do to annoy Betty once again. A plethora of questions interrupted my thinking though. My mind switched back to Sabrina. How do I talk to her? Lately, her behavior has been confusing. Not strange, but just confusing. Not that we had stopped “feuding” but now everything was somehow different.
I couldn’t resist a smug smirk. There was the answer to the agonizing question of how to annoy Betty again. Entering the hall, I slammed the door mightily, causing the windows to rattle. A blonde head emerged from behind the administrator’s desk immediately. There was so much anger in her gray eyes that if it could take physical form, she would have pinned me down and lynched me there and then.
“Oops, sorry Betty. Didn’t mean to scare you. We need to put a ‘Don’t Slam’
sign on the door ,” I barely suppressed a laugh.
“It’s already there, you idiot!” the girl squealed, her voice becoming even raspier with anger.
“Apologize right now! I don’t come in here insulting you!” I exclaimed, mockingly offended.
“Oh, you!”
A passing professor made the girl freeze and lower her voice to a whisper.
“I wish I could tie you to a radiator and rip out all your piercings so you’d bleed and…”
“Sorry, Bet, but your sexual fantasies don’t interest me. Now, tell me, where’s Mrs. Renton?”
There was a crash, and I felt the windows shake again, and Betty’s eyes sparkled with fury once more.
“Oh, damn, sorry Bet! I didn’t mean to!” Eric’s voice barely contained laughter.
“I hate you both!” Betty muttered angrily to herself, almost crying with rage.
“Hey! We’re still here!” Eric said, stepping away from the schedule board and parking next to me. Betty shot him a deadly look and turned away with an air of disdain, leaving him grabbing at his heart theatrically over her wrath I approvingly noted that he looked pretty good today. Clean-shaven, combed hair, although a haircut was overdue.
“Right on target, Bet! What’s the deal?” he laughed cheerfully.
“Mrs. Renton took the day off today,” Betty grumbled, ignoring Eric’s question.
What the hell, she took the day off? I should swing by my parents’ place, check on Dad while I’m at it, I thought.
“Is Mr. Mason in?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, and he’s looking forward to seeing you, our honored student!” Betty squealed sarcastically and pulled a mini version of the schedule from under Eric’s arm, on which he was enthusiastically drawing Betty’s portrait .
“Well, that’s it, I’m done…” he muttered and snatched the sheet from the girl’s hand.
I glanced at him briefly. Eric and Betty, silent and unblinking, were burning holes in each other with their eyes.
“Anything else?” Betty asked with mocked politeness, implying that it was time for us to leave her alone.
“Yeah, chestnut would suit you. I mean your hair. And also contact lenses. A change of character, job, and all that stuff…”
I chuckled and followed Eric, who was already heading for the exit. Betty was too angry to say anything. On the way out Eric slammed the door as hard as he could.
“I wouldn’t even do that to myself, Eric!” I said, still chuckling.
“Oh come on! Besides, I was telling the truth. She’d look pretty good with dark hair and…” Eric paused and smiled.
“And…?”
“And if she didn’t hide her eyes behind those stupid glasses. And… if she changed her… style. Sabrina said today that plaid shirts are in fashion, so I’d happily bring Betty a couple! I’m sure it would suit her.”
“Maybe you want to be her personal stylist? Help her with her transformation?”
My mood significantly improved.
“Nah, I’ve already thought about it, she won’t go for it. And she could use a career change too,” my friend mused.
“Eric, where’s your sister?” I asked quietly.
“She told me to go to hell and went to the auditorium. You guys have, I think, English Literature or History or something now. She’s fine. Last night she was cursing up a storm because of her new admirer. You know, he’s very… persistent,”
Eric winked mischievously.
“Yeah, I know. And how about you? Caught up on missed classes?” I inquired.
Eric was always a very clever guy, and it would be a shame if he dropped out of university because of a failed love affair.
“A lot of catching up to do, which is exactly what I'm doing. And then everything will be ok! So, I’m off to repent to Mr. Mason. Wish me luck, because I’m definitely not ready for physics!” Eric laughed again.
“Good luck!” Eric always scored a solid A in physics, and as a result, high expectations were placed on him, which I sincerely hope he’ll live up to. Well, Literature or History it is then. You couldn’t think of a more exciting subject if you tried.
The day was shaping up to be quite a good one. I glanced at the sky in surprise.
Through the gray clouds, blurry patches of sunlight were beginning to break through. Maybe all is not lost yet? Well, History. No one has died from it yet, and certainly no one has gone crazy. So, everything’s fine. For now…
Chapter 8
Dispute
I leisurely entered the classroom and made my way to the back, comfortably settling myself down at the very last desk by the wall. The class wouldn’t start for the next ten minutes, and everyone was busy doing anything but reviewing today's material.
“How’s it going, Jack?” asked Scott Waring, a youth with straw-colored hair and dimples on his cheeks. He had a look of complete innocence about him, unlike Eric or Sabrina, and his blue eyes were framed by thick lashes. This was the guy who drove all the girls in our year crazy. And I’d bet even the girls from the other years too.
He used to be one of Sabrina’s admirers, but all his attempts to get her attention had crumbled to dust when she had sent him, figuratively, as far away as the confines of the English language would allow. Since then, he had given up that foolish endeavor and switched to less verbally abusive and more receptive targets.
“Great, Scott. And you?” Notice how I always try to be super friendly and polite.
“Alright.”
“Ready for class?” I asked, even though I couldn’t care less.
“Of course. How else? And you?” Scott inquired.
“Of course. No other way.”
Here it is, the reason Sabrina doesn’t like him. He’s just awfully boring! Always looks impeccable: perfectly shaved, well-dressed, well-mannered, and always ready for class…
Sabrina nestled herself in the corner at the very back of the classroom to my left.
Apparently, she wasn’t ready either. Remembering the last literature class when she had disrupted my brooding, I moved over to her table and sat down beside her.
“Well, well, look who showed up,” she remarked casually.
“Aren’t you glad to see me?” I asked, feigning sadness.
“Of course I am,” Sabi sang sweetly, slamming her textbook on the table.
I glanced at her sideways. Pretty… Crimson, slightly plump lips parted slightly, tousled hair falling in large curls on slender shoulders. Long, full lashes nearly casting shadows on her pale cheeks. High eyebrows, a neat little nose, sharp cheekbones… My eyes moved down involuntarily, resting on her chest that was rising