Chapter Ten: Going Too Far
~*Manny*~
I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life.
As I sat in English class, watching Paige and Ashley pass notes, I had a funny feeling in my stomach. I didn't know if I could do this.
I was about to really hurt someone. Intentionally. We were just ganging up on this girl. It bothered me a little, but at the same time, I was still upset about Craig and Bianca lying to me.
Paige and Ashley had nominated me to do it because I was "most wronged". When Mrs. Kwan turned around to write on the blackboard, Paige passed me a huge pair of scissors. I took a deep breath. This was it.
Bianca was sitting in front of me, and her long red hair was in a French braid today. Which made things easier for what I was about to do.
~*Jimmy*~
As I sat in Mrs. Kwan's English class, I couldn't help but be bored out of my skull. Bianca and I had stayed out late last night, I ended up not going to bed until two, and I was damn tired. And with Mrs. Kwan being boring as usual, I felt myself drifting off to sleep...
Until I heard an ear piercing shriek next to me. I jumped and looked in the general direction of where it came from, like the rest of the class. And we were all gaping at Bianca, who had tears streaming down her face, holding the back of her head.
"Miss Taylor, what is the meaning of this???" Mrs. Kwan demanded.
That's when I saw it. Bianca's long red braid laying in the middle of the floor. I looked to see who was sitting behind her. Manny.
Bianca stood up and ran out of the classroom. I quickly got up and ran after her.
"Bianca!!!" I yelled.
~*Spinner*~
I couldn't believe what just happened. Manny had just chopped Bianca's hair off!
When Mrs. Kwan finally figured out what was going on, she was even more angry.
"Miss Santos, did you cut Bianca's hair off???" she demanded.
"Mrs. Kwan, I don't know what you're talking about." Manny answered innocently.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Paige gave me her "don't you dare" look. I stared at her, surprised. I didn't understand why they chose to pick on Bianca, but this time I think they'd gone a step too far.
~*Craig*~
I waited for Manny to get out of class, and she came out surrounded by Paige, Hazel, and Ashley. Spinner was way behind them, which was odd. He and Paige were usually joined at the hip. And I didn't even see Jimmy or Bianca.
"Manny, you were so great! The way you played it off was fantastic!" I overheard Paige saying to Manny. "I wouldn't be surprised if she transferred."
"Yeah." Manny said softly.
"That was awesome, Manny. You get an A plus in my book." Ashley said.
"Thanks." Manny replied.
"Well, see you at lunch Manny. Later." Paige said. As the girls walked off, I walked toward Manny.
"What's so great?" I asked.
"Huh?" she asked.
"What did you play off so fantastically? And who were they talking about transferring?" I asked quizzically.
"Oh...um...I don't know. You know how Paige is." She stuttered.
"Oh. Okay." I shrugged. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."
As we walked down the hallway, the intercom came on.
"Manuela Santos, report to the principal's office immediately." Mr. Radditch's voice blared.
I looked at her quizzically. "Manny, what did you do?"
"Nothing. I don't know what's going on." She stammered.
Something wasn't right. Between Ashley being so nice to her, Manny being so quiet, and the stuttering, I knew she was up to something.
"Oh, well then I'll walk you and we'll both find out." I replied.
"Um...okay." She said quietly.
But before I could take another step, I found myself slammed into a locker, staring into the face of Jimmy Brooks.
"What the hell man?" I said, pushing him back.
"Really nice, Manning. You and your girlfriend are just the perfect pair. Scum." He said, pushing me back against the locker.
"What are you talking about?" I replied.
"I'm talking about your girlfriend hacking off Bianca's hair!!!" Jimmy yelled.
My jaw dropped open and I looked at Manny in surprise.
"Manny, you did what?"
"I did nothing of the sort, Jimmy's just looking for someone to blame." Manny replied, that Latina attitude coming through.
"Oh man, if you weren't a chick." Jimmy threatened.
Now it was my turn to push him. "Hey! You do not talk to her like that. And unless you have proof, you do not accuse her of ANYTHING, you got that?"
"She did it! She was the only one sitting behind her!" Jimmy yelled at me, pushing me. "What? Are you gonna do something? Wuss?"
That did it. I dove onto him and we wrestled on the floor. He got on top and punched me in the face. It felt like I'd just gotten hit with a 2 x 4, my face already feeling like it was swelling. I managed to get one in though, hitting him square in the nose.
"You think you can just let her and her little friends torment whoever they want?" Jimmy yelled, punching me again.
"You think you can take my leftover trash? That's all she is, Jimmy, my leftovers!" I replied, shoving him into the wall. I was about to dive on him again when I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned around, and all of a sudden my face felt like it was on fire. I clapped a hand to my face where I had just been slapped, and stared at my attacker. Immediately I felt a thousand times worse.
"Bianca." I said. "Bianca, I didn't mean that." I gasped as I took in her hair. It was barely at her chin, and all uneven where it had been cut. Bianca's most prized possession was her hair, ever since we were little kids. She had never even had a single haircut! Her face was tear-streaked and her eye makeup ran down her cheeks.
"Your leftover trash." She repeated.
"Bianca, I didn't mean it. I swear. I didn't mean it." I said pleadingly.
"I wish I'd never met you." She spat, before turning around. Jimmy walked past me, pushing me a little, and put his arm around Bianca.
"You messed up so bad this time." He said.
"Fuck you." I spat.
He shook his head, and took Bianca's hand and led her away.
