Asked to Compromise

“I wanna know what your problem is,” I stormed into Haner’s classroom the next day after school, slamming the door behind me.

“You’re well enough to come in here but not attend class,” Haner said without even glancing up from his laptop.

I stood there, glaring at him and breathing deeply. I so wished I could grab him by his spiked hair and bash his face into the desk. He had no clue who he was messing with.

“I just want to talk to you,” I said through gritted teeth. My throat still felt dry even after sucking on multiple throat lozenges.

He shut his laptop and turned his chair to look at me. “Listen, I--”

“No, you listen to me,” I snapped, wincing when my voice got too high. “I don’t appreciate you coming into my room and blowing up on me with some bullshit on how I need to grow up and that I need help. I doubt you guys care about any of us so don’t come to me telling me you do. You don’t know me or my life; you don’t know anything about me except what came in that folder when I got here. You don’t know my friends either, so don’t act like you know what they’re about….Why don’t you just do us both a favor and leave me alone until I can get out of here.”

I swallowed the knives in my throat after my mini rant and took another deep breath. I just wished that he and everyone else around here would leave me alone.

“You know what, you’re right,” He said, standing up from his chair. He stood in front of me, looking down at me. “We don’t know anything about you, so why don’t you fill us in. Tell me why you are the way you are and how we can help you because that’s what we’re here for.”

“You don’t deserve to know anything about me,” I spat, narrowing my eyes at him.

There were two quick knocks on the door before it swung open. Haner looked over my shoulder at the person as I turned around to see who was there also.

“Everything alright?” Mr. Sullivan asked, looking between the two of us.

“Everything’s fine, Jimmy,” Haner said forcefully. “Priscilla was just leaving.”

I rolled my eyes, walking towards Sullivan standing by the door.

“Hope you’re feeling better, ‘Cilla,” He tried to give a polite smile as I walked past him through the door.

“Yeah,” I muttered, just to acknowledge him.

-

“Hey, don’t cough all over my food,” Eric yelled, covering his tacos with one hand and swatting the air with the other.

“I’m nowhere near your food,” I said, coughing into the crook of my arm again. “Although, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pass this onto someone else.”

“Uh uh, you cannot get me sick,” Kelly shook her head, taking a breath and puffing her cheeks. “I will not breathe your air.”

“It’s just a cold, none of you are going to die,” I said, rolling my eyes at their immaturity. My voice was sore and nasally now that my stuffy nose returned.

“Yeah, well, you better get over it by Saturday,” Allie said, biting into her sandwich.

“What’s Saturday?” I asked, looking at the three of them.

“We’re going out. I just want to get into a little mess,” Allie smirked. “And, you have to come with us because you haven’t been out since that fight.”

“I will, if I’m feeling okay,” I agreed, slurping my chicken and vegetable broth.

I didn’t want to ask what type of mess she was planning on getting into, but I knew I’d probably like it.