Chapter 35: The School Apologize
"Yo bitch, you have a problem or something? You can’t just be doing all this shit..."
My voice bounced lightly off the walls. The room swallowed the sound quickly. The tablet stayed quiet for half a second.
"Okay, you are in class. 3 minutes before the next class begins, so I have one last thing to show you."
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
I can’t believe she is not going to listen to me, and what the fuck does she want to show me?
Before my mind could process anything, the big screen turned on and before me were the students. I don’t know how many, but they covered the screen.
My shoulders stiffened.
They stood close together, filling the whole screen. Some half turned. Some looking straight ahead.
"What am I looking at? Another orientation again?"
My eyes moved across the faces.
"Just listen to what they have to say, will you?"
I crossed my arms without thinking.
I stared at the big screen watching what was happening. There was total silence, then all at the same time they apologized. They said the words, "We are sorry, Faye Grande. We should have never said those hurtful words. We are truly sorry from the bottom of our hearts and we will get punished for such. We are going to be in detention until the term ends. We hope you forgive us all."
Their voices blended together. Too smooth and practiced. A few of them blinked too slowly. One boy scratched his neck while talking. Another girl kept glancing sideways like she was reading from something off screen.
They all ended it with shining teeth that looked forced. Then the TV went blank.
The silence rushed back into the room.
I stood there staring at my reflection on the dark screen.
"See, I already fixed it. They will never whisper bad words again unless they prefer to be expelled," Princess said from the tablet.
Her voice sounded satisfied.
"Did you force them to do that?"
"I did not force them. I made them do the video."
Fucking the same thing. I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I have to go. I have class. Bye." She said.
And with that the tablet went blank. The screen went dark. No voice. No movement. Just quiet again.
I can’t believe she made the whole school do that. Wow. In just a day.
My jaw tightened. I dropped the new phone back into the paper bag. I just couldn’t take it. It’s enough I already have one from her, but I am not going to let her act like this. It’s feeling weird and I don’t want to feel this weird.
My fingers lingered on the edge of the bag before letting go.
Just because I am having her pups doesn’t mean she has to give me this kind of special treatment. I want to relate with other students, not be set aside and treated like the odd one. It will cause more stares and jealousy.
I leaned back into the couch and let out a slow breath. The room stayed quiet for a while. Then the screen turned on again. It was Economics class.
The teacher appeared on the screen already talking like the lesson had started somewhere else.
I pulled my notebook closer, settled properly to listen and write.
The hours moved slowly. The screen changed subjects. Voices came and went. Teachers explained things. Numbers filled the board. I copied them down without thinking much about them.
Every now and then I shifted on the couch.
The room never changed. No footsteps in the hallway. No whispers. No laughter from nearby desks.
Just the screen and my pen moving across paper.
After spending the whole day in the private classroom, it was finally time to go home.
The screen turned off. The room went quiet again.
I packed my notebook into my bag and stood up, stretching my arms a little.
On my way out I noticed some people in their classrooms. They were in detention. The hallway lights were still on.
Through the open doors I could see them sitting inside. Heads down. Some leaning over desks. Some writing. One of them looked up when I passed. Then quickly looked back down.
I walked out of the school premises hoping I wouldn’t bump into anyone and somehow become the guilty one.
The air outside felt different. Cooler. More open. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and started walking.
"Hey freshwolf."
I stopped.
I turned to see Malo leaning on the wall outside the school premises, backing his bag and holding a donut box.
His posture was lazy like he had been standing there for a while.
"Donut?"
He forwarded his hand, offering me the box.
The lid was slightly open. I could smell the sugar before I even looked inside.
I collected it from him. The box felt warm.
"Does this mean you have forgiven me?" I asked.
He shrugged slightly.
"For what?"
"You losing your job and a limping.. you know leg."
"Oh, that."
He waved one hand lightly.
"I haven’t forgotten about that, but I need your assistance. I want you to ask Princess to give me back my job."
I blinked.
"Fucking say what?"
My grip on the donut box tightened.
I couldn’t believe it. So this was why he had been waiting for me to come out, so he could use me to get his job back.
I pushed the donut box back to him.
"I need my job back. I don’t want to be some nurse. I need money and Princess is the only person that gives me high pay."
"Why don’t you go beg for your job yourself?"
He sighed loudly.
"Because I have tried. All weekend, even today, I have been sending apologies. I sent messages, emojis, voice notes begging for my job, but she didn’t even open the messages I sent. Then she blocked me," he said.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Then what makes you think that she will listen to me, huh?"
"Well, you are having her pups. She will do whatever you want her to."
He leaned a little closer.
"If you just do me this little favor, I promise I will never ask for any favors again and I will begin the process of forgiveness..."
I stared at him as he talked.
His eyes kept watching my face like he was trying to read my reaction.
I am already thinking of ways to stop Princess from this special treatment she has been giving me since Saturday, and here he is wanting me to go and become some... I don’t even know what to call it.
A messenger? A negotiator? A beggar?
"Look here, Malo. I can do any other thing for you to get your job back, because I believe it’s my fault, but I will never ask Princess for anything. I am not that kind of person. I am not some gold-digging exploiter."
He frowned slightly.
"Faye, I am not asking you to exploit her. Just ask for my job back. It’s simple."
"It’s not simple to me. I have limits, okay?"
My voice came out firmer than before.
I said, making sure he held the donut box before turning away.
I stepped past him.
The pavement crunched lightly under my shoes.
I left him there. I didn’t turn back.
I don’t like it when someone puts pressure on me.
