After an agonizing hour of wait, the vans from the animal control finally arrived along with the ambulance in toe. They hauled over to the school grounds and got to work in no time. The animal control officers were taking care of the reptiles, while the paramedics were checking the well-being of the students.
With the specialists present there, the tension reduced, and for the moment, everything appeared to be under control, which gave the people in the school a sigh of relief. . .
Unfortunately, though, not many were able to get a taste of this so-called solace.
Especially that one blonde teen girl with her famous pink streak in her hair who was now inside the principal's office. . .
"What?!" Becky shot up from her seat as though someone had just set the chair on fire. "You can't do that to me!"
"Calm down sweetheart." The parental figure next to her gently set a hand on her daughter's shoulder and carefully pushed her back down to her seat.
"But mom-!" The young teen gestured a hand towards the principal himself, frustration written all over her face.
Seeing the distress slowly building up in the air, Principal Hal interrupted it by clearing his throat out loud. Both the parent and her child went quiet as they heard it, and in reluctance, they had no other choice but to let the authority figure carry on.
"As I was saying, my decision stays firm." The principal declared with a calm tone, but each word that left his lips held a rough edge to it. "As of today, and in your remaining semesters in this school, you are off the cheerleading team and any of your other curricular activities until you work off your punishments and truly learn from your mistakes."
His hand went to his desk's drawer and began to probe through the perfectly lined-up folders.
"My apologies sir, but don't you think it's a bit too rash?" The woman who sat across his desk vocalized her dispute while her hand caressed Becky's upper arm. Her voice sounded steady, but there was a hint of uneasiness in there. "She is still young Mr. Hal, and I'm certain that Becky didn't mean to cause harm and is just having a rough time-"
"With all due respect Mrs. Mallory, while I understand your concerns, actions have consequences." Principal Hal's hand eventually seized a good hold of the solid paper folder as he voiced his opinions.
"The honor of this school and its students' safety is my top priority, and I cannot let it be corrupted by any bad influences." The dark-skinned man continued with serenity while the mother's eyes grew impatient, and not to mention, felt insulted by the Principal's words.
"I beg your pardon?" Becky's mom spoke up, and did not bother to cover up her bewilderment and irritation while both her hands found themselves around the young blonde's shoulders. "My daughter is one of the greatest students in this school. She is far from what you dare to call a 'bad influence'."
She defended her child who just firmly bobbed her head in concurrence, but even so, the principal was clearly putting his foot down regarding the current topic.
"Grades are not everything Mrs. Mallory. Good student or not, nothing gives anyone the excuse to disturb the peace and pick on a fellow student who has severe trauma." As soon as the information got into the woman's ears, Mrs. Mallory's face of anger slipped along with her hands from Becky's frame.
"What. . . ?" The parent breathed out in a feeble voice while she sported up a pale expression that was screaming incredulity, and sheer disbelief. Her daughter didn't catch that, but her response to the man's words was nothing more than a silent eye-roll, as though she was bored of the topic already.
"We have many students in the school." Principal Hal's voice stiffened as he scanned through the many pages of records that he had within his grasp. "Several of them have had difficulties beyond what you might imagine, and the last thing they need is their peers making their experience in this school even more unpleasant."
Once his hand stopped, his dark eyes lifted back up to Becky and Mrs. Mallory.
"The girl your daughter picked on, is one of those people." While the mother figure listened carefully, Becky said nothing. "She had been transferred to this school not too long ago, and Becky had already made her stay difficult on at least three or more occasions."
"I... I was not aware of this." The mother stammered out an answer that trailed down, unable to fully process the principal's words, the expression on her face being one of shock.
Horror, even.
No one could blame her, though, for feeling the way she was right at that moment. . .
Becky squeezed the muscles on her upper arm out of annoyance and impatience, but just as she thought the situation couldn't get any worse, the principal dropped the next bombshell on her mother figure.
"Didn't your daughter inform you about the written warnings or the small detentions I had given to her?" The inquiry made Mrs. Mallory's jaw slack while Becky felt like her soul left her body.
