Pretty Head

Chapter 3:Is this for real? My pretty head can't deal.

        I walked to my next class dutifully, wherein Shanty sat next to me. I heard a collective gasp from the group of the burnouts that drew my attention.

    "Oh my gosh! That was so horrible. Well good for her. I can't wait for her to get expelled, she and her..."

     "Pretty head," clipped Ashley, the girl who had this Afro-hairdo.

        "I'm sorry, I think I had heard my name?" I butted into them. They all cowered and went to their seat. What a bunch of wusses. But wait did I really hear it right? Me and my pretty head?

        In no time, Mrs.Brentwood strode in front of the class, carrying the results of our essays last Tuesday.

        "Okay here are the results," she pressed and went on announcing the highest rating down to the lowest rating. Luckily, my pretty head was in the middle--I got a B+. Well not that bad. Involuntarily, my gaze swept at Mason's corner. I saw his face twisted into a disgruntled expression.

        "What have you got?" I hissed at him.

        "I only got an A- " he cringed as he shook his head. What the hell? So much for keeping his reputation as one of those students who excelled in academics.

        I rolled my eyes on him and lent my ears to Mrs. Brentwood discussion. As she droned on, I couldn’t help but to think what the buzz was earlier with those burnouts, especially when I'd heard my pretty head. I couldn’t wait to hear the goddamn gist about it. Well, get over it Page. I was used to being gossiped about in the hallways. But it sounded cacophonously in my ears- it sounded a bad omen.

        After the class had ended, Mason walked up to me.

        "Well maybe you had heard the news," he pressed stiffly.

        "Yeah, congrats," I said sarcastically. Congrats you're f****d was what I really meant by that.

        "Was that necessary?" he chuckled.

        "Yeah, and what do you want from me? Your soon-to-be wifey might see us,"

        "It was an accident Page. We were both drunk," he interjected.

        "Oh please, could you stop with that cliché?" I replied, grinning at him. "...And it didn't matter to me actually, I know she's secretly ogling you even when we were still together." I added.

         "So… what did Mr. Gobler said about this? Is it a ground for expulsion or what? Because I heard that there are three seniors who might get expelled" I asked quizzically.

        "No, we will not get expelled in this school as long as we were on our best behavior. I don't know about those rumors though," he retorted, shrugging off his shoulders.

        "Really? So… are you going to marry her?" I drawled.

        "I don't love her Page and I don't even like her," he grunted.

         I arched a brow at him. I felt pity for him, somehow.

        "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

        "You don't have to be sorry Mason. You and I are way over. Actually, I felt sorry for you because you are stuck in something that will doom you forever. I know fatherhood is great but wouldn't it be greater if it comes in a right time, with the right woman? All you have to do now is fix your life, you're going to be a father Mason and you're still flirting with me?" I reeled.

        With a toss of my pretty head, I walked away from him without a backward glance. I heard these group of jocks whispering at each other when I passed by them.

        "Keep on talking a-holes." I blurted.

         I ran into Mr. Squidward no Mr. Gobler, only he was the bulkier version of Squidward. I suddenly hummed Spongebob's song "Who lives in the pineapple under the tree?"

        I stifled a giggle as I passed by him and I was taken aback when he called my name.

        "Ms. Rickard. I was looking for you, would you mind coming with me at my office now?" He prompted.

        What have I done?

        "Uh...Why Mr.Gobler?" I asked quizzically.

        "I'll tell you when we get inside my office" he replied, smirking at me. I imagined him saying that in Squidward's voice. I earned a collective whisper rustling from my fans as I followed him to his office. I just kept it cool. I wasn’t like them with their heads bowed down everytime they’d be called inside the detention. I kept my pretty head held up high.

        I sat stiffly at the padded chair. Heat started to radiate in my butt as I anticipated for him to speak up.

        "Well… this is home," I jested as I laughed nervously. He just flashed a lopsided smirk and handed me an ipad.

        "I want you to watch this video Page Rickard," he instructed firmly and I did as I'd been told.

        As I pressed the play button, Rescy Mc Larsen’s pimply face gaped in the screen. She also had this set of crooked teeth and got teased a lot with her braces. There was also a rumor that she went into several dentists just to get it fixed.

        "Page told me that my face could turn Medusa into stone," she told in her hoarse voice. I restricted myself to laugh at that as I bit my lower lip and imagined Mr. Gobler's face turning into stone as he watched her on the screen.

            In a flash, another person gaped at the screen--a freckled face guy from our Chemistry class who was the biggest dork in our school, with his big square rimmed eyeglasses and his gaunt physique.

        "Well uh, that girl who looks like Lucy Hale, I think she's hot but not my type," he sniffed. Wow.

        "One time, she asked me in our Chemistry class what do I know about molecules, and I explained to her about it then she leaned closer to me that I thought that she was going to kiss me! I panted as she leaned closer to my face, but it turned out that she seemed to be scrutinizing it and she abruptly bantered that my face was a waste of molecules," he grimaced.

