Chapter 8: John Hargensen

(At Gym class outside…)

Rita blew her whistle, pressing the girls to keep going. The whole time the girls sprinted across the field. They were sore, tired, and panting for breath, clearing having been at this for a while. The girls eventually broke into pairs while they continued their suicide drills.

"She can't do this to me." Chris grunted.

"Just let it go, Chris." Sue insisted. "We're almost done."

"Then every day this week? All because of Carrie White? Like hell I will." Chris shouted.

"Keep moving, Hargensen." Rita ordered. "Keep running or you're not going to prom."

"Fuck you!" Chris snapped. "This is child abuse."

Rita stopped in her tracks, she glared toward the girl. Even Sue, Chris's closest friend, was shocked by her choice of words. Rita approached Chris, who merely got right up in her face.

"What did you say to me?" Rita asked in concern.

"I'm not going to run another goddamn inch because Carrie White got her period and was too stupid to know what it was." Chris replied.

"What?" Sue asked, in disbelief.

"You're suspended. You're out of prom and you're out of my class. Now." Rita shouted, turning to leave.

"No." Chris snapped.

"No?" Rita whipped around.

"You can't decide that." Chris declared, facing the girls for support. "She can't do this to us."

"Goodbye, Chris. The rest of you, keep at it." Sue replied.

"Someone could die of dehydration. Tina, you have a heart condition, right? If we all stick together, they're not going to suspend all of us. They're not going to keep us all from prom. There would be no prom. Nicki, Lizzy?" Chris in concern.

But sadly, the other girls didn't appear convinced at all.

"Let's go, ladies!" Rita called out.

"Heather? This is bullshit!" Chris insisted. "We didn't do anything wrong."

It was then Chris started to realize she's truly alone in all this. Not another girl among the group was budging an inch.

"All right, let's go." Rita shouted again.

"Right, Sue?" Chris begged, taking her arm. "You're with me on this, right? Come on. Sue."

And almost immediately, Sue pulled her arm from Chris' grip. Her facial expression was more than enough to tell Chris, 'No!'.

"Come on." Sue told the girls.

"Keep going, ladies." Rita replied.

Soon Sue and the other girls kept with their sprints, while Rita encouraged the group to keep going. It didn't take long for Chris to realize what she had gotten herself into. It wasn't enough that she got suspended from school, but now she won't be going to the prom. And all because of one practical joke against Carrie White.

"This isn't over." Chris shook her head. "This isn't over by a long shot. That's Carrie White."

Chris soon stormed off the field, shedding her tears while the other girls kept exercising. But brewing deep within that sadistic mind of hers, a plot of revenge was slowly developing.

(Later that day…)

Carrie started toward the window in class, not paying much attention to the course. Yet she couldn't remove the smile that was growing on her face. On one hand, she was getting the knack of her newfound gift performing some as simple as making a ghost. On the other hand, a group of kids and one mysterious teenage boy all wanted to extend a hand of friendship toward her without reason to judge her. As if for the first in a while, she suddenly felt the way almost every other student felt when they're surrounded by friends. Seemed perhaps things were slowly starting to look up. That the English Teacher: Ulmann.

"All right, who's next?" Mr. Ulmann the teacher spoke. "Uh, Carrie."

Soon as her name was called, Carrie looked up to face the teacher.

"Favorite poem. Did you bring one?" Mr. Ulmann asked in concern.

All the kids turned toward her, several of them laughed. The only ones not laughing were Trevor and Sue, who had taken seats along the back of the class to keep tabs over Carrie. To even suggest that Carrie was nervous was without question an understatement.

"Yeah." Carrie murmured.

"Why don't you come to the front of the class and share it with us all?" Mr. Ulmann asked in concern.

Carrie slowly got up from her seat and cautiously made her way down toward the front of the class. Trevor, and Sue whose desks are next to Carrie's, could see how uncomfortable she appeared to be. The other students quietly snickered as she approached the front. Soon as she stood at the front of the room, facing the entire class, she kept her eyes on her book and read her poem of choice.

