ABOVE THE INFLUENCE
10:03 A.M.
Tick… Tick… Tick. What happened at the restaurant, I can't say wasn't a typical event. People gett'n shot, and killed is just as regular as people going shopping for clothes. Mr. Knowles playing the hero isn't a surprise to me either. He stepped in there, and sure enough we're back at school. Sitting outside Armstrong's office.
"You took the students off campus?" Lester, Ziggy, Stephanie, and I gather around the door.
"There was no place to go on campus."
"Call me Union Rev. Your suspended."
"What!"
"He can't do that." Lester bangs on the door.
"Armstrong has the power to lay off people as he like." I put a hand up to my forehead. "Even people who act like a hero."
"Fuck this." Lester swings the door open. "How dare you?"
"Lester." Stephanie follows him into Armstrong's office. I turn to Ziggy and shrug, then follow behind.
"You guys it's all right." Knowles snatches up his satchel, and heads toward the door behind him.
"No it's not." Stephanie grabs Mr. Knowles's satchel, and throws it on Armstrong's desk. Huge question begins to spread across my face. Turning toward Armstrong, she shoves the textbook at him. "We're supposed to study in a room that's freezing, and now you want to fire one of the few decent teachers that are still willing work here?"
Armstrong throws the book down on the desk. "Are you questioning my authority as the principle of this school?"
"No. I'm questioning you as a person." He glares at her, as his face begins to redden. I can see, with only a few more words, he's going to go off the deep end.
"Maybe Armstrong is just afraid of how we like the guy. Doesn't that make you lose some of the power over us?" Snap. You can see it in Armstrong's face, as River's walks in behind me.
"That's it, your both suspended." He points toward Stephanie, and Rivers.
"What!" Stephanie gaps at him. Rivers only points to himself.
"Armstrong. You have to be-" I step forward.
"Don't make me suspend you too." He speaks fiercely between clenched teeth.
"GET KNOWLES BACK! NO SUSPENSIONS!" A mob of people begins to shout outside the office. Ziggy stands on top of a table, leading the mob. Lester steps toward Armstrong.
"Com'on man. All she wants is our teacher back."
He only grunts, and sits down at his desk. "Jackson, com'on get these kids out of here. Take these two to detention." He points to Stephanie and Rivers. "And call the parents of these two." He points to Lester and Ziggy.
"No parents." Ziggy whimpers to himself. "No parents." Jackson clutches him by the shoulders.
"Let me explain." Ziggy protests as Jackson drags him out the door.
"Don't want no explanation."
"Lester!" Ziggy screeches as he grasps for the door frame. Lester runs after him.
"Follow them. Get out of my site. Your pissing me off." Armstrong doesn't even look up at us from over the papers he grabbed. "I said leave." Stephanie, and I shuffle out the door, pass the mob, and out into the empty hallway.
"People can be real jackasses sometimes." I put an arm around her. She looks like she is on the verge of crying.
Halfway down the hall we run into Jackson, who is struggling with Ziggy. Lester trying to grab at him. It's a tangle of legs, and arms. At a rapid pace they get up off the ground, Ziggy taking the gun from Jackson's belt.
"Ziggy." Stephanie speaks quietly, as we come to a sudden halt.