Part III: Faces
"Fuck off, Beth." I dug my finger in my ear, eyebrows knitted in an irked expression.
Beth ground her fists into her hips, indignant, surprised, and annoyed altogether. But, really, how did she think I'd answer when she came up first thing in the morning, greeting me with a hearty, "Hey, there, bitch!"
How she could manage to gather so much energy that early was beyond me. But it was lucky just the same - Nessa was running late from a doctor's appointment and to be honest, I didn't want her to be around Beth anymore. It was well-known what a crazy bitch she was, and now that I'd managed to be the only one in school with the balls to set her off, I couldn't be sure
what she'd do.
A skirt fell into my view for seconds before Beth's face dropped in front of me, having taken the seat that was normally Nessa's. She crossed her arms on the back of the chair, smiling impishly, and
really etching into my thin layer of patience.
"Maybe I wasn't clear enough yesterday," she said. "I would be a little more cautious if I were you. You don't know who I might let this slip to."
I crossed my legs over my desk, one thump of a shoe after the other.
"You can tell yo momma," I spat, "Fuck if I care."
Beth frowned as Nessa stepped into the room, pausing at the front to chat with Henrietta. The two looked good together - both the sweetest and most innocent lesbians in the class. Unfortunately, it also made for a relationship that moved like snails.
"Jeez, not even blackmail gets ya, does it?" Beth sighed.
"I just realized what little fucks I give."
"C'mon, throw me a bone, A.J., tell me what scares ya!"
She nudged my arm which I drew back in an instant, annoyed by her friendly act as she said such things.
"The real question is, why the hell do you want dirt on me in the first place?"
"Hey, Beth, A.J." Felicia Anderson waved nervously as she approached us. Being the principal's messenger girl, she was very well the most hated student throughout school, yet, the most feared, as she alone had the key to everyone's dirt.
For that reason, she was also pretty popular around the gossip mill as well as with those who had a lot to hide. You'd always find students offering her favors in exchange for spilled info or locked lips. Even Beth was in the habit of slipping her a bribe every now and again when she was low on material.
I nodded in acknowledgment as she approached my table. "Hey, Felicia. What's up?"
"Well, nothing quite so good...Mr. Gregory wanted me to hand this to you, he wants to see you and Beth in his office right away."
She slipped me a paper that looked a lot like our usual detention slips, except it was yellow. Though face-down, I could see red ink bleed through the back of the paper, NOITAGITSEVNI. I flipped it over.
Alice Jeanette Santos
Is to report immediately to the principal's office for INVESTIGATION under federal law.
"I saw cops." Felicia tugged on her tie and loosened her collar.
I stood up. "Well," I said smugly with a glance at Beth, "Looks like your 'evidence' is useless now."
Beth followed suit, a disappointed look about her face as she probably realized, just as well as I did, that Ms. Thompson went ahead and ratted us out.