"'This unfrequented place to find some ease, ease to the body some, none to the mind. Times past, and what once I was and what am now o wherefore was my birth from Heaven foretold. Twice by an Angel, who at last in sight of both my parents all in flames... ascended.'" Carrie replied.

"Uh... did you get that?" Trevor whispered to Sue.

"Do I look like a poet to you?" Sue whispered harshly.

"Okay, uh, that was, uh..." Mr. Ulmann stammered. "Disturbing."

The other kids laughed, especially Tina, who clearly had Mr. Ulmann's ear. Trevor, sitting between the students, merely glared toward Mr. Ulmann angrily.

"This is the most you've said all year." Mr. Ulmann continued. "Is there anything else you wanna add or are you done scaring us for the day?"

"Asshole." Trevor muttered, under his breath.

The other students turned and gasped toward him. There was no doubt everyone heard him, especially the teacher.

"Excuse me…" Mr. Ulmann replied.

"It's Trevor." Trevor replied.

"Excuse me, Trevor." Mr. Ulmann spoke up. "Did you say something?"

I said, 'Awesome.'" Trevor lied. "I just thought what Carrie read was awesome. Didn't you, Mr. Ulmann?"

Carrie hurried back to her desk, trying to avoid further trouble.

"All right, who's next?" Mr. Ulmann asked, looking around. "Uh… Nicki. I mean, Lizzy."

Carrie sat back down, keeping her head as low as possible. She pushed some hair in front of her face hoping to stay hidden. She peeked over toward Trevor, who just smiled at her with an assuring wink. Sue and his boyfriend: Tommy Ross spotted this right away, immediately realizing what was going on.

"Tommy." Sue replied.

"Sue." Tommy spoke up. "I think Carrie has a crush on that boy."

"No." Sue replied.

"I reckon so." Tommy nodded. "He's got a name?"

"I did hear someone speak to his name in passing." Sue confirmed. "Trevor."

"What is his last name?" Tommy asked in concern, as he turned his head to Sue.

"I don't know. It's been a really weird day." Sue replied.

"Weird." Tommy replied.

"I met Trevor. His grandfather died." Sue replied.

"The Dirt Farmer?" Tommy asked in concern.

"Yeah." Sue replied.

"Serial killer." Tommy replied.

"No, he had a heart attack." Sue replied.

"Oh, boy. Too bad." Tommy replied.

"Yeah." Sue replied.

(Later at the Dress shop…)

In the back room of a dress shop, Carrie's mother: Margaret White sits at the sewing machine deep in her work. A customer's voice was heard yet Margaret chose to ignore the voice. Unfortunately for her, that approach would not last for long.

"Is anyone working?" a voice came.

Looking up from the sewing machine, Margaret spotted a woman at the front desk. A rather anxious customer ringing the service bell.

"Excuse me." The customer called out. "ls anybody working?"

Margaret focused on the sewing machine. In the woman's ears, the machine was as loud as a revving engine. She fed the dress into the machine, almost catching her finger in it. Finally, she stopped the machine, and cut the loose thread with her scissors. Clearly, she wanted no interaction with anyone but because it was part of the job Margaret had little choice.

She approached the front counter towards the customer. It was none other than Sue's mother: Eleanor Snell. She's dressed in a blue sleeveless top, which made Margaret uncomfortable. Especially since it showed off the woman's skin and therefore it is 'sinful' in her eyes.

"Oh, Margaret." Eleanor gasped. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I don't know where Hugo and Gloria…"

"Can I help you, Mrs. Snell?" Margaret asked in concern.

Judging by the tone in her voice, Margaret wanted nothing more than to have this conversation over with as soon as possible.

"Yes, it's' Eleanor, I'm picking up." Eleanor spoke nervously.

