One of the Boys

"Lydia Sanders."

I picked my head up from the desk, Mr. Davis stopping the lesson to hear the announcement.

"Please report to the principal's office," the loudspeaker finished, shutting off with a soft click. There was a chorus of "oooh" around me. Snickers errupted from the back of the classroom as Mr. Davis slammed a ruler into the desk, demanding silence.

"Quiet, maggots," he snarled, his old football coaching ways coloring his tone. "Lydia, you're free to go."

I merely nodded in response, gathering my few notebooks and heading out of the classroom. I could only imagine what it was that they wanted now. Was my name linked to a hit list found floating along the hallways? It wouldn’t be the first time, only I knew that this time around I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I had not gotten into any fights recently, nor had I talked shit about anyone. So what was their problem with me now?

The giant glass door to the main office would certainly seem intimidating to someone who could do no harm, but to me, it was just a door. One that you walked through to get somewhere else and one that could easily be shattered with the toss of a rock.

Shows how many times I walked through it, huh?

Sitting at the front desk was Mrs. Archer, her long, bony fingers tapping away at the keyboard. She didn't even look up to acknowledge my presence.

"You know where to go," she directed, her finger pointing in the direction of Mr. Ortega's office before continuing her typing spree. I decided to leave my smartass comments to myself.

Upon walking in, I noticed that Mr. Ortega looked disappointed in seeing me here again. I took a seat in the middle of the black leather sofa and snagged a Hershey Kiss out of the glass dish perched on his desk.

"So, what am I being jailed for now, Mike?" I asked. I smiled a bit at the pinch of disgust on his lips, then reached out to snag yet another candy.

"I really wish you knew what respect was," he stated.

"Yeah, well, my momma wasn't exactly the best teacher," I retorted.

"I've noticed, Miss Sanders," he said. "Anyway, do you have any idea why you are in here today?"

"Nope. So why don't you just tell me so I can get back to my sleep and deal with the consequences of detention later?"

"Lydia, I'm afraid that the problem this time may be more than what you think."

I popped another Hershey Kiss into my mouth, rolling the wrappers up together and tossing them onto the floor.

"Cut to the chase," I said, snagging another chocolate from the dish.

"You need severe discipline, young lady," he contniued, his eyes beaming with annoyance. "Apparently what we have given you so far has gotten you no where."

I nodded, not even paying attention. My hand swept out to grab my fourth Hershey Kiss when Mr. Ortega slammed the glass lid onto the dish. My hand shot back and I jumped, startled by his action.

"Lydia, you're being expelled."

If there had been candy in my mouth, it would have ended up on his face.