I met Gwen again after sixth, at our lockers as usual. She resumed her
ranting about the weekend as I gathered the ton of books I needed for
everyday homework. I wasn't really listening, but I noticed that she was
suddenly quiet. I turned to her.
"Jessi, what happened to your lock," she said, rather than asked. I shrugged.
"Guess I need a new one," I said noncommitally, trying not to make it a big deal. She shook her head.
"Something strange is going on here," she said darkly. "And I intend to find out what it is." There was a long silence. I giggled, breaking the mood. She scowled at me but then broke into a toothy grin.
"Nothing's different," I said, trying to convince myself as well as my best friend. "Scout's honor." I put my hand on my locker to close it, and turned to leave. But my hand was still on the locker.
"Jessi?" asked Gwen quizzically. I tried to pull it off, but it was stuck. iJust like the spoon, said a nagging voice in my mind.
"Yes?" I said, trying to look inconspicuous. Which usually wasn't a problem, since no one paid any attention to me, but now I was attracting strange stares from passing classmates. I felt my cheeks burning.
"Um, Jessi, what is going on-" Gwen started to say, but was cut off when I yanked suddenly and loudly. My hand came free. I stumbled backwards, right into Katelyn Faith; I grabbed a nearby doorknob and steadied myself. Unfortunately for Katelyn, there was nothing for her to grab onto. She fell down hard, taking down two of her entourage with her. She got up in a huff, breathing heavily as if she had just run around the school.
"What is wrong with you?!" she screeched, tossing her hair over her shoulder like I had seen people do in movies.
"It was an accident," I managed to get out before she went off on another insult-filled rampage.
"What's going on here?" came a voice over her shoulder. She turned around and I saw Nick MacKenzie coming toward us. Oh great, I thought. And so the third stooge arrives.
"That, that, iidiot, totally knocked me on the floor!" she said, outraged, while still managing to stick out that pouting lip.
"I tripped, it was an -" I tried to say, but she interrupted me again
"Why don't you just watch where you're going, you clumsy freak," she snapped, doing an expert hair-flip.
"Kate, just calm -" said Nick, but he was interrupted. By me.
"Is that the only thing you can come up with?" I said suddenly, surprising everyone, even myself. I should have stopped and walked away. But for some reason, I didn't care anymore. Who cares what happens to my reputation? What reputation did I have in the first place? I glared at her and went on, looking her straight in the eye. "iFreak this, and ifreak that, I mean, I knew you were simple-minded, but I thought even you had a bigger vocabulary than that." I couldn't believe what I was saying. Her mouth dropped open.
"It was an iaccident. I iapologized. Or are those words to big for you to understand?" I said cruelly. She was speechless, and so was everyone else. I, on the other hand, was on a roll. I started to walk toward her, and she backed up. "Just because I don't have blonde streaks, or fake painted nails, or wear make-up, doesn't mean I'm something you can walk all over. Do you not understand, you can't just go on itreating people like that. One of these days," I paused, and she bumped into the lockers. She had nowhere to go; I was intimidating her, something she had obviously never experienced before. I loved every minute of it. I clenched my teeth together and spoke through them. "Someone. Might. Snap." Just as suddenly as I had begun, I stopped and backed away. I gathered up my books that I had dropped and turned my back on the now trembling Kate and astonished Nick.
"Let's go," I said to Gwen. I didn't look back.
"Jessi, what happened to your lock," she said, rather than asked. I shrugged.
"Guess I need a new one," I said noncommitally, trying not to make it a big deal. She shook her head.
"Something strange is going on here," she said darkly. "And I intend to find out what it is." There was a long silence. I giggled, breaking the mood. She scowled at me but then broke into a toothy grin.
"Nothing's different," I said, trying to convince myself as well as my best friend. "Scout's honor." I put my hand on my locker to close it, and turned to leave. But my hand was still on the locker.
"Jessi?" asked Gwen quizzically. I tried to pull it off, but it was stuck. iJust like the spoon, said a nagging voice in my mind.
"Yes?" I said, trying to look inconspicuous. Which usually wasn't a problem, since no one paid any attention to me, but now I was attracting strange stares from passing classmates. I felt my cheeks burning.
"Um, Jessi, what is going on-" Gwen started to say, but was cut off when I yanked suddenly and loudly. My hand came free. I stumbled backwards, right into Katelyn Faith; I grabbed a nearby doorknob and steadied myself. Unfortunately for Katelyn, there was nothing for her to grab onto. She fell down hard, taking down two of her entourage with her. She got up in a huff, breathing heavily as if she had just run around the school.
"What is wrong with you?!" she screeched, tossing her hair over her shoulder like I had seen people do in movies.
"It was an accident," I managed to get out before she went off on another insult-filled rampage.
"What's going on here?" came a voice over her shoulder. She turned around and I saw Nick MacKenzie coming toward us. Oh great, I thought. And so the third stooge arrives.
"That, that, iidiot, totally knocked me on the floor!" she said, outraged, while still managing to stick out that pouting lip.
"I tripped, it was an -" I tried to say, but she interrupted me again
"Why don't you just watch where you're going, you clumsy freak," she snapped, doing an expert hair-flip.
"Kate, just calm -" said Nick, but he was interrupted. By me.
"Is that the only thing you can come up with?" I said suddenly, surprising everyone, even myself. I should have stopped and walked away. But for some reason, I didn't care anymore. Who cares what happens to my reputation? What reputation did I have in the first place? I glared at her and went on, looking her straight in the eye. "iFreak this, and ifreak that, I mean, I knew you were simple-minded, but I thought even you had a bigger vocabulary than that." I couldn't believe what I was saying. Her mouth dropped open.
"It was an iaccident. I iapologized. Or are those words to big for you to understand?" I said cruelly. She was speechless, and so was everyone else. I, on the other hand, was on a roll. I started to walk toward her, and she backed up. "Just because I don't have blonde streaks, or fake painted nails, or wear make-up, doesn't mean I'm something you can walk all over. Do you not understand, you can't just go on itreating people like that. One of these days," I paused, and she bumped into the lockers. She had nowhere to go; I was intimidating her, something she had obviously never experienced before. I loved every minute of it. I clenched my teeth together and spoke through them. "Someone. Might. Snap." Just as suddenly as I had begun, I stopped and backed away. I gathered up my books that I had dropped and turned my back on the now trembling Kate and astonished Nick.
"Let's go," I said to Gwen. I didn't look back.