Chapter 5: Hard Time
As June ran off to the Dean's office, April G prepared for her cooking class. The pink-haired girl walked to her table only to be pelted by wads of paper from behind.
"What the hell?" April G said as she turned around. In her frustration, she found Roxy and a few girls whistling while looking away.
"I hate that bitch," April G muttered as she prepared her cooking kit.
"You okay?" Jerome asked as he walked up to her.
"Define okay."
"I meant the leg. I know you hurt it pretty bad."
"A little better now. But it still kind of hurts."
"Well, if you need to go to the nurse's office, I've got your back," Jerome said, laying his hand on April G's shoulder. Roxy glared with an aggravated demeanor.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and prepare your tools," an Indian middle-aged woman with short hair entered the room.
"Yes, Ms. Beingshi," the class said in unison.
"Today we will be making a double chocolate cake with three layers of raspberry frosting. So, everyone start making your batter."
The class began to take their bowls and pour their ingredients for the mixture.
"Let's see that mulatto bitch dodge this," Roxy said as she grabbed an egg and threw it at April G. The egg splattered on her back, staining her uniform. Roxy and her friends laughed as April G stared at her.
"Ms. Jones, is there something wrong?" Ms. Beingshi asked.
Just as April G was about to tell the teacher the truth, Roxy cleared her throat and toyed around with the pearl necklaces around her neck.
"It's nothing, ma'am," April G lied.
"Very well then," the teacher said. "I will be taking a brief call outside. I expect you all to continue your cooking while I am gone."
The teacher left the room as Jerome walked over to April G with a towel.
"Here," Jerome said.
"Thanks, but you didn't have to," April G said, taking the towel to clean off her back.
"I saw what Roxy did to you. I'm going to talk to—"
Jerome fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach.
"Jerome, are you okay?" April G asked as she helped him up, much to Roxy's dismay.
"Something's up with my stomach. I gotta go."
Jerome sprinted out of the room as April G looked on in confusion.
"Hey, bitch," Roxy said to April G as she pushed her back against the table.
As she caught her balance on the table, April G's left hand was wrapped around a silver spatula.
"What's your problem?" April G demanded.
"My problem is you trying to steal my man," Roxy said.
"I don't want Jerome, and besides, you two broke up."
"I decide when we break up, and I don't appreciate some half-black tramp coming between us."
"I told you, I don't like him that way."
"Yeah, right. I see how you look at him. You think all that pink hair and light skin is going to take him from me?"
"I'm sick of you always saying I'm not black enough. I didn't choose to be mixed," April G scowled.
"Guess you didn't choose this either," Roxy said, grabbing a pot of hot water and throwing it at April G. She recoiled from the splash, her left hand glowing green as she lifted the silver spatula.
In retaliation, April G took the spatula and swatted Roxy across the face. As the metal spatula contacted her face, it shattered into tiny pieces, and particles got into Roxy's eyes.
"Ow!" Roxy cried in pain, rolling on the floor.
"What is going on?" Ms. Beingshi asked as she entered the room.
"April attacked me," Roxy said, still writhing on the floor.
"She hit me first," April G protested.
"Ms. Jones, report to the Dean's office," the teacher yelled.
"But I—"
"Now."
April G ran off as Roxy's friends helped her get on her feet.
"Get her to the nurse's office," Ms. Beingshi instructed.
As Roxy and her friends made their way out of the classroom, Ms. Beingshi kneeled to examine the debris of the spatula.
"I just bought these spatulas last week," the teacher said as she noticed they were rapidly rusting. "What is going on here?"
The school bell rang once more as Madison made her way to the library.
"God, that practice was brutal," she said, carrying her gym bag.
"Ms. Chan," a partly red-haired Irish woman with black glasses and a blue and white dress called out to her.
"Oh, hello, Mrs. Connell."
"Any reason you're carrying that large gym bag in my library?"
"Just had to get to study hall before my favorite books were gone."
"That doesn't explain why you're bringing that bag in the library."
"I didn't have time to leave it in my dorm," Madison said.
"Then maybe you should leave it in the locker room," Mrs. Connell suggested.
"No," Madison yelled.
The second she had her outburst, several books from the other side of the room flew off the shelves, startling the other students.
"What the hell?" Madison asked, standing shocked by the random incident.
"Excuse me, Madison," Mrs. Connell said as she ran to check on the students.
Madison continued to look at the students, all frightened by the incident, as she began to hear strange voices in her head.
What the hell happened? one of the voices said.
"Who said that?" Madison asked, turning around only to see no one there.
I knew this damn school was haunted, another voice echoed through her mind as Madison looked around again. Still, she found no one else was around her.
"I gotta get out of here," Madison muttered, making her way through the library as more voices flooded her mind.
"Maybe there's a ghost here in the school."
"This was probably just a prank by the football players."
"Stop it. Stop it," Madison yelled, pressing her hands against her head.
"No way in hell I'm going to clean this up."
"This school needs an exorcism."
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it," the orange-haired girl uttered as she reached the exit door next to the fire alarm.
"That's why I hate being around kids. No one wants to take responsibility."
The last voice resembled that of the librarian.
"Maybe Coach Lockwood could get them in line. Especially that Chan girl."
"STOP IT!" Madison yelled as her wrist glowed purple and a shockwave branched out of the library, setting off the sprinklers.
The students ran frantically out of the library as Mrs. Connell ran to the fire alarm.
"Madison, report to the Dean's office immediately," the librarian yelled, drenched by the sprinklers.
"Mrs. Connell, I didn't—"
"Now."
Madison rushed out of the library as Mrs. Connell ran to the fire alarm to shut off the sprinklers.
"The alarm was never pulled?" she said, reaching the end of the library. Soon after, the sprinklers shut off, leaving the librarian confused about what caused the sprinklers to go off.
Madison arrived at the Dean's office only to find April G and June waiting on the bench outside the door.
"Looks like all three of us are having a crappy birthday," June said.
"What are you two doing here?" Madison asked.
"I got metal particles in Roxy's eyes," April said.
"That girl who keeps bullying you?"
"Sounds like good payback to me," June said.
"It wasn't like that," April G snapped at her.
"Chill. I wish I could do what you did."
"Why exactly are you here anyway?" April G asked June.
"Veronica lied and said I stole her bracelet," June said.
"I thought you said it was a gift," Madison said.
"So did I until she and her bastard boyfriend set me up."
"Why would they do that?" Madison asked.
"Sounds like he was threatened by you getting too close to his girl," April G added.
"Bingo," June said.
"Wait. Does that mean you're a—" Madison asked.
"Yeah, Chan. Thought that was obvious."
"Took you long enough to catch on," April G snickered.
"So, she set you up?" Madison asked.
"Yeah," June said, hanging her head.
"By the way, your uniform looks damper than mine," April G said.
"The sprinklers went off in the library, and the librarian blamed me because I was closest to the fire alarm," Madison explained.
"So, you didn't set them off?" June asked.
"No. Some type of shockwave knocked them out."
"Shockwave?"
"Yeah. It was weird because right before that, I heard voices in my head."
"Maybe you need to take your prescription," April G suggested.
"I did. This morning."
As the three girls discussed their strange day, Dean Trask opened the door.
"Hello, ladies," the Dean said with a smile.
The girls all stood up to greet him.
"Hello, sir."
"Please come in."
The three girls walked into the Dean's office with a sense of dread masked behind their pleasant smiles. As the door closed, the strange white cat watched from the corner of the hallway.
"Sebastian," the cat said, its eyes glowing mysteriously.
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