Margaret looked toward Eleanor's ticket then went to seek out Eleanor's clothes. The awkwardness and tension hanging in the air was nothing short of palpable. But eventually, Margaret returned with the dress for Eleanor.

"Margaret, I want to say how sorry I am about what happened at the school." Eleanor apologized. "There's no excuse for what Sue did, but she's a good girl."

"Are any of those girls good?" Margaret asked rhetorically.

Eleanor handed her the money, creeped out by Margaret's words. Margaret put the money inside the register, and Eleanor looked over the dress, very pleased.

"Oh, that is beautiful work, Margaret. Thank you." Eleanor replied.

Margaret listened to Eleanor's praise, in barely-contained anxiety and disgust. She pulled out a pen blade, which she used for work, and held it down by her side.

"I love what you've done with the neckline. And the stitches." Eleanor continued, oblivious. "You can barely see them. So few people can sew like this anymore. I could never do anything like this myself."

Margaret's anxiety grew worse with each word spilled out from Eleanor. She pulled up part of her skirt and started scratching at her leg. Eleanor's words grew louder, ringing in her head, so badly she started cutting herself with the pen blade. In Margaret's eyes, this mother encouraged her daughter's sexual sins instead of protecting her the way she does with Carrie. The woman looked as if she could burst into tears or scream at the worst possible moment.

"Sue's going to look beautiful." Eleanor spoke, admirably. "I am so excited for her. I remember my prom. Anyway, she's going to love it."

"These are Godless times, Eleanor." Margaret muttered.

Eleanor frowned with confusion, uncertain of how to take that response. Margaret merely allowed her skirt to fall and walked away, shaking her head in pity over Eleanor's 'sinfulness'.

(Later at Principal Morton's office…)

At Principal Morton's office, Chris along with her lawyer father: John Hargensen, sat at Morton's desk. Rita stood behind them, frowning with disappointment over Chris's attempt at playing the 'wounded party'.

"This gym teacher was running Chrissie into the ground and used profanity." John argued. "I believe the term "shitty" was used."

"You're right, Daddy." Chris agreed. "That's what she said. "Shitty." She's really abusive."

"Ms. Desjardin was reprimanded for what happened in class today." Morton reassured. "But you know we've had a lot of problems with your daughter in the past. And now, with what she did to her classmate, Carrie White. The girl was having her... what your daughter and her posse..."

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to half-truths." John interjected. "I know my daughter. She said she didn't do it. I want her prom privileges restored."

Chris could barely suppress a smug smile.

"You can't prove she did anything, can you?" John concluded.

"Well, I believe that there is a video of the incident." Rita pointed out. "Your daughter is the one who took it."

Chris frowned, realizing the video was still on her phone. John looked toward Chris; he didn't know about the video. Rita and Morton had the upper hand.

"I think a video like that would probably be pretty damning to anyone in it and to the person who made it." Rita continued. "Don't you, Mr. Hargensen? I don't know. I'm just a gym teacher, but it seems like a video like that would probably affect college admissions, possibly a lawsuit, tons of bad publicity. I wonder what The Today Show would do with a video like that."

It was in that moment that Chris realized... she really screwed up.

"I think we should just look at her phone and if it's not there, I owe you a huge apology and she should be allowed to go to prom." Rita smirked.

John slowly turned toward his daughter.

"Chris." John replied.

Morton held out his hand for her phone.

"Chris." John urged.

"Daddy, I'm not going to give them my phone." Chris laughed. "I have personal things on here. Isn't that invasion of privacy or something?"

"Chrissie, if you want to go to prom, just give them the damn phone and we can be done with this." John spoke impatiently. "I have to get back to work."

"Dad." Chris replied.

"God damn it, just give them your phone, Chris." John snapped, taking her arm.

"No." Chris replied.

*RING!*

Chris pulled her arm away from her father and stormed out of the office as soon as the school bell rang. But it was all for naught, the reality sunk in like an anchor out at sea. There was no denying it now... Chris was not going to the prom.

To Be Continued…