wet cat’s. I put her through a lot last week. First, I fell asleep on the phone while we were talking Friday night. Then, I lied about why I was canceling our Saturday date because I didn’t want her to know I was taking care my nephew after he’d come down with a stomach bug.
And now I have to sit here while Kat makes a fool of me. Everyone’s watching. I can feel their eyes. Even John, who likes Kat for some strange reason, just sits there listening as she taunts me.
“Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much,” she says, twisting Shakespeare’s words around to imply I’m in love with her.
“You flatter yourself.”
She flips her hair over her shoulder, stands and stomps toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Mrs. Williams asks.
“The ladies room.” She turns and holds her hand out for a pass.
Molly starts laughing. “You goin’ for the tired teen mom look, Kat? Circles under your eyes, snags in your tights, all you need is a spit up stain on your shoulder and your look will be complete.”
Her laughter catches like wild fire. It starts with Ben then spreads through the room. But I can’t laugh because I’m thinking about Amy and the man who left her behind.
Kat bends down to trace her manicured finger along the run in her stocking. “Your precious Quinn can’t keep his hands off me. Someone needs to make him cut his nails.”
That’s it, I’m done! I pick up my physics book and get ready to throw it at Kat’s lying face. Except I can’t. My mother’s words play like a CD in my head, “Only weak men take their anger out on women. You need to be strong, be a man.”
Be a man,she says. It’s the exact same taunt Kat used on me the first day of school. And it no longer feels like good-natured advice, more like a big stone hanging around my neck. A way to control my actions, words meant to make me a pathetic puppet. Because as much as I want to throw my book at Kat, I just can’t bring myself to do it.
Wound up, I pivot and let it fly at the wooden door, shut tight on its hinges with only a small rectangle of glass above the knob. But my aim is bad and glass shatters all over. I look from the broken window to my glass-covered book to my empty hand. The room goes so silent you can hear a feather drop. I’m shocked, so shocked at what I’ve done, I retreat in my mind as if through a long dark tunnel.
When Mrs. William’s finally speaks, I hear her voice from a distance. Someone puts a hand on my arm and pulls me sideways by the elbow. They lead me over the crunchy glass and through the door.
“Office,” says Molly’s familiar voice.
“Office,” I repeat, thinking how Mike Duvall already wants to kill me. After he hears about this, he’ll be sure to rip my head off. I image myself lying in a pool of blood with my knees bent in the wrong direction.
I’m as good as dead.
10
Katarina
This just sucks! Principal Bates paces the length of the wide conference room, Quinn sits across from me with his eyes down, and the school counselor holds my hand while shooting “concerned” glances in my direction. Does she really think I’m the victim here?
Mrs. Burns leans forward. “Kat, I asked you before if Quinn was bothering you. If you’d confided in me, it never would have come to this.”
Wow, the woman is stupider than she looks!
“He didn’t hurt me, and it’s not a big deal,” I say, hoping to sound polite so I don’t have to go to any more therapy sessions. “I was at least three feet from the door. You will notice I’m completely intact.” I stand and turn to show them how I look. “No bumps, cuts or bruises. Why am I even here?”
The Principal doesn’t answer. Instead he turns his attention to Quinn. “Breaking windows is bad enough. It’s mandatory suspension. If you were eighteen you could be tried for a felony. Add that to the bullying and sexual harassment you’ve put Kat through and we’re looking at expulsion.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
And now I have to sit here while Kat makes a fool of me. Everyone’s watching. I can feel their eyes. Even John, who likes Kat for some strange reason, just sits there listening as she taunts me.
“Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much,” she says, twisting Shakespeare’s words around to imply I’m in love with her.
“You flatter yourself.”
She flips her hair over her shoulder, stands and stomps toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Mrs. Williams asks.
“The ladies room.” She turns and holds her hand out for a pass.
Molly starts laughing. “You goin’ for the tired teen mom look, Kat? Circles under your eyes, snags in your tights, all you need is a spit up stain on your shoulder and your look will be complete.”
Her laughter catches like wild fire. It starts with Ben then spreads through the room. But I can’t laugh because I’m thinking about Amy and the man who left her behind.
Kat bends down to trace her manicured finger along the run in her stocking. “Your precious Quinn can’t keep his hands off me. Someone needs to make him cut his nails.”
That’s it, I’m done! I pick up my physics book and get ready to throw it at Kat’s lying face. Except I can’t. My mother’s words play like a CD in my head, “Only weak men take their anger out on women. You need to be strong, be a man.”
Be a man,she says. It’s the exact same taunt Kat used on me the first day of school. And it no longer feels like good-natured advice, more like a big stone hanging around my neck. A way to control my actions, words meant to make me a pathetic puppet. Because as much as I want to throw my book at Kat, I just can’t bring myself to do it.
Wound up, I pivot and let it fly at the wooden door, shut tight on its hinges with only a small rectangle of glass above the knob. But my aim is bad and glass shatters all over. I look from the broken window to my glass-covered book to my empty hand. The room goes so silent you can hear a feather drop. I’m shocked, so shocked at what I’ve done, I retreat in my mind as if through a long dark tunnel.
When Mrs. William’s finally speaks, I hear her voice from a distance. Someone puts a hand on my arm and pulls me sideways by the elbow. They lead me over the crunchy glass and through the door.
“Office,” says Molly’s familiar voice.
“Office,” I repeat, thinking how Mike Duvall already wants to kill me. After he hears about this, he’ll be sure to rip my head off. I image myself lying in a pool of blood with my knees bent in the wrong direction.
I’m as good as dead.
10
Katarina
This just sucks! Principal Bates paces the length of the wide conference room, Quinn sits across from me with his eyes down, and the school counselor holds my hand while shooting “concerned” glances in my direction. Does she really think I’m the victim here?
Mrs. Burns leans forward. “Kat, I asked you before if Quinn was bothering you. If you’d confided in me, it never would have come to this.”
Wow, the woman is stupider than she looks!
“He didn’t hurt me, and it’s not a big deal,” I say, hoping to sound polite so I don’t have to go to any more therapy sessions. “I was at least three feet from the door. You will notice I’m completely intact.” I stand and turn to show them how I look. “No bumps, cuts or bruises. Why am I even here?”
The Principal doesn’t answer. Instead he turns his attention to Quinn. “Breaking windows is bad enough. It’s mandatory suspension. If you were eighteen you could be tried for a felony. Add that to the bullying and sexual harassment you’ve put Kat through and we’re looking at expulsion.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
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