Maria's School

It was the first day of school, I was slightly nervous, but I'd done it twice before. I pick the shoe colors of the day and posted it outside in the courtyard. I went to the school and walked up and down the halls, looking in each classroom. The last classroom I entered I found my boyfriend, Roger Waterman, sitting at his desk. He is a former student of Maria Prep, and now he is a history teacher. He's only 23, I am 16 almost 17. I met him last year when he was a student teacher.

"Hi Maria, are you ready for the first day of school?" He asked.

"I guess; I've practiced my speech a few times." I replied. "Do you want to read it?" I handed him the paper and he began reading it.

"You may want to change this sentence; it sounds like you own the students." He suggested.

I took the paper back and made some last minute changes.

"The first bell is going to ring in a few minutes." I said wrapping my arms around his neck. "I'd better leave." I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

I was walking to my office as the first bell rang. I didn't want to see the new students yet; I hadn't prepared myself for the new school year at all. I hid in my office and waited for the second bell. When it rang I looked out to see hundreds of students swarming the halls, socializing, talking with friends, something I never did. There was something every student here had and I was jealous of them all for it. They had parents.

I opened my office door and left my safe zone and entered the chaos of student life. I looked for someone to talk to. Then I spotted a girl with bright red copper hair. There was no one around her and I assumed she was a freshman by the way she looked at the paintings and murals on the walls. I decided she was safe and approached her.

"Hi, I'm Maria." I said shaking her hand.

"Hi I'm Anna." She said.

"I like the color of your hair." I lied, I hate red hair. "I was thinking of dying my hair." I lied again; I would never dye my beautiful blonde hair. I said something about dying my hair so she would stop staring at me. As I looked down at my watch I noticed one of her shoes wasn't tied correctly and the buttons on her cardigan didn't line up. "I got to go, but maybe I'll see you later at the assembly." I hoped I would never see her again. She had this crazy stalker vibe that made me question how she got into a prestigious school like Maria Prep.

I walked back to my office and waited for the last bell to ring. The teachers were waiting in the conference room for me to give my beginning of year speech, apparently a tradition my parents had started. I entered and they all sat down.

"Good morning." I said. "This year is my fourth year as principal and owner of Maria Prep. I am glad to say that this year is going to be great, we have made so many changes and I am eager to see the results. I hope you all have a magnificent day and I'll see you later at the assembly." I turned and left the room. I returned to my office and watched the teachers depart for their classrooms. I pressed the 'On' button on the intercom and said into the microphone, "Good morning and welcome to Maria Prep. We have an assembly after lunch today and I expect to see you all there."

I got up and went to my first class, math. As I entered the classroom and sat in the last row, I noticed a particular redhead sitting in the second row next to Mark Wain. What an exciting class this is going to be, not only do I have to listen to Mr. Smith and his boring monotone voice, but now I have Anna in my class and I have to look at the back of her messy, disheveled, flaming red hair.

Shortly before class got out I left and went back to my office where I waited until the last bell rang and everyone was in their next class. As I walked to my second class, Chemistry, I prayed that Anna wouldn't be in it. To my great relief, she wasn't. I again sat unnoticed in the back.

During lunch I stayed in my office. I went to the back of my office and opened the secret door that led to the old school. I visited my parents' old classrooms. I left through the hall entrance; I figured everyone was at lunch. I looked around in the hall and saw the person I least wanted to see: Anna. I pretended I didn't see her and that what I was doing was normal. I quickly walked away.

A few minutes later I was walking with Mrs. Bradford, the crazy French teacher, when I saw her again. She was just standing in the hall staring at the door. What is wrong with her, I thought. I ended my conversation abruptly and went to see Roger.

"She's crazy, probably escaped from a mental institute." I complained to him. "How did she even get into a school like this?"

"Maybe she stole someone's identity." Roger said laughing.

"Probably not, she's really stupid." I replied. "I don't want her here. She'll ruin the already falling reputation of Maria Prep."

"I have her after lunch." Roger said.

"That's great! We can get her expelled or something." I was getting an idea that might work. "We need to find out everything about her. I want Anna expelled. I should probably get ready for the assembly." I kissed him and left. As I turned around, I saw a flash of red hair in the window.

I was furious, that girl is stalking me. I entered the nearest classroom and waited until my feelings of hatred and anger for Anna passed. I opened the door to see her looking in the window. I approached her and struggled not to punch her.

