Chapter 8: "Science"

Theo stared after Kari with his mouth agape. He was having trouble believing what he had just seen. How could someone so shy and kind be related to that? The principal was apparently suffering from the same dysphoria.

The principal cleared her throat. Theo settled back in the chair and looked at her. She stared after the door a moment more then turned to him.

“Is she in trouble?” Theo asked.

The principal seemed to be having a hard time deciding. “I... I will see what happens with her mother first.”

“What about me?”

“You didn’t actually hit anyone, did you?”

“I told you, I was the one who hit Flynn.”

“Then why did Flynn say otherwise and Karina have blood on her hands?”

Theo stared at the floor.

“Tell me what really happened.”

“It was like I told you, but after Flynn hit me, Kari came out of nowhere and knocked him down.”

“Did she hit him?”

Theo bit his lip.

“Theodore?”

Theo nodded. “I pulled her off him as soon as I could. I swear. She probably only got a few hits in, it wasn’t that long. And she’s small, how much damage could she really do?” Theo grimaced as an image of Flynn’s bruised and bloodied face flashed through his mind. Apparently it was a lot.

The principal laced her fingers in front of her. “Here’s what I’m going to do. Everyone will get detention, Flynn, Cayden, and Kenan. If Karina comes back tomorrow, she will get detention, too. We have a strict no fighting, no bullying policy and it must be upheld.”

“But, Kari--,” Theo started.

The principal lifted her finger. “She was part of it. She has to serve her time.”

“Can I do it for her? She was protecting me. I should be the one in there.”

The principal shook her head. “I want you to stay as far away from Flynn as possible. Don’t give him any reason to go after you again. This is the first day of school and I don’t want a repeat.” The bell rang overhead. “Now, hurry up. Off to class with you and stay out of trouble.”

Theo nodded and left the office. He pushed through the bodies filling the halls and retrieved his fallen lunch pail from the courtyard. After a quick check with his locker, he headed to the fifth period of the day, which was science.

The biology teacher was a short man with a bald head and a cheerful smile. He introduced himself with a firm handshake to each student as they crossed the threshold of his classroom.

“Mr. Mark Harper,” he said. “And you are?”

“Theo,” he answered and shook the hand half-heartedly. He didn’t meet the teacher’s gaze.

Mr. Harper pulled him by the hand as Theo tried to walk by. “Young man, that is not a proper greeting. When introducing yourself, you should use your full name and look the person in the eye.”

“Yes, sir,” Theo mumbled. He could feel the teacher’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t manage to look up. His mind whirled as he thought of Kari and wherever she had been carted off to. None of this seemed important.

“Alright, do better next time, Theo.” Mr. Harper released his hand and continued on to the next student.

Theo walked into the room. It was made up of tables in the front and labs in the back. There was a student at each desk already. Students were calling out to their friends as they entered the room. Theo wasn’t going to know anyone in this class, so he ducked his head and headed to the back table. He put his stuff down on the table next to a black-haired girl.

Her bright blue eyes darted to him and she stuck her hands out to protect the chair. “You can’t sit here. That’s for Kari.”

“Kari?” Theo heart jumped. “Like long dark brown hair Kari?”

The girl nodded. “She’s my best friend and I promised to save her a seat.”

“Her mom took her home.”

“What? How do you know that? What happened to her?” She reached out to him. Her thick fingers grabbed his arm and pulled him down into the chair. “Tell me everything.”

Theo relayed the incident as quickly as he could before the class got started. Her eyes went wide as he told his story.

“Oh my god, I hope she’s alright. You never know what will happen with the dragon lady.”

“The dragon lady?”

“Kari’s mom. She’s a piece of work.”

Theo was about to ask more, but Flynn walked into the room. All eyes went to him, well, went to his face.

“Dude, what happened to you?” One student asked.

“I got in a fight with a banshee,” Flynn said and held out his hands in triumph. “But I totally won.”

The class laughed. Mr. Harper walked to the head of the class. “Good afternoon, everyone. Let’s please have a seat Mr. Wallis.”

“This is going to be a fun class,” the girl next to Theo whispered. “Any chance you can wash the skunk off of you?”

Theo shook his head. “I’ve already tried.” He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. If this was Kari’s best friend, then he wanted to make a good impression, but there was no way that was going to happen today.

She shrugged. “Well that sucks. Don’t worry about it.”

Theo gave her a half smile before Flynn sauntered closer and he chose his seat right in front of them. “Oh look, it’s Skunk Boy and Fatty Fatimah. Are you cheating on Stick Girl already?”

“Just have a seat, Flynn, or I’ll sick Kari on you again,” Fatimah threatened.

“Ooh, I’m so scared of the fat girl,” Flynn feigned a flinch.

Theo gripped the table. He wanted to jump and shout at the boy, but he was in no position to cause a commotion. The principal had already told him to stay away and the teacher was standing at the front.

“Mr. Wallis, can you please have a seat?” Mr. Harper asked impatiently.

The class continued. Flynn turned around and made faces at them throughout the period. Theo ignored him, but Fatimah dished them right back. By the end of the period, Theo was ready to punch him in the face no matter the consequences, but Fatimah was almost giggling at the fun they were having. Theo shook his head. He doubted he would ever understand girls. The bell rang and he picked up his new textbook and threw his bag over his shoulder.

“See you on the bus,” Fatimah said.

Theo raised an eyebrow.

“We ride the same bus. We have for years.”

“Oh.” Theo looked down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s okay. I’m pretty forgettable.”

Theo shook his head. “I don’t think so. I just always have a lot on my mind.”

Fatimah smiled. “You do always look like that. Well, anyway, I’ll catch you later.”

“Do you think…”

She stopped and turned back to him.

“Do you think we could go visit Kari?”

She went pale. “You never want to visit the witch in her lair, especially after something like this.” She brightened a little. “But don’t worry. Kari is tough. She always finds a way.” She gave a cheery smile and a wave before she turned and left him staring after her.

Theo sighed. He hoped Kari did come back. He still couldn’t shake the feeling of her mother’s hands on his shirt. There was something about her that gave him the creeps, but something even deeper that made him worry for Kari’s sake.

#freefiction