~*Manny*~
I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life.
As I sat in English class, watching Paige and Ashley pass notes, I had a funny feeling in my stomach. I didn't know if I could do this.
I was about to really hurt someone. Intentionally. We were just ganging up on this girl. It bothered me a little, but at the same time, I was still upset about Craig and Bianca lying to me.
Paige and Ashley had nominated me to do it because I was "most wronged". When Mrs. Kwan turned around to write on the blackboard, Paige passed me a huge pair of scissors. I took a deep breath. This was it.
Bianca was sitting in front of me, and her long red hair was in a French braid today. Which made things easier for what I was about to do.
~*Jimmy*~
As I sat in Mrs. Kwan's English class, I couldn't help but be bored out of my skull. Bianca and I had stayed out late last night, I ended up not going to bed until two, and I was damn tired. And with Mrs. Kwan being boring as usual, I felt myself drifting off to sleep...
Until I heard an ear piercing shriek next to me. I jumped and looked in the general direction of where it came from, like the rest of the class. And we were all gaping at Bianca, who had tears streaming down her face, holding the back of her head.
"Miss Taylor, what is the meaning of this???" Mrs. Kwan demanded.
That's when I saw it. Bianca's long red braid laying in the middle of the floor. I looked to see who was sitting behind her. Manny.
Bianca stood up and ran out of the classroom. I quickly got up and ran after her.
"Bianca!!!" I yelled.
~*Spinner*~
I couldn't believe what just happened. Manny had just chopped Bianca's hair off!
When Mrs. Kwan finally figured out what was going on, she was even more angry.
"Miss Santos, did you cut Bianca's hair off???" she demanded.
"Mrs. Kwan, I don't know what you're talking about." Manny answered innocently.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Paige gave me her "don't you dare" look. I stared at her, surprised. I didn't understand why they chose to pick on Bianca, but this time I think they'd gone a step too far.
~*Craig*~
I waited for Manny to get out of class, and she came out surrounded by Paige, Hazel, and Ashley. Spinner was way behind them, which was odd. He and Paige were usually joined at the hip. And I didn't even see Jimmy or Bianca.
"Manny, you were so great! The way you played it off was fantastic!" I overheard Paige saying to Manny. "I wouldn't be surprised if she transferred."
"Yeah." Manny said softly.
"That was awesome, Manny. You get an A plus in my book." Ashley said.
"Thanks." Manny replied.
"Well, see you at lunch Manny. Later." Paige said. As the girls walked off, I walked toward Manny.
"What's so great?" I asked.
"Huh?" she asked.
"What did you play off so fantastically? And who were they talking about transferring?" I asked quizzically.
"Oh...um...I don't know. You know how Paige is." She stuttered.
"Oh. Okay." I shrugged. "Come on, I'll walk you to class."
As we walked down the hallway, the intercom came on.
"Manuela Santos, report to the principal's office immediately." Mr. Radditch's voice blared.
I looked at her quizzically. "Manny, what did you do?"
"Nothing. I don't know what's going on." She stammered.
Something wasn't right. Between Ashley being so nice to her, Manny being so quiet, and the stuttering, I knew she was up to something.
"Oh, well then I'll walk you and we'll both find out." I replied.
"Um...okay." She said quietly.
But before I could take another step, I found myself slammed into a locker, staring into the face of Jimmy Brooks.
"What the hell man?" I said, pushing him back.
"Really nice, Manning. You and your girlfriend are just the perfect pair. Scum." He said, pushing me back against the locker.
"What are you talking about?" I replied.
"I'm talking about your girlfriend hacking off Bianca's hair!!!" Jimmy yelled.
My jaw dropped open and I looked at Manny in surprise.
"Manny, you did what?"
"I did nothing of the sort, Jimmy's just looking for someone to blame." Manny replied, that Latina attitude coming through.
"Oh man, if you weren't a chick." Jimmy threatened.
Now it was my turn to push him. "Hey! You do not talk to her like that. And unless you have proof, you do not accuse her of ANYTHING, you got that?"
"She did it! She was the only one sitting behind her!" Jimmy yelled at me, pushing me. "What? Are you gonna do something? Wuss?"
That did it. I dove onto him and we wrestled on the floor. He got on top and punched me in the face. It felt like I'd just gotten hit with a 2 x 4, my face already feeling like it was swelling. I managed to get one in though, hitting him square in the nose.
"You think you can just let her and her little friends torment whoever they want?" Jimmy yelled, punching me again.
"You think you can take my leftover trash? That's all she is, Jimmy, my leftovers!" I replied, shoving him into the wall. I was about to dive on him again when I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned around, and all of a sudden my face felt like it was on fire. I clapped a hand to my face where I had just been slapped, and stared at my attacker. Immediately I felt a thousand times worse.
"Bianca." I said. "Bianca, I didn't mean that." I gasped as I took in her hair. It was barely at her chin, and all uneven where it had been cut. Bianca's most prized possession was her hair, ever since we were little kids. She had never even had a single haircut! Her face was tear-streaked and her eye makeup ran down her cheeks.
"Your leftover trash." She repeated.
"Bianca, I didn't mean it. I swear. I didn't mean it." I said pleadingly.
"I wish I'd never met you." She spat, before turning around. Jimmy walked past me, pushing me a little, and put his arm around Bianca.
"You messed up so bad this time." He said.
"Fuck you." I spat.
He shook his head, and took Bianca's hand and led her away.