"No. . . She didn't. . ." Mrs. Mallory replied before her eyes went slit on her daughter's pale figure, her now firm voice causing the blonde teen girl to straighten up her posture instantly.
After a hard swallow, the girl's lips parted.
"I. . ." Becky started off as she felt her hands getting cold, but sweaty at the same time.
"It wasn't my fault I swear! It's all Hira and Luz!" The young blonde tried to lie her way out of it, but the more she focused on those accusing stares, her panic rose.
And her attempt to save face with her testimony crumbled into pieces fast.
Her mom was uncertain about this still, but Principal Hal already had enough of this nonsense.
"On the contrary Ms. Becky, those two especially, along with other students had reported their concerns about you." The man replied sternly before he flipped through his documents again. "Claims such as seeing you lock up another student in the girls' bathroom during the night of the Romeo and Juliet school play, destroy someone's cheerleader uniform, steal someone's property, spread false rumours, and so much more."
"But as you said it, sir, those are claims." Mrs. Mallory pointed out, something that made her feel a little hopeful, but at the same, she remained skeptical.
"Yeah!" The young teen cried out in relief as soon as her mom pointed out that silver lining for her. "There is no proof that I did all those things!"
Becky was gaining her confidence back, and while it may have some technical truth to the statement, still how it was delivered expressed a lot more about her true colors.
Something that didn't sit right with the adults in the room.
"But even so Becky, these reports came from many different students who declared that you had bothered them for a long period." Principal Hal's voice became strong while his eyes narrowed at the young figure before him.
"But I didn't do anything, I swear!" The blonde teen once more insisted, her voice raised high which made her mother jerk a little in shock.
"Becky, there are too many reports piling up into a hill, with witnesses that are pointing in your direction." The principal continued with his speech as his voice became firmer. "And now with today's incident, that just congealed the truth that those students had told me previously."
He took a small break before his expression hardened at the young student. Mrs. Mallory followed his example as disappointment and fury settled within her.
"Until you learned your lesson your retributions will be increasing." Becky was about to say something again, but she felt her mother's hand land on her again, but instead of feeling the usual comforting touch, she felt a fiercer grasp, something that made the young blonde tremble in worry.
"Understandable sir." Mrs. Mallory responded to all this with a slow nod of her head. "I'm truly sorry for the difficulties that were caused, but don't worry, I'll make sure she won't do it ever again."
"Thank you, ma'am." The man nodded his head weakly while he picked up a pen and began to write in his notebook. "But alas, even if you make such promises yourself that does not mean Becky will escape her punishments here."
"It's alright." The woman smiled slightly before she sent a side glance to her daughter.
"It's only fair to teach everyone about the consequences of their actions. Isn't that right Becky dear?"
Becky froze at her mother's question. . .
Luz was sitting outside with her Azura doll and her pet snake Luca in her hands.
Her yellow shoulder bag took the seat next to her, and as she was waiting to be called in, her curious eyes darted to the entrance of the waiting room that gave a good view of the school hallways.
She tapped her feet impatiently as she continued to stare at said opening expectedly like she was waiting for someone. . .
Needless to say, her mood deflated as she didn't see anyone else other than the workers from the animal control that were zooming back and forth with their nets and catch-poles.
However, her interest peaked when a woman she recognized turned up from the corner.
"There you are Mija!" The adult with a tight hair bun, glasses, and veterinary scrubs reached out to Luz, who perked her head up in recognition.
"Is everything okay? What happened?" The woman bent down to her daughter's level with her small leather bag that almost touched the floor.
Right before the young Latina could answer, Becky opened the office door in a very loud fashion and scared the soul out of everyone there.
"Becky, mind your manners!" Mrs. Mallory berated her daughter while she caught up to her hurried steps.
"Leave me alone!" The young blonde snapped back in a small cry of misery, but once her raging mother caught up, dread stunned her entire being on the spot.
"Not with an attitude like that!" The woman snapped back with slit eyes that pierced into Becky's soul. "Wait till your father hears about this!"
The moment Becky heard that, she felt like her soul just ditched her body.
"No, please don't tell dad!" With those last words, she and her mother disappeared into the school halls.
