St. Paul's

St. Paul's Adventures: 

"Principal for a Week"

I walk through the hallways standing tall; I have every right to be. Last week my school held a contest and the winner got to be principal for a whole week! The contest itself was fairly simple; guess the number of golf balls in a jar; a rather simple challenge with such a high prize. All you had to do was find out the volume of the jar, the circumference of one of the golf balls and then... you know I just realized that for some people (people who don't take advanced math) it would be difficult; but not for me, I got the exact number. 

It was Monday of the famous week and I was patrolling the hallways, making sure everything was alright. I'd had some thoughts as to what I would do with my one week in charge of the whole school. Now, I don't have full control, I have to check everything by the Vice Principal, Mr. Dwire. It makes quite a lot of sense if you think about it; I'm sure they wouldn't allow a student to have full reign on the entire school for a whole week.

I walk back to the office feeling confident that my ideas for the week will go smoothly. Mr. Dwire's office is close to the offices' entrance. When I walk in I notice a new fern in the corner of the room, I make a mental note to compliment him on it during the meeting; hopefully it will help him agree with my ideas. He is sitting at his desk which faces the door. I smile friendly when I see him look up and wave me in.

"I have a few ideas to run by you about the week's plans" I state simply, sitting down the the chair across from him. I see him motion for one moment and hurriedly get organized. I lay a few sheets out on the table; they state the ideas I will be mentioning. I wait patiently for him to finish and get comfortable in the chair; which it's easy, it's quite uncomfortable.

"Alright Angela. What are you proposing we do this week?" Mr. Dwire said, leaning back in his chair. Mr. Dwire is a reasonable man so I'm still rather sure that he will agree to my ideas, fern compliment or not.

"Well Mr. Dwire. I've always noticed during Lock-down drills that other students, including myself, don't really take them seriously. They're either playing on their phones, texting, or talking with a classmate. I want to propose a very realistic lock-down drill. It will simulate a real life or death situation that could occur. The police and authorities would be involved, as well as the entire staff and a selection of students. I would recommend trying to make it as realistic as possible so that the students realize that it could happen at any time, and that it isn't always going to be a drill." I stop and wait for his response. Mr. Dwire's face is in deep concentration for a few moments.

"It sounds like a marvelous idea Angela. When were you thinking of having it?" He asked. I didn't expect him to be so agreeable; guess I'll have to keep the plant compliment for later.

"I was thinking sometime in the middle of the week, like Wednesday or Thursday. Although it would depend on how fast the authorities agree with the plan" I answer. I smile and hand him the proposal sheet with all of the information. 

"Anymore suggestions" He asked, taking the sheet. I looked down at my other two ideas, realizing that the lock-down plan would leave virtually no room to plan anything to difficult. I picked on the sheet on the left and handed it to Mr. Dwire. "A school wide movie period?" He asks, I nod. "Popcorn and Cotton candy as well as an assortment of sodas," He reads from the sheet. 

"And the students will choose the movie, within reason of course. I was thinking about having it on Friday, maybe last period. It seemed like a good send-off into the long weekend." I finished. The Vice Principal looked up from the sheet with a smile on his face. 

"It sounds like a wonderful idea. I suggest getting the school council to plan this; I would advise all of your attention to be on the drill." Mr. Dwire stated placing the sheet on the table, on top of the other. 

"Of course, I'll speak with Andrew at lunch today to give him the full detailed plan" I said while standing up from the chair. I collected the leftover paper from the table and slipped it into the folder I had with me. "Thank you for your time Mr. Dwire." I started walking towards the door to go to my office when I turned around. "By the way, I like the new fern you got" I said with a smile. 

"Thank you Angela. It was a gift from Mrs. Smith, the English teacher. A late birthday present" He replied, glancing over at the plant that sat on the corner of his desk. 

"Have a good day Mr. Dwire" I said and left the room; fist-pumping as I cleared his line of sight. I hadn't even needed to use the fern, it had gone utterly fantastic!

"Lock-Down"

It happened quickly. We were in English class, studying Hamlet. Everything seemed normal, the teacher was going on about a story that somehow managed to relate with the topic of our discussion; my friends were texting god knows who; that’s when everything went quiet. It was so quiet that you could literally hear a pin drop, but all that sounded were loud, echoing footsteps coming up the main steps. I looked around at everyone as a quiet voice started speaking through the P.A. System.

