Chapter 14 here! I'm so proud for getting this story so far, I'm a one shot sort of girl for the most part. Charlie: Hey, why did you stick me with a guy's name? Me:We already discussed this…Charlie: Well? I need a better reason other than, 'I thought it would be neat-o!'! Me: Oh, who asked you anyway? Charlie: I asked me! Rob, Sabrina, Anderson, Sean, Geoff, Danny and Me: Shut up! We are not going through that is again! Anderson: And why did you stick me with the dead guy's name? Me: I'm seriously tempted to make you all do something embarrassing. Charlie: You already made me walk around in my undies for Rob! It can't get any worse! Rob: ((smiles and turns red at the memory)) Charlie: GAH! Me: Do you want me to drop his drawers or something? Charlie: Ew, no! Make him drunk, or better yet…make his girlfriend slap him! Anderson: ((laughs hysterically)) Yeah! Do that! Me: Everyone just shut up!

I was in English class for the last day before vacation and I was very ready to fall asleep. We had held a meeting the night before (two in one week was extremely good for us) and I was a little tired to say the least. Donelly was being dull, what a surprise. We were reviewing figures of speech, blah.

"Antithesis- antithesis is the balancing or contrasting of one term against another." Donelly defined. "An example of antithesis would be, "Man proposes, God disposes.", from Shakespeare."

I slumped over, I was told later, and began snoring softly. I knew how I woke up, though. Donelly slammed her ruler against the side of my desk, making a loud bang right beneath my head. I was up quickly enough.

"Miss Dalton," her voice was laced with poison, "Please read the next section."

I looked down at my book, then at the class. Sean mouthed 'apostrophe' at me; I looked at my book again.

"Apostrophe- apostrophe is the addressing of someone or something, usually not present, as though present." I said, looking up at the pissed teacher's face to see if I had the correct definition. I did, because instead of saying something she only looked more pissed. "O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done." Is an example from Whitman." I finished.

"You're a lucky one to avoid detention." Sniffed Donelly. Neil laughed in the background; she pounced on him next. I leaned back, sighed and glued my eyes to the clock. Only fifteen minutes of torture left.

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Seeing as the grounds were all ready covered in snow and that the temperature was slowly easy down into the single digits, gym class was confined to the indoor facilities. This meant, of course, that there was discord among the groups. Now that there weren't just boys, but very few girls in this period, the last class became mixed. So, in all fairness, it meant all of the teams for the basketball we were going to play had to suffer three girls each. Not much, but enough to send the captains into misery. The boy that got stuck with me, a Fredrick Renée, was whining uncontrollably as Anderson laughed at him from the other end of the court. Needless to say I was benched for the moment, Coach Allen had told Fredrick he had to let me play at some point.

It began with fair play, but as Neil's team began scoring more, my own began to shirk the rules. Vince Boll tripped Sean, and a multitude of others and went unnoticed. I tightened my hands on the edge of the bench. I liked to win, yes, but I can't stand a cheater. Fredrick was knocking players, Greg was stealing the ball illegally, and everyone was playing foul in general. And where the hell was the Coach? He was now refereeing a free throw. I got up and strode over to him. I tapped his shoulder.

"Dalton, go sit down." He told me as he watched Neil sink the shot.

"They're cheating." I said. He still was only barely paying attention to me.

"Who?"

"My team."

"And?"

"Don't you care?"

"If I don't see them Dalton, I can't catch them." He said. "Now go sit down."

I stalked off; my 'captain' cornered me.

"Shut up you fink!" he yelled at me.

"The hell, you want to play unfair, you deserve to get your ass burned for it."

"And you should just be happy to on the bench, now move!" Fredrick snarled at me. I caught Neil's eye; he was waiting for me to do something, something interesting. But I was in the middle of class, otherwise I would be making this guy regret trying to order me around. I submitted, I had to, what other choice was there? I was on thin ice with the authorities for giving the finger to a teacher. (Yes, they eventually figured that one out.) But if it was dirty Fredrick wanted to play, then it was dirty I would play.

One of the weak parts of the conversion to female students was the locker rooms and showers. The girls had to walk right past the guys to get to their showers, and there was always the possibility of the guys staring around the bend. Or the other way around as Annette had proved, so the showers were relatively tense. I was toweling off my hair when I had a wonderfully embarrassing idea, for both me and my target. I pulled on my shirt and buttoned it; I fixed my tie and resolved to do it.