"Wow. . ." Luz breathed out quietly right before she heard footsteps behind her.
"Camila Noceda?" Principal Hal called out, which made the pair snap said person's and her daughter's attention to him.
Luz's heart anxiously skipped a beat at his presence, but then she felt her mother's hand land on her shoulder which helped her calm down her nerves a little.
"I'm coming, sir." The woman, Camila nodded her head with a blank face but her eyes were heavily focused on the strict man in front of her.
"Right this way ma'am." On cue, Principal Hal stepped aside and held the door for her. The parental figure wasted no time striding towards the office room.
"We will call you in Luz in a few minutes, alright?" The principal turned in Luz's direction, and with that, he was ready to close the door.
"W-wait!" The young brunette shot up from her seat. "Before you go, is Hira going to be in trouble too?" The thought of how the mentioned teen girl could get punished for her wrongdoings made her feel guilty and apprehensive.
"Who?" Her mother tilted her head to the side with eyes full of interest, curiosity, and concern.
"What is she talking about Mr. Hal?" The Latina woman questioned as she turned her attention to the emotionally drained principal who pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment.
"Don't worry Mrs. Noceda, it's a different matter that I'll deal with later." The man with dark skin waved his hand before he turned his attention to the young girl. "But if it makes you feel any better Luz, I can assure you that Ms. Zinnes is not in trouble."
"Oh, thank god. . ." Luz let out a breath of relief while her body melted back into her chair.
"However, . . ." The start of the principal's new sentence brought everyone back to reality. "I can't say the same about you." Luz chuckled skittishly at her principal's statement.
"Let's just take it inside sir, please." Camila sought out in exhaustion before she and Principal Hall disappeared into the office.
The door closed with a loud click, and from then on silence took over the waiting room.
The young brunette could do nothing other than hold her pet snake and Azura action figure while she looked at the office door in deep sorrow and disappointment in the pit of her stomach.
She didn't mean to cause harm. . .
She just wanted to do her best to make her mom proud by showing what she is capable of.
Inside the grey and pale girls' restroom, Hira stood in front of a mirror with her red puffy eyes and messed up makeup that exposed one of her many white marks on her face.
Thankfully though, it's nothing that she can't fix with some cosmetics, so Hira wasted no time and she pulled out her little beauty kit bag to get those brushes and concealers.
The fourteen-year-old smeared the face paint onto herself and with the help of her trusty brush she made those vitiligo marks disappear from the world once more, perfectly.
With a final nod of approval, the teen zipped her makeup kit shut.
The girl looked at her phone and saw how it was time to finally leave.
Just then, as Hira raised herself upward, she jolted away fast in fear of the person that was in front of her.
She calmed down shortly afterward when she realized that it was just her reflection staring back at her. . .
The timid girl shook her head and then placed all her focus on her way out. . .
"Hira!" Out of the blue, Mrs. Terrace opened the girl's restroom door. Her action scared the living day out of the midnight-haired student, so much so that she fell on her butt with a small cry and a racing heart.
"Oh gosh, Hira, I am so sorry!" The teacher immediately apologized as she crouched down and offered a hand to the girl. A few seconds or so later, Hira finally relaxed before she glanced at the teacher's face and then down at the hand the adult offered to her.
A minute passed before Hira decided to stand up on her own.
The redheaded teacher's eyes softened in pity, but she threw no comment to the gesture and just pulled her hand away to give the girl more space.
"Are you feeling okay now?" The woman asked as her eyes scanned Hira from head to toe. The shy teen replied with a weak nod while she clutched onto her school bag like a stuffed toy.
"Alright." Mrs. Terrace breathed out softly before she straightened up her back. "C'mon, let's go to the Principal's office."
Her choice of words made the teen's shoulders jump while her embrace on her bag's strap went tight.
"Don't worry Hira, he just wants to talk with you." Sadly, her phrases didn't bring any comfort to Hira, but the teen girl just kept those feelings to herself with her mouth sealed shut.