“This is a lockdown. Teachers lock your doors quickly. 911 has been called. Stay safe, stay quiet.” It was out Vice Principal, Mr. Dwire. It was a lockdown, a real, honest to god lockdown. Everyone’s attention turned abruptly to our teacher who had made her way to the classroom door.

“You heard Mr. Dwire! Get against the wall, no noise!” She whispered harshly, getting ready to open the door. We all clambered towards the corner of the wall that had the door. I thought quickly and shut all of the blinds to the windows that lined the opposite wall. Before I got the chance to sit with my classmates a loud “pop” noise came from the hallway. I looked towards the door to see if Mrs. Smith was okay.

“Over here!” I saw her jumping up and down and ran towards the door. Pop! I reached forwards and caught her just before she hit the ground. Looking up my whole body stopped. At the end of the hall stood Reyna, holding a 9 calibre pistol, and it was aimed directly at me. Quickly I pulled Mrs. Smith back into the room.

“Will, shut the door!” I ordered as a guy stood up and ran to close the door. I knew everyone was watching me, I didn’t care. I dragged Mrs. Smith carefully to the front of the classroom.

“Reyna. She’s the shooter!” Mrs. Smith announced, she sounded out of breath. That’s when I noticed a trail of blood leading from the door; looking at Mrs. Smith I quickly found the cause. One of Reyna’s bullets had hit her in the thigh. I had no first aid training what so ever.

“Mrs. Smith, I’m gonna need you to apply pressure to the wound on your leg.” I said as calmly as I could, ignoring my heart that seemed to want to burst out of my chest. “Will, can you stay with Mrs?” I waited for him to come over and watched him carefully as he took Mrs. Smith’s head in his lap. “Mary, find something and try and stop the bleeding.” This time I didn’t wait for her to respond; I just stood in front of the door. I had no idea why Reyna would do this. She was the sweetest and kindest person I know. Taking a deep breath I turned to my right. Everyone was staring at me. I’m usually the quiet one in class; don’t say much and do all the work, my motto.

“Stay quiet” I asked. I didn’t want to order them around much, it’s not who I am. I waited and watched them all nod; turning around to see Will, Mary, and Mrs. Smith, who all nodded. Taking in a deep breath I slowly opened the classroom door and peaked out. Nobody was there; taking it as a good sign, I stepped into the hall.

“Reyna?” I whispered stepping towards the front of the school, where she’d been standing earlier. I didn’t get more than a few steps before I felt something pressed against my back; then I heard a click. “Reyna?”

“Alex” was her only reply; monotone, no expression at all. I whipped around and was shocked by what I saw. Her voice and tone didn’t even begin to hint at how she must have been feeling/ Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

“Reyna, please put the gun down” I asked gently, daring to look her directly in the eyes. She dropped her head down and shook her head. Sighing, I moved back a little so the gun wasn’t jabbing into my stomach. After a few moments I saw her hand lower and soon the gun was pointed at the floor.

That’s when it happened. I knew it was coming but I didn’t expect it would happen that soon.

“Reyna?” I asked as I looked down. I knew by now that people would be watching. I’d purposefully left my classroom door open so people could see. “Blood” seeped through my shirt, growing by the second. I turned to see Kim standing at the end of the hallway as I fell towards the floor, a devilish smile on her face.

No one had told any of us who else was involved to keep the air of surprise; making it as realistic as possible. I kept up the act and pretended to fall unconscious. I remember Reyna struggling to carry me down the stairs as she pushed Kim in front of her. The police had taken it from there. “Arresting” Kim and Reyna and placing me and Mrs. Smith in the ambulances.

“School Pajama Party”

"Everyone grab a seat, the movie will start in a few minutes." Angela announced over the P.A. System. It was an amazing turnout. Almost all of St. Paul's student population had come; the gym was packed. Every person in the room was wearing pajamas and walking around carrying cotton candy and /pr popcorn.

Across the room I could see Mrs. Smith, my English teacher, talking to Mr. Dwire, St. Paul's Vice Principal. Every since Wednesday and the lock-down people have been hesitant about talking to me, almost like I'll explode at an minute; even after everyone found out it was a fucking DRILL!

