"Are we ready?" Bridget asked Viktor as he tuned his guitar. After fussing over the G string for a little, Viktor looked at Bridget and nodded.
"What about you Lucy?" Bridget then asked her other friend was going to man an electric piano.
"I'm ready." Lucy said, giving a thumbs up.
"We're ready!" Bridget said into the microphone as she looked up toward the sound booth where the vice principal stood supervising.
"You three can begin at any time." the vice principal told them through the intercom. Bridget took one last look at her friends before turning toward the mike and taking a deep breath out. Unknown to her, among other students that lazily hung around the auditorium, Ken sat in the back most row watching her patiently and doing his best not to be seen. For the most part, he was doing a rather decent job of not being seen so far- if only it would last like that all day...
"Regrets collect like old friends... here to relive your darkest moments." Bridget timidly began to sing. Ken's whole body froze at the stillness and calm of her voice in the middle of the sounds of general teen discussion within the auditorium. He wasn't the only one that noticed either- everyone shut down their conversations to hear her.
"Every demon wants his pound of flesh, but I'd like to keep somethings to myself..." Bridget continued to sing as Viktor began to strum his guitar. "I like to keep my issues drawn... it's always darkest before the dawn...
"I've been a fool and I've been blind, I can never leave the past behind... I can see no way, I can see no way... Our love has pastured such a mournful sound, tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground! I always like to keep my issues strong, it's always darkest before the dawn..."
"Shake it out, shake it out, a-whoa... Shake it out, shake it out, a-whoa..." Lucy and Viktor then sang faintly as they played their respective instruments.
Ken became engrossed in their performance- he didn't even realize he couldn't feel the floor any more or was aware that he was even sitting to begin with. Unconsciously, Ken had started to get closer and closer toward the stage...
So the savior could sing. Decently too, but it wasn't anything that could have gone pro though.
"Ken... what are you doing?" Bridget asked, kneeling on the stage so she could be near eye level to Ken on the auditorium floor. The trio had finished their song as Ken had walked up to the stage in an apparent trance that he still seemed to be in. Everyone was staring at Ken- but the only thing he saw was Bridget and how the light from overhead of the stage made her look so...
A sudden and sharp pain in his side made Ken fall over in surprise, and come to the rude reality of staring at the floor as several classmates started to snicker at him. Ken turned around and looked at Freddy's smirking face. Bridget was up on stage, fit to be tied and being restrained by Viktor.
"What the hell is your problem Frederick?!" Bridget was screaming, doing all she could to get out of Viktor's rather tight grasp. "He wasn't doing anything wrong you jackass, why the hell did you do it?!"
"Miss Misako, please restrain yourself." the vice principal said from over the intercom. Bridget glared up at the sound booth, got out of Viktor's grasp, and ran to the microphone.
"Tell the jackass that he can't shove the brat!" Bridget practically screamed.
"Miss Misako, please leave the stage."
"No!"
Ken stared at the blue haired girl with wonder. She was fighting tooth and nail to defend him- and he didn't even know what had just happened.
"Miss Misako, if you will not leave the stage soon, we will be forced to take extreme measures."
"Not until you tell Frederick to fuck off!"
The student body around them looked between a furious Bridget and their barely visible vice principal in the sound booth to see what would happen next. Ken continued to stay on the ground, unsure if he should feel embarrassed, mystified, or scared.
"Do you even know his name Miss Misako?" the vice principal then asked in a calm manner. With this in mind, Bridget gave a wild glance at Ken's direction. Realizing some truth in what the vice principal was getting at, Bridget's jaw clenched tightly in frustration before turning around to hurl the microphone in Freddy's direction. The act made many students jump out of the way- it made a few others snicker as the microphone just barely missed Freddy by half a centimeter.
"I will see you in my office." the vice principal said one last time over the intercom.
Bridget snarled and started to head toward the stage's stairs. But for a moment she stopped, then she spun on her heel and made a leap off the stage. Several of the students that were watching her gasped in surprise and hastily got out of the way- although they secretly wished she would hurt herself upon landing. Bridget's feet planted the ground in the same manner a gymnast would finished out their routine, she was safe... for outward appearances at least.
Bridget threw one hard glare at Ken then started to walk out of the auditorium with her head held high- a desperate attempt to hold back tears that really illustrated how angry she was.
. . .
"What do you need to say for yourself Miss Misako?" the vice principal asked her calmly.
"I should have stuck that microphone stand up Freddy's ass."
"You know that is not what I mean."
"Then I have nothing to say." Bridget mumbled. The vice principal raised a gray haired and perfectly manicured eyebrow.
"You do realize madam that I can easily call your parents to inform them of your... episode."
Bridget did not answer, knowing that her words would not help her case, and instead refused to give the vice principal eye contact. The vice principal coolly changed his gaze from Bridget to the intercom system on his desk.
"Mrs Bito, can you get Bridget Misako's father on the line?" the vice principal asked into the intercom after pressing a button on the system.
"Yes sir." the dutiful secretary agreed through the intercom. With this new idea in place, the vice principal looked back at Bridget. She still sat there like a spoiled child that wasn't getting her way. However, whatever the vice principal thought he could do to her would have been lost on her father- Bridget could feel it. Her father was going to take her side in the situation. At least, Bridget hoped he would...
After a few moments, the secretary's voice came over the intercom again;
"Philip Misako is on line three sir."
"Thank you Sherry." the vice principal said into the intercom before picking up the receiver. To the phone, the vice principal said the following in a rather official (and to Bridget, bragging) tone;
"I'm sorry to have bothered you at work Philip, but I wanted to talk about your daughter Bridget."
Bridget looked at the vice principal as he talked to her father about the events that had transpired barely an hour earlier. The vice principal tried to gloss around the areas wherein Freddy had kicked the military brat that gave way to Bridget's rebellion; but as the conversation went on, it was the only thing Bridget's father became concerned about. Bridget smirked as the vice principal's plan to put her in a bad light crumbled to pieces.
"Whatever the circumstances may be," the vice principal then said, looking flustered and embarrassed from losing the conversation, "I insist that you pick Bridget up as soon as possible. She is not allowed on the premises for the rest of the day."
With a mild slam, the vice principal set the receiver down then looked at Bridget.
"You will stay here until your father comes to pick you up young lady. It will give you enough time to think about what you have done."
Bridget attempted to be emotionless as the vice principal walked out of his office in an irritated and flustered mood. To be honest though, she was glad he had got what was coming to him.