon held the door for Sheila. She didn't look up, but she could feel the steel grays of the vice principal burning through her. He was out for blood for her act of defiance.
Her classmates watched the two of them leave the library in silence. Vernon slammed the door behind him. He was pissed off.
Brian sighed. He wished he had defended Sheila when Vernon was bullying her. She had stuck up for him many times during detention against Bender, yet he failed to do the same for her. He lowered his head sadly.
Vernon led the two miscreants across the hall. Sheila swallowed as she approached the dreaded vice principal's office to meet her punishment.
Doom hung in the air as they realized the deep shit they were in. Sheila's blatant act of defiance had pissed off the vice principal. Bender only fanned the flames with his provocation.
Bender was about to grab a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"Don't get comfortable, bub!" Vernon said, putting up a finger to stop Bender. "You and I need to have a private chat. I don't need you corrupting the mind of the newcomer anymore."
He pointed to a closet in the corner of his office. Bender reluctantly obeyed and went into the closet. Sheila kept her head down. She was completely despondent after all the cruel things Vernon had said to her.
"You, sit there!" he told Sheila, pointing to the chairs. "And don't move an inch."
Sheila sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Upon hearing the closet door close, she was relieved to be alone for now. She could hear Vernon yelling at Bender in the closet, but couldn't make out any of the words.
The redhead studied Vernon's office. It was a typical high school principal's office. The desk had boring papers and files. An unopened lunch sat on his desk with a red plaid thermos along with a newspaper. A blue cup that contained pens, pencils, a hole puncher, a magnifying glass and letter opener sat in the center. To the left was a polar bear knick knack. To the right was a phone with a placard of his name in front of it.
Behind the desk was an uncomfortable looking gray office chair with black arm rests. Books sat in a semicircle in the far back. There was a letter sorter that contained more files inside and on top. There were a few odd things she noticed: a calendar with a blonde model in a red swimsuit that knelt next to a toolbox, posing on a beach. By the books was a potted plant and a White Sox baseball cap. On top of the letter sorter was a trophy.
Huh. Well, the man certainly had interests if he had these few things.
On the wall near the supply closet were his diplomas and achievement awards. There was a coat rack that stood in the corner with a coat hanging from it. A small table lay adjacent to the closet with a small table lamp.
After taking time to observe the office, a million clever ideas for pranks came to her mind, cheering her up. She smirked as she thought of pulling a nice little prank on Bitchy Richie. A little payback for humiliating her. She thought of doing the classic tack on the chair, but decided against it due to the fact it would be too obvious.
She looked at his unopened lunch and spied the red thermos. She picked it up and loosened the top enough so the contents would spill out, but left it so there would be no evidence of tampering. She carefully placed the thermos back in its proper place and sat back down.
She was already imagining the scene playing out in her head. It made her smile. She could only wish she would be able to see this prank go down if and when it happened.
Soon the door from the closet opened, followed by a click of a lock. Sheila was horrified. How could Vernon do such a cruel thing like locking Bender inside? While she had this impending feeling of doom, she still couldn't rid the smirk off her face as she thought about her little prank.
The man approached the red haired miscreant that sat in the chair. Good thing she didn't move since he left her so he could give Bender the reality check he needed. Now that he was done with that gutless turd he left in the closet, it was time to deal with this disobedient girl. This pain in the ass that irritated him with her jokes, her voice impressions, her flippant back talk, and bold defiance of the rules. Making a fool out of him.
Vernon glared at this smart mouthed comedian that sat there. He found it strange that when he had left her, she was near the brink of tears. Now all of a sudden, she was smiling.
"Wipe that smirk off your face, Donovan," he ordered brusquely. "You're in deep shit. And it's no joke."
Sheila had tried, but she just couldn't. She thinned her lips to get rid of it. She knew this was no laughing matter for what she did. She looked at Vernon who stood there, towering over her with his hands on his hips and a fierce look. His jaw was clenched. A vein throbbed in his temple. He was pissed.
Vernon wanted to make sure he was intimidating to the teenager. He wanted her to know how much deep shit she was in for what she did.
"I just don't understand you kids today," he began with a frown.
"Perhaps you should've chosen a different career then?" Sheila answered flippant.
Vernon glowered as he heard the Smart Mouth's reply. Typical of her! He had this aching desire to crack one across her smart mouth. Just ONE!
But he resisted. He knew there were lines he wasn't supposed to cross. He had to get through to this defiant teenager no matter what.
Given that she had defied the rules and went out into the halls, he was very certain that Donovan was turning into a Bender disciple. While he had no proof regarding two earlier incidences in detention, he was sure that Bender was having an influence on her. He needed to put a stop to it.
The man carefully considered his words, recalling a few details he had read in her file, he decided to use these as ammo. He had to admit that he was impressed to discover that Sheila was actually an excellent student academically with the exception of chemistry and math with C minus averages. She was once in the high school band as a clarinetist, but quit two years ago.