"Reyna!"  Andrew yelled from my left. I looked over and saw him waving like a madman. He wore a pair of plaid flannel pants and a loose fitting Doctor Who t-shirt. I waved back and walked over to him.

"Andrew!" I yelled back; everyone around us jumped; Andrew just smiled. All I could do was shrug and continue walking.

"I'm sure they'll get over it soon." Alex said standing up from his seat on the ground. I smiled and gave him a hug.."If not, I guess you could just shoot them," he laughed.

"Really Alex?" Andrew said, glaring at him. I just stood there with my arms crossed. Alex can be a real ass sometimes. He smiled at me and gave me another hug.

"Crack your jokes. It's fine," I replied, looking around to find a place to sit. "I can't believe this many people showed up. It's madness, there's nowhere to sit!" I huffed and kept looking.

"That's a good thing then! Shows they have school spirit!" Someone said. I looked up and saw Angela making her way towards us. She was rocking a pair of black pajama shorts and a blue tank top. He hair was loose and it hung around her shoulders.

"I'm sure that's what it is Angela" Alex said laying on the floor. We were a little to the left of the massive screen they'd set up. Everyone was gathered around the middle of the room, where most of the matts, pillows, and blankets were. Andrew, for some reason decided to set up away from everyone else. 

"Andrew, is there any reason why we're so far from everyone else?" Angela asked, cocking her head to the side . |The screen turned from black to blue and we all knew the move was about to start.

"Who cares,the movie's about to start. Let's find some place to sit" I said, grabbing Angela's hand and pulled her away from Andrew and Alex.

"Reyna! Angela!" I looked around and saw Mrs. Smith walking quickly towards us.

"By the way, I love you pajamas. Very festive" Angela whispered in my ear, I smiled. The pajamas I was wearing were Christmas themed; red flannel pants with snowmen on them and a white tank top. 

"They're the only ones I own." I whispered as Mrs. Smith got closer.

"Hi Mrs. Smith" Angela said, standing up straight and dropping my hand; I lost my smile.

"Angela," Mrs. Smith nodded. "Just wanted to congratulate you on the success of the DRILL." I watched her nod and smile. "Reyna, well done. I'll let you two enjoy the movie." I watched Mrs. Smith walk away and go stand with a bunch of other teachers.

"Movie's starting" Angela said. Taking my hand we sat down. I let her get comfortable; sitting with her legs open and her arms behind her to prop herself up. I lay in between her legs and laid my head on her stomach. "Comfortable?" she asked, running one of her hands through my hair.

"Very," I replied, looking up at her and smiling. Suddenly the movie started playing and our attention was drawn back to the screen.

"End of School Sleepover"

It was a humid summer evening when we all came. First it was me and Andrew; our hands intertwined as we walked up the stairs. I wore a simple blue poka-dotted dress and blue flats. My hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Andrew looked like always; dressed in some geeky t-shirt and knee length jean shorts; his feet shown to the world in simple black sandals.

Next it was Alex, in his loose fitting beige shorts and a tight grey shirt. The sleeves of it stuck to his biceps with sweat. He smiled as he moved a stray piece of curly brown hair out of his eyes.

Finally, Reyna arrived. She had managed to tame her wild curly black hair, keeping it out of her eyes with a pair of sunglasses; her normal glasses sat on her nose, hiding her beautiful brown eyes. Reyna wore a pair of blue, paint splattered overall type shorts and a plain black shirt underneath.

We all gathered in Kim's basement as we decided what to do first. Kim had it all planned. She had all of the alcohol, although there was nothing too dramatic.

Everyone was scattered throughout the basement. Alex and Andrew were sorting out the booze, Kim was getting snacks from the kitchen upstairs, and Reyna was sitting on one of the leather pullout couches listening to something on her phone. Every now and then a small laugh would escape her lips; a noise that sounded like music.

"Reyna, could you help me set up the table for poker?" I asked, lifting TV remotes from the table and onto the rug. I heard a small sigh, almost like a huff, come from where she was sitting. Looking up from cleaning the table I sawa her place her phone in her bag; which sat on the other red cloth couch, and move to pick up some scented candle.

