All I Ever Wanted

2

CHLOE

They say don’t run away from your problems. My question is, how do we intend on solving them if we don’t?

“So let's get this over with. Welcome to Emerald high school. A school of love. We have a no smoking policy” Thankfully that was all I had to say. Dad made me volunteer for whatever club this is. We were supposed to lead tours whenever we had visitors or new students joining in.

“Here’s the music hall, Auditoriums, the Basketball and football courts are over there” The other guy beside me continues. I forgot his name. Michael, I think.

After a long and boring ten minutes of touring new students, l felt relieved. I had to do this. It would get me away from trouble, according to him. He didn’t know what he was talking about. I’m like the most trouble-free person in the world.

Dad says if I get in trouble again, he’ll send me to Mom. I haven’t seen Kate in almost 6 years. Ever since she cheated on dad. I want to forgive her but I can’t. Who am I kidding? I don’t want to forgive her and I don’t have to, right?

He was treating me like a kid. Like he had forgotten I’m almost seventeen. I don’t want to go to New York either. It’s like for rich and fancy people, I think. Which is why I’m keeping my head away from as much trouble as I can.

I slip away from the tour and head to the library. I’m sure Mathew or Micheal can handle it alone. I grab my book from my bag and sit down to read. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Reading is the best feeling ever, I admit.

I notice a girl standing in front of me. She has been standing there for about a minute now, but I chose to ignore her—hoping she would notice I don’t want to talk and I’m too intrigued to look up from my book.

“What do you want?” I almost yell.

“I was wondering if I could sit there,” she pointed at the empty seat beside me. I didn’t reply but she was still standing there.

“That’s a really good book. Liesel dies you know” She completely ruins the entire book for me. I shut the book in annoyance. Before I could say anything, Brittany came up to me with her two sidekicks.

Those three were like the mean girls in the books I'd read. The mean girls would pick on an unfortunate person, usually the main character, and pick on them every chance they had. I like to think of myself as the main character. Who knows, maybe I’ll even be in a book one day.

They made my life more hell than it already was. I hate them, especially Brittany Lavingne. She's French and rich with her Daddy’s money. No one knows who the other two are. At least I don’t—They just choose to follow her around for whatever reason they have.

“Hey, new girl. I love your fit” she says more excitedly than usual.

“Thanks” She replies shyly. I recognise her from the tour. I knew these girls were only trying to annoy me.

“Stay with us. You shouldn't be around that stupid thing” Brittany says. I roll my eyes and try to ignore her “Who are you calling a stupid thing you ugly-faced—” I immediately regret attempting to say that. That was the cringiest thing I could ever say. I try to think of a comeback. Something I could say to leave her mouth hanging open. But of course, I give her the upper hand. Again.

“What are you going to do this time Chloe? Send me flying across the road?” she laughed loudly along with her friends.

Yeah maybe. Of course, I don’t say that. Staying out of trouble, remember.

“That’s what I thought” she flips her hair dramatically and walks off. Like seriously, how cheesy is this girl going to be? The girls follow behind her and I am left sitting there. I take the book and attempt to read—not like I have anything better to do— but I just wasn’t in the mood anymore.

I mean, it’s not like I haven’t gotten in trouble before. I have been suspended a lot of times but I don’t think those were necessarily my fault. Like this one time, I got suspended for punching a girl in the face. I was really mad after failing my science test and she just happened to be standing right next to my locker. I guess I just wanted to take out my anger on her face. It wasn’t my fault though.

I put my book back in my bag and decided to go to class. What was the point of skipping class when there was absolutely nothing to do? I get into my geography class and go to take my seat. It’s the last class of today and there are only fifteen minutes left.

My teacher didn’t seem to notice me—either that or she didn’t care—until Brittany spoke. “Miss Roberts, Chloe just got into class with only fifteen minutes left” she looks over at me with a smirk. Miss Roberts didn’t seem to care. She looked up at me and then back at the geography textbook.

I look around. Everyone seemed to be either on their phones or chatting with their friends. I look back at Brittany who currently had an I-was-just-ignored-by-a-teacher look. It was hilarious.

“But Miss Roberts. She was in the toilets and I think she was doing drugs” she says the last part silently. I roll my eyes. There was no way anyone was actually buying this. To my surprise, Miss Roberts actually did.

“Chloe” She looks alarmed. “I’m afraid you’ll have to see the principal. You know doing drugs is not allowed” I chuckled. “You don’t actually believe her right?” She looks at Brittany and then back at me.