"Let's go." The redhead opened the door for the dark midnight-haired girl, who eventually walked out with her head hung low. One chestnut-brown eye of hers peeked back to Mrs. Terrace's figure though, only to see her close the restroom door shut.
"And that's the end." Luz finished with a proud smile while she showed off her Azura action figurine and pet snake to her small audience, Principal Hal, and her mother.
"The end of what?" A confused Camila questioned her daughter who just kept on smiling cheerfully.
"My book report." The young Latina responded, right before Luca bit into the doll's head. "I think I knocked it out of the park."
At that, the man with dark skin and greyish hair facepalmed hard in frustration.
"Your book report is the main reason why you're in here." He pointed out right before he and his companions saw one of the officers from the animal control through the door's small window. She was holding onto the snake that was hissing her off with no mercy.
"Oh yeah. . . so that's where the backup snakes went." Luz mumbled under her breath in a small wince.
"But don't worry sir, none of them are poisonous or anything." She tried to reassure them as she used her index finger to pet Luca's small head, who took the affection with no problem.
"Be as that may, you brought living animals into the school grounds without permission!" Principal Hal pointed out the facts sharply, his eyes going slit at the teen girl. "I cannot ignore that, especially when they latched onto some students."
Hearing that the young Latina frowned in guilt.
"And what were you going to do with this?" Her mother asked as she held a look of concern on her face, and Luz's makeshift firecracker rocket in her hands.
The moment the teen girl's eyes met with Camila's face, she felt herself drown in shame.
"That. . . that was for the Act Three closer. . ." The young brunette responded in a low spirit as she shot her eyes down.
The woman with a tight bun shook her head weakly before placing the firecracker back into the yellow bag and now, she was kneeling down to her daughter's eye level.
"Mija, I love your creativity, but it's gotten out of hand." Camila was talking softly, but the strictness was still there. "Do you remember why you were in the principal's office the last three times?"
The brunette girl nodded her head in response while her mind started to track back to those three incidents that her mom was referring to.
The first one was at the cheerleader try-outs where Luz tried to impress her classmates by showing off how she can flip her eyelids inside out.
It was met with a negative backlash that was expressed in the form of screaming teens.
Then there was the second strike which took place in art class.
There was a Craft project where they had to create some mystical creature, and Luz chose to make a 'baby griffin'.
Innocent enough from the first sound of it, right?
Well, it could have been, until the young Latina took it too far by demonstrating her knowledge of 'griffin's anatomy' with real-life spiders that crawled out of her creation and around the entire classroom.
Needless to say, the session ended earlier than expected. . .
Then came the last incident on the audition for The Romeo and Juliet School play.
She went for the role of Juliet, but the young Latina made her character's death too gruesome with several links of sausages that were used to present 'intestines'.
Three extreme acts with the same results. With everyone either being freaked or grossed out.
Everyone knew this, including every teacher and worker of this school, not to mention the mother, Camila herself.
The mother figure sighed in sorrow before she pulled out a piece of paper from her small shoulder bag.
A sour look made its way onto Camila's face as soon as she looked at the flyer in her hands.
She didn't want to do this. . . .
But, as a mother like any other, she wants what's best for her child. . .
"We all love that you express yourself, but if you can't learn to separate fantasy from reality, you may need to spend the summer here." Camila carefully handed her daughter a pamphlet about a camp which was called, Reality Check Summer Camp .
Reluctantly, Luz took it and eyed the illustration of the boy that was forced inside the box while there was the phrase 'Thinking inside the box' written on top of it.
That was enough for her to know what this camp is about, and within a second she began to hate the idea.
However, she took one look at her mother, and the worried expression on her face was enough to make her mind pause for a moment.
Luz hated seeing her mom like that.
They had gone through such a length to provide for her, help her get through life. . .
She didn't want to disappoint her any further, let alone stress her more by causing trouble to her. . .
To the only parent who had done so much for her already. . .
So, for her sake, she forced her smile back onto her face.
"Don't worry, Mom. I won't let you down." Luz told her parental figure with great optimism before she stood up triumphantly.
"No more weirdness." She declared with pride, right before her snake jumped onto Principal Hal and tackled him down to the floor.