She turned around and I said, "Hi Anna."

"This is my next class," She explained. "I was just wondering why there was no one there."

"They're still at lunch. We have an assembly after lunch." I explained to her as if I was talking to a two-year-old. What an idiot, I thought as I walked off. We have a schedule that clearly says that lunch ends at 1:00 and it has been said numerous times that there is an assembly after lunch. I entered the auditorium. I sat in the middle; in the seat I always sit in, and read over my speech.

A few minutes later, Anna walked in and stood there staring at me.

"Hi." I said, hoping she would not respond. When she didn't I said, "You can sit with me if you'd like." I didn't want her too, but I couldn't just let her stand there. I figured I'd be able to find my seat after my speech if I was sitting next to a giant red highlighter. She walked up the stairs and sat down and said thank you. A few minutes later the bell rang and the rest of the students joined.

I got up on stage and went to the podium and gave my speech about the new school year. Several people threw paper at me, and one hit me right in the face. It didn't bother me, though, it has happened many times before. I'm glad it was just paper this time. As I sat down and Mrs. Henderson got up to say something, I got an idea. I turned to Anna and told her about my 'spies' and asked her if she wanted to join them. I thought I'd use reverse psychology, if I 'wanted' to be around her, she would eventually leave me alone.

The rest of the day I came up with a brilliant plan to remove Anna from my school. I was actually excited to see her at the meeting after school. I was planning to give her a 'special assignment' that would somehow go wrong. I, as the principal, have the power to expel anyone, but I need a legitimate reason or I could, and probably would, be sued.

A week later I had organized a plot to have Anna expelled. I arrived to math class a little early so I could explain it to her.

"How do you like our secret group?" I asked her.

"It's fine." She replied.

"Have you found anything?" I asked.

"No, nothing other than that note, which turned out to be fake." She had found a note that said 'Die Maria'. It looked like she'd written it herself just so she could get attention.

"Well, I have a special project and it needs to be executed by only my most talented and secretive spy. I am going to send you on a mission that could change the school." I paused, not sure if I wanted to go through with this. "Can you meet me in my office during lunch?"

"Yes." she replied.

At lunch I was sitting in my office waiting for her. I was seated in my chair facing the other way so I could not see her. I turned around to face her and said, "Have a seat." I got up and closed the door and the shades. The room was dark and only lit by a dim lamp on my desk. I was standing behind her in the dark sorting through some papers. After a few deep breaths I assured myself I was ready to talk to her about my parents' deaths. I needed to connect with her, make us seem like friends, and she had grown up with her grandmother after her parents left her.

"I believe you are familiar with the story of the assassinations of my parents. They were murdered, here, in this school. The assassin was a boy who hated my parents. He was not doing well in school and he blamed it on them. He shot them both twice, first my father, then my mother. He had been planning this attack for several weeks and about 25 other students knew about it. All of them were expelled. It was too bad, one of them was the captain of the boy's varsity soccer team, another was president of the chess club, and most of them were honor students. It was a great loss to Maria Prep." This was when I started lying. "Rumors have been going around that there is going to be an attempted murder on me. I want you to find the assassin before he, or she, kills me."

There was a long pause as I looked straight into her eyes to make her think I was serious. "Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Good, here is what I have found out, I have a few suspects and I want you to talk to them, look for anything out of the ordinary. I need you to find the gun." I handed her a folder and sat down. "If you have any questions you can talk to me in private. You can go now."

The folder contained a few pictures of the 'suspects' (mostly my friends who were willing to go along with this) and instructions of how to find them. My friend Mark agreed to be the fake subject and invite her over to study with some friends.

I hid a gun in my Mark's room in an obvious spot, in the top drawer of his dresser under a shirt. He told me she was going to come over this Saturday, so a waited in my office for her.

Around 1:30, she came into my office carrying a sweater. She pulled a gun out of her sweater. I pressed the security button under my desk and watched her face melt in horror as the alarm went off and the police came in.

"Put the gun down." One of the officers said.

"But, she asked me to-"She said.

"No she did not ask you to point a gun at her." He said. "Put the gun down."

She put the gun on my desk and the police took her by the arm.

"Anna, you are expelled for pointing a gun at an administrator. You will not go to jail, but you will leave Maria Prep. Good bye." I stood up and left, smiling.

And that is how I got rid of Anna, the annoying redhead.