“Miss Lavingne says she saw you in the toilets” she looks at her. “Isn’t that true?” Brittany nods innocently and her side kicks join.

“But I didn’t,” I say in annoyance. “Brittany, go with Chloe to the principal’s office” I stand up, defeated. Chloe gladly follows me so she can make up more lies about me. I am still completely amused at this entire situation.

“Why did you do that?” I ask her as soon as we step out of class. “I just felt like,” she giggles and walks ahead of me. Her blonde perfectly placed hair jumped behind her. Even with her awkward fast-paced walking, not a single strand of hair was out of place. Just like mine(I wish).

All I had to do was prove to the principal that Brittany was lying and I’ll be completely fine. I ran to catch up to her, so she wouldn’t turn Mr Mark against me before I get there. I meet her at the door, just about to knock. The door opens revealing the angry principal. He motions for us to come in.

His office was just a square room with a desk. It was painted black just like his personality(it’s just a light peach colour). “I called your parents,” he says with the meanest look I had ever seen on him. But it was meant for me. It was just our dads. Something we both had in common.

“But I didn’t even—” I tried to say but he just didn’t listen. I was scared my dad would do something as far as send me to mum as a punishment. But then again, I didn’t do anything wrong. He shows us where to sit, even though we had both been here enough times to already know that.

Dad got here almost immediately. With bags under his eyes from lack of sleep and too many rounds of coffee. That’s how you could tell a hard-working father. And then came in Mr Lavingne. With his expensive cologne and a what’s-going-on-this-time look. Typical.

Brittany and I had to sit at the back listening to both our dads argue with the Principal. I said I hadn’t done it but no one seemed to believe me.

“She is known for getting in trouble like this. I’m not surprised” Mr Mark says, looking at Dad.

“You can’t just blame her for stuff like this without proof. For all I know, this girl could be lying” Dad fires back. If only someone could bail me out of this mess. I look over at Brittany who was enjoying them talking about me like I’m some sort of criminal.

“Don’t you dare call my daughter a liar” Mr Lavingne says in his French accent. I remember the new girl who asked to sit next to me earlier. She saw me reading and she knew I wasn’t doing drugs.

“The new girl saw me” I stand up and say a bit too loudly. They all turn to me and I tell them about her.

“Cody has just started today. I don’t think —”

“She was there” I cut him off. He grabs his old-fashioned telephone and dials a number. There’s a knock on the door soon after and Cody comes in. She looks the most nervous I have ever seen a person. They explain the whole situation to her.

“Chloe says, you saw her in the library? Is this true” Mr. Mark says with a serious face. He was clearly exhausted from all this. Everyone was. Even Brittany, who had been the one who started the entire thing.

“Y-Yes. I was” she stutters. I sigh in relief. At least she could talk some sense into them. “But Brittany was really nice to me and I don’t think she would lie. And I did see her go into the toilets” she says with newfound confidence. “Yeah. To pee” I retorted. I can’t believe this is actually happening.

I look at my Dad and see he is starting to doubt me too. At first, it was everyone else but now my Dad too. “Isn’t there any cameras to check” Dad looks back at me and I shake my head to tell him I didn’t do it. He nodded his head and I was glad he believed me.

“There are no cameras in the toilets sir”

“I think we should leave this till tomorrow and not jump to any conclusions” he continues. Why was no one believing me? My dad nods understandingly and gets up from his seat. I look at Brittany who seemed to be lost in her thoughts.

“Wait! Mr. Mark, I don’t think the council will be happy you let a child go off without punishment for something as serious as this” she was threatening him. “But Brittany, we can continue this tomorrow and then sort this out” he replies nervously. She was trying to get me in trouble. Wasn’t this obvious to anyone but me? Cody already left and it was just the five of us left in the room. But it was starting to feel like a lot more.

“It’s obvious she did it. I think she deserves to be punished” she says. He is supposed to tell her no. To put her in her place and tell her she can’t tell him what to do. But she can, and he was falling for her threat.

“A week of detention” He adjusts his collar nervously, leaving his blue tie wonky around his neck. “But the rules say whoever is caught doing drugs should be expelled” I look at my Dad, who was already looking at me.

“But we’re not sure if—” he looks at Mr. Lavingne and then back at his daughter and then realises he has no choice.

“I’m sorry Chloe. You’re expelled. For the use of illegal substances on school premises”