Getting Physical
untitled
"Miss Walters," The principal with the bad comb over begins and I look at the spots of Alissa's blood on my not so skinny, skinny jeans.
I look up and meet his eye. "Yes sir?"
"You do understand that we had to have Miss Monroe Ambulanced off of school grounds, don't you?"
I don't meet his eye and instead, stare at his comb over.
He really needs to get that taken care of.
I look up and meet his eye. "Yes sir?"
"You do understand that we had to have Miss Monroe Ambulanced off of school grounds, don't you?"
I don't meet his eye and instead, stare at his comb over.
He really needs to get that taken care of.
"Huh?" I asked, this time less polite.
"You're not taking any of this seriously! Where has this come from, Alyssa?" his eyes watched me, and they were filled with remorse.
Well, he could just be sorry for himself. I had told him about the bullying, teachers all over the school knew about it, and he hadn't done a damn thing to handle it.
So I had to.
I had to...
But I couldn't tell him that.
"Don't ask me." I shrugged non-cholantly.
The door ceaked open slowly and the perky blonde from the receptionists desk popped her head in.
"Her mother's here." She glanced at me and then back at the principal.
I looked at him as he sighed.
"Send her in."
I swallowed the none-existant spit in my mouth and stood up as my mother came clopping into the room.
Mama, who was usually perfectly manicured, a Barbie doll, stood there in a pair of Keds, her hair thrown back into a pony tail, and some mascara that you could tell she put on in the car.
" 'Lissa, are you alright?" Her voice was higher than usual and I flinched back.
"I'm alright." I said in a huff.
"Then--"
The principal cleared his throat and I knew suddenly that Mama wasn't going to hear my story first.
"Who're you?" She asked in her pissy tone, no hint of her stupid southern belle act.
I tried not to laugh.
"I'm Principal Johnson." He said as he puffed out his chest.
I rolled my eyes and Mama made a sort of snorting sound.
Looking at her, I realized she was trying not to laugh.
"You're the Principal?" she asked as she looked at me.
I shrugged.
"Yes, Ma'am." he sat down and ran his hand over his comb over.
She and I both flinched and I could see her mind working.
She thought it needed to be fixed, too.
"What happened?" Mama asked as she plopped into a chair beside me.
The Principal made a face as he cleared his throat.
"Your daughter sent a young woman to the hospital today."
This time Mama did laugh.
And hard.
Then, looking at the man, she stopped.
"Oh. You're serious?" she looked at me, and I shrugged again. "Damn." she muttered, "Well, what'd she do?"
The Principal cleared his throat again and looked at me. "Would you like to tell her?"
I shrugged. "Nope."
Mama snickered and the Principal shot us both a disapproving look.
"She beat Alissa Monroe into unconsiousness this afternoon."
Mama looked at me and I nodded as I shrugged.
"Is she dead?" Mama asked bluntly.
The Principal's eyes got wide, and then he cleared his throat.
I groaned.
"No, she's not..dead."
"Well, then is Alyssa like--getting SAC or something? You know, in school suspension or whatever."
I thought she'd take it worse than this, but she was actually smiling.
Who woulda thought?
"If Miss Monroe's mother would like to press charges, then Alissa could face criminal assault."
My jaw dropped.
"You're fucking with me, right?" I asked aloud.
He glared at me.
"No, young lady, I am more certainly not. What you did today was against the law."
I laughed this time and Mama looked down at her hands.
"Alyssa Monroe beats the hell out of me every day. She and her little groopies, that is, and I'm the one that's getting it?"
He nodded and I stood up.
"Fuck you."
Mama made a gasping noise as she stood up alongside me.
I stormed out, heading for the car.
"Um...what she said." I heard Mama say behind me, and then the snap of her Keds followed me.
------------_________-----------
My head was pounding and I wanted to kill somebody.
Maybe I already had, but that didn't seem to matter anymore.
I just wanted to kill someone.
"Alyssa!" Mama's voice called behind me, "Alyssa, wait!"