"Excited for poker?" She asked, picking up another TV remote. I made a mental note to ask Kim why she had som many remotes. What were they all for? I stood up from where I was crouched on the ground and moved a piece of brown hair out of my eyes; my ponytail must have been looser than I thought.

"Oh yeah. Ready to beat all of you and get all of your candy" I tease.

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"Everyone ready?" Kim asked, placing a bowl of sour cream and onion chips onto the table. I heard Alex groan as he laid plastic cups in a row on the bar.

"Did you only get those? You know I can't stand them" he whined and I noticed Kim roll her eyes.

"Sorry Alex. I couldn't get to the store today. This is all we have" she replied, sitting down on the same pullout couch that Reyna had been sitting on moments ago, her back now to the bar and Alex.

"Come and get your drinks" Andrew said in his best announcers voice. I smiled and walked up to the bar, standing in-between the two bar stools. I watched as he poured the same amount of beer into everyone's cup; except for one which I immediately knew was Reyna's. She's never really been into drinking.

"Alright, let's play some poker. Prepare to loose all your candy" I said, taking two cups from the counter. Sitting down on the red cloth couch I reached over and handed on of the cups to Reyna; she smiled.

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"Truth or Dare time!" Alex yelled. He seemed a little too excited, which meant this was going to be an interesting and probably quite dirty game of Truth or Dare.

"Who wants to go first?" Kim asked, clearing away the cards on the table. I looked around and noted where everyone was sitting. Alex and Kim sat on the leather couch to my left; the one that's back is to the bar. Kim was lying down, her head resting on Alex's lap.

Reyna was right across from me, leaning her head back on the wall, eyes closed like she was thinking about something. Sitting next to me, arm around my waist, my head resting on his shoulder, was Andrew.

“I’ll go first” Reyna replied, her eyes still closed. At hearing this, Alex perked right up and listened. “Truth.” A devilish smile crossed his lips.

“Who is our lovely friend crushing on?” He asked, saying each word with such clearness. Everyone turned their heads to look at her; I took a deep breath, praying she wouldn’t say anything.

“There is someone actually” she stated, her cheeks were turning red and I was worried that mine were too. “She’s kinda short but she has these blue eyes that are so bright…” What, blue eyes? My eyes are green. She isn’t talking about me. I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Anyways, she’s in my art class but I don’t think she knows who I am.” Reyna’s cheeks were a bright pink and she fiddled with the buckles on her shorts nervously.

“Wait, long blonde hair? About yay high?” Andrew held his hand about 5 feet 4 inches above the ground. Reyna nodded with a smile. “I know her. She was in my History class last year. He names Daniella, I think. And she knows who you are.” He smiled but she didn’t. “Not about the whole lock-down deal. She really loves your art.” This brought the smile back to Reyna’s lips. All of this talk about Daniella was making me surprisingly jealous.

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The room was dark. Everyone else was asleep except for me. Not that I was thinking about anything in particular; nothing that happened earlier. Looking at my phone I groaned as the bright light shone in my eyes. Getting used to the light, I saw that it was 5:00 am. Next to me, Andrew turned in his sleep, removing his hand from around my waist. Taking advantage of this new freedom, I slowly stood up, hearing floorboards squeak under my feet, and crept towards the bar. My goal: to get a glass of water, hoping it would help me fall asleep.

“What are you doing up?” I asked when I saw Reyna standing behind the bar with a plastic cup in her hand.

“Couldn’t sleep. You?” She replied, taking a sip from the cup. I sat down on one of the benches and reached for her free hand, only to have her pull away.

“Same are you” I said. We looked at each other for the longest time, just looking. Reyna wore the same black shirt as before but this time she was wearing her snowman pajama pants; I smiled at the memory. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. “Daniella Jackson huh?” This got a bitter reaction.

“Yeah, and?” She replied, taking another sip of water. I could tell she was getting defensive.

“Nothing but…” I didn’t get to finish my sentence because she cut me off by putting her hand up.

“But nothing.” Her voice getting sharper, angrier. “If you can date Andrew, I can date whoever I like as well. I can’t be your little secret forever.” She spat, slamming the cup down on the counter and walked back to the couch where she slept.

“Angela, you alright?” I heard Andrew mumble. Sighing I crawled back into bed and let him wrap his arm back around my waist. I could tell this was going to be a long summer.