"That doesn't count, right?"
In the flash, Principal Hal had his right arm bandaged and his left eye covered with an eye patch. The door of the ambulance closed on his frame, and with that, the vehicle drove off, leaving a concerned-looking Camila and Vice Principal, and a nervous Luz who held both her fists close to her lips that were pressed against one another hard.
"I-Is he going to be okay?" The young Latina finally took the courage to ask that question as she and the other adults watch the ambulance and the animal control finally vanish from the school grounds.
"I'm sure he will be alright Ms. Noceda." Mrs. Parsons reassured the young student, even though her expression and tone held no emotion whatsoever. That made Luz a little agitated, but she kept her mouth shut.
"You may leave." Camila mutely nodded her head at the Vice Principal before turning to her daughter.
"Come on Mi Amor." The mother placed a gentle arm around Luz's shoulders and they began to walk toward the car.
With one last glance at the Vice Principal and the school building behind her, the young Latina turned back and continued to solemnly stroll next to her mother . . .
The woman in elegant and sharp clothing exhaled in exasperation, but she straightened her back and set a stray lock behind her ear.
Another deep breath in, and now she was back in the school building.
To her surprise though, she found herself face to face with a certain redheaded teacher who was accompanied by a familiar shy figure next to her.
"What happened?" Mrs. Terrace questioned in worry while Hira looked at the Vice Principal in fear. "Where is Principal Hal?"
"He will be out of commission for a while." Mrs. Parsons replied with composure while she held her hands together. After that, her green eyes settled onto the timid teen's figure whose shoulders jumped in reflex with her eyes that widened a bit.
"Anyways, thank you, Mrs. Terrace, for your assistance. I'll take it from here." The woman in professional attire nodded her head to her colleague before she turned all her attention back to the meek teen girl.
"Follow me Ms. Zinnes." With that request, Hira followed the woman, her gaze falling on her hot pink shoes once more.
The clock was ticking with an even pace and loud knocking sound. The tension crystallized the air, with the awkward silence that trapped the shaky Hira with the stiff and strict Mrs. Parsons whose narrow eyes were glued onto the young figure.
The young girl was tapping her heels anxiously on the carpet while the adult on the opposite side of the desk was sitting straight in complete stillness, and waited patiently for the girl to speak, but so far, she had no words to spread.
Mrs. Parsons closed her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Then after three more ticking sounds later, the Vice Principal reopened them and focused back on her student.
"So, Hira, how are you doing?" The woman started carefully. "Are you feeling, okay?" To her relief, she got a small nod from the introverted teen. Not a verbal answer, but it was some form of improvement, to say the least.
"I'm glad to hear that." The adult gave a weak nod of her own as her fingers brushed another stray of her brown hair back in place. "So, tell me, about what happened in the hallway, was it Becky that started it?" For a moment there Hira's lips parted, but then she looked away while her arms brought her bag closer to her chest.
"It's okay Hira." The woman's gentle voice reassured soothingly. "You can trust me."
At those last words, Hira took the courage to lift her stare upward and look into those forest-green eyes. Unfortunately, though, she couldn't keep up with the eye contact as she felt that familiar chill run down her spine.
In the end, her stare went back to admire the edge of the wooden table, and just give another quiet and weak nod of her head as a reply.
"I see." Mrs. Parsons rested her chin on top of her hand while her eyes scanned Hira's trembling frame. "Well, first off, I can assure you, that you won't get any punishments."
Then for her next sentence, she pulled away from her position and cleared her throat lightly.
"Nevertheless, that does not mean I have nothing to discuss with you." At her declaration, the girl with a long braid lifted her gaze to meet the Vice Principal's stare again, which reflected deep concern in her path.
"I'll be honest with you Hira," With some hesitation, Mrs. Parsons mustered up the strength to talk. "While Mr. Hal is not here at the moment, he and I wanted to express our concerns about you." The brunette took off her glasses so she can rub her eyes from her weariness.