"If I stop now, it's not gonna end well, for you or for me. So just leave me alone."
I look up and meet his eye. "Yes sir?"
"You do understand that we had to have Miss Monroe Ambulanced off of school grounds, don't you?"
I don't meet his eye and instead, stare at his comb over.
He really needs to get that taken care of.
I look up and meet his eye. "Yes sir?"
"You do understand that we had to have Miss Monroe Ambulanced off of school grounds, don't you?"
I don't meet his eye and instead, stare at his comb over.
He really needs to get that taken care of.
"Huh?" I asked, this time less polite.
"You're not taking any of this seriously! Where has this come from, Alyssa?" his eyes watched me, and they were filled with remorse.
Well, he could just be sorry for himself. I had told him about the bullying, teachers all over the school knew about it, and he hadn't done a damn thing to handle it.
So I had to.
I had to...
But I couldn't tell him that.
"Don't ask me." I shrugged non-cholantly.
The door ceaked open slowly and the perky blonde from the receptionists desk popped her head in.
"Her mother's here." She glanced at me and then back at the principal.
I looked at him as he sighed.
"Send her in."
I swallowed the none-existant spit in my mouth and stood up as my mother came clopping into the room.
Mama, who was usually perfectly manicured, a Barbie doll, stood there in a pair of Keds, her hair thrown back into a pony tail, and some mascara that you could tell she put on in the car.
" 'Lissa, are you alright?" Her voice was higher than usual and I flinched back.
"I'm alright." I said in a huff.
"Then--"
The principal cleared his throat and I knew suddenly that Mama wasn't going to hear my story first.
"Who're you?" She asked in her pissy tone, no hint of her stupid southern belle act.
I tried not to laugh.
"I'm Principal Johnson." He said as he puffed out his chest.
I rolled my eyes and Mama made a sort of snorting sound.
Looking at her, I realized she was trying not to laugh.
"You're the Principal?" she asked as she looked at me.
I shrugged.
"Yes, Ma'am." he sat down and ran his hand over his comb over.
She and I both flinched and I could see her mind working.
She thought it needed to be fixed, too.
"What happened?" Mama asked as she plopped into a chair beside me.
The Principal made a face as he cleared his throat.
"Your daughter sent a young woman to the hospital today."
This time Mama did laugh.
And hard.
Then, looking at the man, she stopped.
"Oh. You're serious?" she looked at me, and I shrugged again. "Damn." she muttered, "Well, what'd she do?"
The Principal cleared his throat again and looked at me. "Would you like to tell her?"
I shrugged. "Nope."
Mama snickered and the Principal shot us both a disapproving look.
"She beat Alissa Monroe into unconsiousness this afternoon."
Mama looked at me and I nodded as I shrugged.
"Is she dead?" Mama asked bluntly.
The Principal's eyes got wide, and then he cleared his throat.
I groaned.
"No, she's not..dead."
"Well, then is Alyssa like--getting SAC or something? You know, in school suspension or whatever."
I thought she'd take it worse than this, but she was actually smiling.
Who woulda thought?
"If Miss Monroe's mother would like to press charges, then Alissa could face criminal assault."
My jaw dropped.
"You're fucking with me, right?" I asked aloud.
He glared at me.
"No, young lady, I am more certainly not. What you did today was against the law."
I laughed this time and Mama looked down at her hands.
"Alyssa Monroe beats the hell out of me every day. She and her little groopies, that is, and I'm the one that's getting it?"
He nodded and I stood up.
"Fuck you."
Mama made a gasping noise as she stood up alongside me.
I stormed out, heading for the car.
"Um...what she said." I heard Mama say behind me, and then the snap of her Keds followed me.
------------_________-----------
My head was pounding and I wanted to kill somebody.
Maybe I already had, but that didn't seem to matter anymore.
I just wanted to kill someone.
"Alyssa!" Mama's voice called behind me, "Alyssa, wait!"
"If I stop now, it's not gonna end well, for you or for me. So just leave me alone."