"I'm glad you stood up for that boy, Bridgie, but you didn't have to curse."
"So... am I really in trouble for all this?"
Bridget's father gave her a quick look as they drove home.
"Your mother and I will have to discuss it when she comes home." Philip told his daughter. Bridget shrunk a little in her seat, to which he took notice of and added; "But I'm proud of you no matter what."
"Thanks Dad."
. . .
Bridget stared up at her ceiling as she wanted for her parents to discuss her 'punishment'. Justice had been served... just not to Bridget. In the back of her mind, she wondered how the military brat was doing...
There was a knock on Bridget's closed bedroom door, then it slowly creaked open. Bridget sat straight up when she saw her parents walk through her door.
"Am I in trouble?" Bridget asked, glancing from one parent to another.
"No." her father finally said. Bridget nearly fell off of the bed- that certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting...
"You stood up for a fellow classmate," her mother said as she walked over to Bridget's bed, "Although we didn't appreciate the language you used, you still did what was right."
Bridget looked at her parents. She didn't expect them to be so easy going about this.
"You mean it?" Bridget asked, still feeling as if the conversation was a trap and they were going to be harsher on her any moment now. Her parents only smiled at her though, which didn't ease Bridget's thoughts any.
"Dinner will be ready in another hour." her mother said, giving a playful whack at Bridget's foot. The conversation was over now- but Bridget was more confused than what she had been earlier.
. . .
"How does it look?" Bridget asked Lucy as they got ready for the talent show. Lucy was applying make up on Bridget so she didn't look pale on stage- Bridget had already done the same to Lucy several minutes before.
Lucy took a step back to admire her handiwork.
"Not bad." she said, reaching over on a small stool to get a mirror so Bridget could see herself. Bridget looked at herself for a little then gave the mirror back to Lucy.
"Where's Viktor?" Bridget asked, looking around for the only guitar player they knew.
"I think the guys get ready somewhere else." Lucy told Bridget. "He's going to meet us on stage."
Bridget nodded as a guy with an armful of flowers came into the dressing room.
"Bridget Misako?!" the guy called out.
"Over here!" Bridget shouted back as she waved her hand so he could see her. The guy walked over to her then handed her a bouquet of roses.
"From an admirer." he said curtly before turning around to shout another name.
Bridget looked at the roses.
"Why would Mom and Dad send me flowers when I just saw them five minutes ago?" she wondered. Lucy groaned and sighed at the same time. Bridget looked at her.
"What's that about?" Bridget accused.
"You parents wouldn't send a bouquet of roses to you at this time, especially since you saw them not that long ago and they didn't even mention flowers."
"Then who are they from?" Bridget questioned. To this, Lucy seemed to ignore her but had a wide grin of arrogance.
"Lucy tell me!" Bridget demanded at the same time the production manager shouted, "All acts on stage, the show is going to begin in five minutes!"
Lucy gave Bridget a mysterious and rather cheeky smile before taking her by the arm and walking out the door.
The duo navigated their way backstage through a sea of other students and found Viktor along the way.
"There you are." Viktor told the two girls. "You both look nice."
"Thanks." Bridget and Lucy said at the same time.
"Look who I caught in the girls' dressing room!" Freddy's rather obnoxious voice shouted to all backstage.
Viktor, Lucy, and Bridget turned around to see Freddy drag Ken in by the collar then roughly toss the military brat on the ground. Ken remained on the ground, his face growing red as students gathered around him. Bridget stared at him in confusion, then she realized something; he had sent her the flowers. But why he hanging around the dressing rooms...? Was he... watching her?
"It's rude to watch young ladies dress, brat." Freddy threatened to Ken as he picked the military brat up from the collar again. "Maybe someone should teach you a lesson you'll never forget."
Then, to everyone's surprise, Freddy punched Ken as hard as he could in the stomach. It took a few seconds, but soon the student body started to chant 'fight!' over and over as Freddy looked at the defenseless Ken maliciously. Again, Freddy landed in punch at Ken's stomach that looked as if it hurt much more the second time. Bridget was furious- but when she moved, Viktor's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"You are in enough trouble as it is Bridget, you shouldn't get involved." Viktor told her, making her look him in the eye.
Bridget gave a frantic look at Ken and Freddy as the bully hit the brat again in a way that made Bridget flinch unintentionally.
"Maybe you're right..." Bridget started to say. Viktor looked at her before slowly taking his hand off of her. At first, Bridget had no intention of defending Ken this one last time; but that was before Bridget saw that Ken was bleeding. Something inside Bridget's mind snapped as Freddy started to press his foot down on Ken's head. The world started to go black as Bridget heard Freddy say something along the lines of 'Let's squish the bug's head.' When Bridget regained her vision and rational thinking, Freddy was now on the floor crying, Ken was staring at her with wide eyes, both Lucy and Viktor were trying to keep her restrained, and the vice principal was so livid that he could have looked like a tomato.
"Thanks to your reckless behaviors, we had to cancel the talent show!" the vice principal told Bridget, Freddy, and Ken later in his office. "A lot of parents are angry at us for the sudden cancellation. Do you three have any idea of the disaster you have caused for us? What do you three need to say for yourselves?"
Neither of the kids looked up or said anything. The principal took this as a cue to continue his speech-rant.
"Due to your aggressive behaviors, the school board has decided that Frederick will be suspended for seven days while Bridget is expelled permanently."
"What?!" Bridget shouted, getting up so quickly that she was a little dizzy. Or she was really angry again- she couldn't decide which at the moment. "Why am I the one being expelled?!"
"You attacked a schoolmate." the vice principal told her simply enough.
"Freddy attacked him first!"
"Young madam, I understand a part of your frustration- but the board has decided..."
"Screw the board! Freddy is the bully here!"
Freddy snickered a little.
"They have screwed- both my parents are on the board."
Hearing this made Bridget even angrier and she nearly turned around to grab his neck to strangle him. Ken sat in his seat with his head still down- glad to be out of the conversation, but scared for what was going to happen next. One thing was for sure, he never wanted to see Bridget this angry again for as long as he lived.
The vice principal remained unmoved.
"Miss Misako, if it is that time of the month that you ladies need- please report to the nurse immediately, I will not tolerate this behavior."
Ken covered his ears and shut his eyes as tight as he could so he couldn't hear or see Bridget's justified rage.