"You are a smart girl, no doubt about that. Your grades are excellent, and so is your creativity, but at the same, you seem to hold back way too much potential while letting others walk all over you." Of course, the latter statement from Mrs. Parsons made Hira shoot down her gaze in humiliation while a hand was placed on her right arm.
No wonder she felt the way she did. . .
It was the truth after all. . . It was particularly written all over her very existence since the day she set foot into this school.
"While I admire how you never cause trouble, at some point, you must make an effort to learn how to stand your ground if you ever want to survive the world out there." The Vice Principal carried on with soft eyes that never left the teen's figure. "After all, you will be the one living the life you got."
Another big pause takes over the conversation. . . but. . .
"It's. . . Easier said than done. . ." For the first time, Hira had placed her input into the exchange, but it was so meek like a mouse squeak. If it wasn't for the silence in the office, Mrs. Parsons wouldn't have heard it for sure.
"True. . . One can't argue with that. . ." The woman spoke gently with concern-filled eyes as she breathed out tiredly before her hand began to search for something. "But maybe there is a way to have a good start. . ." The statement from the vice principal made Hira furrow her eyebrow.
"Huh?" The midnight-haired girl hummed out questioningly while she tilted her head to the side.
Mrs. Parsons said nothing but instead pulled out a pamphlet from her drawer and placed it in front of the girl.
"Reality Check Summer Camp. . . ?" Hira read it out loud before her hand picked it up. Deep chestnut eyes scanned the information and the illustrations before she turned to her Vice Principal with a puzzled expression.
"I already asked your caretaker about this, and she said she would be more than happy to let you attend it and pay for it." The woman informed the teen whose face fell in dread as soon as the information reached her ears.
"I didn't gave an answer." The Vice Principal assured the student as fast as lightning. In fact, her hands even flew upwards to gesture to the student to stop freaking out. "Well, not until I asked you first." Sadly, that did not make the fourteen-year-old feel any better.
Like, at all.
"But I don't want to go!" Hira exploded in terror, as she almost jumped out of her seat. But within an instant, the girl flinched back in fright and regret when she realized her mistake of having her voice raised against an authority figure.
"I. . . I mean. . . it's a very generous offer ma'am, but there will be too many people, and. . . and I don't want to cause problems-" Hira was about to lose her breath in her rambling but thankfully the adult before called out to make it stop.
"Hira, it's alright!" The woman reached out before the teen could go into another round of panic.
"Sorry. . ." Hira mustered up a quiet apology as she sulked back into her seat in shame while her cheeks turn red with embarrassment.
Never once she had ever increased her volume like this before, or felt the need to panic like this . . .
Not ever since. . .
"I know what you're thinking." Mrs. Parsons' words snapped the timid girl out of her thoughts. "That it might not be for you, and this is. . . too much. But maybe it's time to finally take your first step out of that comfort zone of yours." The woman took a small pause before she cautiously went on.
"I understand your fears Hira, I really do, but still, nothing good will come to you either if you just stay in your shell and watch life go on without you." When Hira heard that, she darted away with a hard grimace on her face.
"You won't know what awaits you out there unless you risk at least one try." While Hira may agree with the statement, the thought of being surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar environment made her slender fingers tighten around the paper's edge, which damaged the once perfectly straight and smooth paper piece.
Her mind and logic would usually go for the 'no' at once.
Just stay away from the new. . . And keep things still. . . The same way she was secure with and familiar with. . .
But at the same time, deep down within her heart, she secretly craved for something else. . . while she had acknowledged that she cannot run forever from the change that wants to invade her life.
Conflict began to build up within her, and the pressure from Mrs. Parsons' expecting eyes was not helping her either.
Especially when she was one of those people that had been somewhat helpful towards the young teen and tolerated her anti-social behavior ever since her first day at school.
"It's your call Hira." The woman told her with tenderness in her voice, but to Hira, that left a heavy weight on her frail shoulders.
"You may get other times to come to camps, but remember, you only live once." With that, the girl with braided hair flashed her gaze back onto the camp brochure and had a long, hard look at it while keeping her breath and not knowing what to determine this time around.
Should she stay in her safe spot. . . ?
Or should she jump into the unknown. . . ?