Her family life was intriguing: divorced parents. An absent father. Her stepfather was a US Army sergeant. A man of respect like him. Her file stated she expressed a strong hatred for her stepfather. While Vernon didn't have a chance to contact her stepfather yet, he made a mental note to do so later.
She was currently living with her grandfather: a retired WWII Army veteran. Two military men. Men of valor and respect in her family. Yet she showed none of it. She was a spoiled little Army brat.
"I spoke with your grandfather yesterday," he said. "Real swell guy. He says you're a good kid. He thinks you deserve another chance despite what you did at your last school."
Sheila stared at the man, feeling a sense of unease as she thought of her grandpa talking to Mr. Vernon. She dreaded the very idea of this man speaking to her family.
She could only imagine how disappointed her grandpa would be if she fucked up here. She loved him as he was the only father figure she had. The thought of failing him was dreadful. She swallowed, feeling her cheeks burn slightly.
Vernon observed the redhead shift uncomfortably in her chair. Ah! He may have touched a nerve. He made a careful note of this. Perhaps the Army brat did have a tiny bit of respect in her.
"Well I don't think so," he said. "I think you're a real pain in the ass."
"Did you remember to pick up your ointments for your little problem, sir?" she quipped.
Vernon's eyes burned with anger and humiliation as he recalled that joke she made yesterday. He got down to her level, thrusting a finger in her face.
"Alright, missy!" he said fiercely. "You listen and you listen good."
Sheila looked uncomfortable as the man invaded her space. She frowned. This was just like Chris's little "talks" when her mother would be out of the room.
"If you don't change course," Vernon said. "You're going to end up just like your 'friend' John Bender. A waste of space."
Upon recalling all those nasty things Vernon said and her failure to stand up for Bender in the library, the fire in her reignited. He didn't even know anything about Bender's home life. She glared with glittering emerald daggers into his steel ones.
"You know, instead of making ASSumptions, why don't you be more understanding?" Sheila fired back. "Bender's got a rough life...he's trying to figure shit out."
The vice principal let out a condescending scoff upon hearing the redhead's defense on the delinquent.
"Is that what he's got you believing?" Vernon replied scornfully.
"It's the truth!" she insisted.
"Well, this isn't about Bender. It's about you!" he said. "If you want to make it out of Shermer alive, you'll do well to stay away from Bender. He's a bad influence."
Sheila stared with disbelief. "So you're not even interested in knowing anything about our lives?"
"My only concern is that kids like you don't end up a bunch of juvenile delinquents like your little messiah in the closet there."
She couldn't believe it. This man didn't give a shit about hearing their side. He just saw everyone as he wanted. He was just like her stepfather. He didn't care. He just wanted complete obedience. Her defense for Bender was completely in vain.
"So that's it?! We don't get a say?!" she exclaimed.
The man was getting fed up with her argumentative behavior.
"This conversation is over, Donovan," he said, putting his foot down.
Her temper flared up when she realized Vernon was not willing to hear anything. It was completely unfair.
"God, you SUCK, Vernon!" she spat.
The man finally snapped at the spoiled Army brat's words. He saw red and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her out of the chair. He dragged her out of his office and down the hall.
"HEY!" she yelled. "What are you DOING?! Let go of me!"
Vernon ignored the teen's cries of protest. He was completely fed up with Sheila's back talk and she needed to be taught a lesson.
He opened the door to the first classroom he saw, flinging the door open with a bang. He pushed her roughly into a desk. The red haired miscreant glared at him, moving her flaming red hair out of her flushed face.
"I think a little time by yourself will do you good," he said. "One more word out of your smart mouth and your ass is GONE from Shermer! GONE! Do you hear me?"
Sheila's face fell upon hearing this. God! No! She couldn't get kicked out of Shermer. Her heart fell into her stomach. She could see her life being over. The disappointment of her grandfather. Tears began to prick her eyes upon realization of her bad behavior. She couldn't get kicked out. She just couldn't!
Vernon could see the look of fear on the teenage girl's face. He saw she was actually scared this time. He got her! Her greatest fear lay right in front of him. And he could use it to his advantage the next time she misbehaved.
Round two: Vernon won.
"Now..." he said, calming himself down. "Why don't you take some time to think about that essay you're supposed to write?"
He closed the door behind him. Sheila was horrified to find that he had locked the door to the classroom. She sat there, frozen with fear after hearing Vernon's threat hanging heavily in the air. She couldn't even get up and yell about the locked door. Her anger was overcome with fear.
Once she was sure she was alone, she buried her face in her arms on the desk. Her anger was spent, all that was left was sadness and disappointment in herself. The sinking realization that she was fucking up at Shermer. She was alone and scared. In a new school. And she was already fucking up.
All the times she wore her comedy mask, it had completely fallen off. Screwing up her face, she began to cry. Tears fell on the desk, her body convulsed with each sob that echoed throughout the empty classroom as she sat alone and forgotten.