As a girl, I was given the benefit of the doubt for maybe a day, then I was just treated mostly like one of the guys. But still, if you invade their showers, they will be incredulous before squealing like pigs in protest. So was the situation as I walked calmly into the boy's showers. My fellow Poets exchanged worried glances as I glided through the clad in nothing but towels around their waist masses. I found Fredrick, and his back was turned to me. I grinned spitefully and grabbed his towel right off him. He shrieked like a girl. Anderson, Rob, Sean, Geoff and Danny nearly collapsed with hysteric laughter. In fact, the entire room was busting a gut. Fredrick, in the meantime, was groping around for another towel. I twisted his and snapped his lily white ass before leaving.

"No one messes with Charlie Dalton!" I yelled.

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Ok, well maybe no one but the administration. I was in Harding's office, awaiting my punishment. It was my last night here before my dad was picking me up. Harding closed the door. He began to pace around me and speaking in a dangerous tone.

"Ms. Dalton, where do you get these ideas? The invasion of privacy, indecent exposure and striking another student. As a young lady, we expect better of you. But you seem not to hold to the couture of a lady, you seem to feel the need to disobey."

I smirked, yup, that was me alright. Mr. Harding sighed and continued his pacing around his office.

"I knew your father, I was a teacher here when he attended. Rebellious, stubborn, irrational and insolent he was, the same doesn't need to apply to you. I've heard that you prefer to be called 'Charlie'."

"Yes sir. That's my name."

"Your name is Charlotte, a girl's name."

"My name is Charlie." I asserted.

"As the issue remains, your punishment for your offences. You will be attending detention in this office for the month of January, every Monday to Friday. No exceptions, you will be here."

"Yes sir." I said through gritted teeth. He nodded at the door dismissing me. As I put my hand on the knob, he spoke once more.

"Any more outbursts Ms. Dalton, and you will be very sorry."

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I knew that the club was going to be in the boy's dorms before dinner and that Sabs would be very scared without me. I snuck in and banged on Anderson's door. He opened it with an approving smile.

"Hail the conquering hero boys!" I announced swaggering in. "I have detention with Harding all through January."

They all sniggered and rolled their eyes. I dropped down on Anderson's bed where Sabs was already comfortable and stretched. Danny was lit up and exhaling breaths of blue gray smoke. We normally wouldn't let him smoke in the building, it often attracted the teachers, but today, some idiot had thrown the window wide open, letting in the eight degree air. I found out very soon that my blazer wasn't enough to keep me warm, so I pulled up the comforter from the bed and wrapped myself in it.

"So…" Sean started. "What did you guys do today?"

Me: There we go, chapter 14! Charlie: Um, that was a very, very bad thing you made me do. Me: No duh, that guy tried to push you around. Charlie: But did I have to do that! Me: I thought it was funny… Anderson: So did I! Do it again! Me: Sure, but it'll be your towel going down babe. Anderson: Ok, please don't do it again. Me: ((waves her hand in front of Rob's eyes)) Rob, man, are you all right? Rob: That was so wrong… Me: No it was funny. Sean: Yeah! Me: Rob, get over it. Hey, I thought you liked to see people in their undies. Rob: HELL NO! Not guys at least. Geoff: So you didn't mind seeing Charlie like that? We thought you couldn't stand it. Rob: Well… Charlie: PERVERT! Me: Tee hee! I've created chaos! Charlie: ((starts chasing Rob)) RAR! Rob: ((runs for his life)) AHHHHH! Save me! Me: You brought it on yourself dude. Charlie and Rob: You made us do it! ((they begin to chase her instead)) Me: Oh shit!

PS. 'Hail the conquering hero boys!' belongs to Red Pollard, not me. He said it after winning the Santa Anita Handicap in 1940. The entire phrase is 'Hail the conquering hero boys! I finally got my picture taken!' because he's just come out of the winner's circle where all the cameras are. Just so you know, ok? No, it's not in Seabiscuit the movie, it's in the book, on my favorites. I just love Red. He's Irish, well read, has a twisted sense of humor, has a bit of a god complex and loves his horses. I'm too big to be jockey, but I would love to be one.

On a serious note, the story won't be updated for awhile, at least not past chapter 15. My best friend recently had a riding accident…and didn't make it. I love you Kayla K. and will miss you for as long as I walk the Earth. Kayla K. died on February 17, 2005, few days short of her fifteenth birthday. Her twin, Rachel and I are in mourning, and I can't continue writing for a while. I have to go deal with this first. I'm working on a poem for the late Kay, I'll post it with tribute to Kay and a tip of the hat to Neil. I'm Todd for the moment, my mourning Dead Poets are beside me. We are going to make it, but I need some time, please.

I'll see you – Dru

PS. This chapter wasn't supposed to be this way, but I didn't have the heart to rewrite it before posting.