          The laughter I was holding back was threatening to burst. It dawned on me that these were the ones that had been victimized by my verbal bullying.  Wait, why do they vid themselves? Is this a conspiracy? I looked at Mr. Gobler's face and he threw me his Squidward look as his lips upturned into a wry smile.

        In no time, another student appeared in the video--the fat ass gothic girl who used to seat behind me in our Trig class.

       "That b***h pissed the hell out of me and I want to slit her throat everytime I'll hear her blurting snarky remarks. I want to suck her blood ravenously and offer her to Dracula!" She slurred.

        "Dracula can't handle me, you fat ass!" I shot back, laughing merely. With that, Squidward threw me a look of disdain.

        "She told me that I look like Frankenstein's illegitimate daughter to Winnie the Pooh."

          That was when I laughed out hard.

            "It really entertains you, eh?" Mr. Gobler asked, laced with sarcasm.

            I mumbled a sorry to him as I halted from my laughing fit.

        "So what do you wanna talk about Mr. Squ...Mr. Gobler? Am I getting a suspension again? Come on' don't beat about the bush." I pressed.

        He paused the video and looked at me intensely with his piercing black eyes. Honestly, his name suited him. Mr. Gobler, like he can gobble me up.

        "Suspension? Aww that is so inappropriate for all of these," he chuckled dryly.

        I gawked at him as if to imply what the hell he wanted to say? That I won't be able to graduate? That I might get... expel? Urghh... worst case scenario! So now it all made sense, on what was Ashley and those girls were talking about lately. Although I wasn’t quite sure what was it all about... now I knew.

        "I don't understand, where did the video come from? And you believed all of them? Those people who want to kick me out in this school are bunch of jealous people over my pretty head!" I retorted indignantly through my clenched teeth.

      "I'm sorry to say that what I'm about to bounce off could make your pretty head go berserk," he said saucily.

     "I've been observing your behavior Page, not only you as well as the other kids here who are as troublesome student like you. Yes, I do believe their words Ms. Rickard, because I myself had witnessed you verbally bullying them without your knowledge. Mind you Page, I got an eye like a hawk," he countered as he winked.

     "I'm not a troublesome student Mr. Gobler! Yes, I might be bitchy but I'm not that butt headed type. This is so unfair!" I countered indignantly.

        "Oh, really huh? Well then, hear yourself Ms. Rickard. You know that I won't tolerate any forms of misdemeanors here especially all forms of bullying which is one of the grounds for expulsion and you went overboard with that," he deliberated.

        I couldn't speak as my mouth went dry. I would get expel here in Northville High for that stupid video? s**t will hit the ceiling if dad found out and there was no way for him not to found out!

        "Please Mr. Gobler don't do this. I'll apologize to those people just don't expel me, please for Christ's sake my dad will kill me!" I pled, only to realize that tears started to well up in my tear ducts.

        "Words can tear people down Page, especially the harsh ones. Do you know that these people have suffered inferiority complex huh? Like they don't want to go to class anymore, they became this anti-social individual because those words kept on ringing in their head, tormenting them emotionally. Verbal bullying as a matter of fact is way painful than physical bullying, those words are inked on them like it's a scar from those emotional torture. You have caused these people an emotional torture, a vile turmoil that pierces all over them and you felt good about it? You seemed to enjoy watching these people got hurt and suffered from your unnecessary snide remarks? I can't believe it Page, like it's a drug on you to make these people feel horrible about themselves," he reprimanded.

        Then it hit me, I caused these people an emotional turmoil that was pulling them under. I should have had thought of it.  I was the black sheep of this school, a meanie and a bully. The harsh words fired back at me as I thought of my bad attitudes; the way I stood to this school, the way these people saw me and the way Mr. Gobler saw me.

        "I want to talk to your parents tomorrow about this matter,"

        "Well, what for? I'll be expelled anyway!" I scoffed and rose to my seat, with my tendons balled into fist.

        "Ms. Rickard, be on your best behavior at least for your remaining stay here on school," That pricked me-for your remaining stay here in school.

        "I don't have a best behavior Mr. Gobler. I'm always on my worst, right? So, I can't offer any good, it isn't my nature and good riddance Mr. Gobler. Good riddance," I taunted and bolted out of his office.

        My blood was pulsing hot from anger. How do I deliver this news to my parents? My dad was going to kill me! Good timing though, now that we were getting close. How dare those people to gang up on me! They should had confronted me! I couldn’t take it—I was getting expelled in Northville High.

        I revved up my engine and it roared to life. I almost banged my head on the dashboard as I maneuvered my White Mercury carelessly. I wanted to die; I didn’t want to go home. My pretty head couldn't deal with it. I now imagined dad with a ferocious expression on his face and my mom's face plastered in disappointment.

        "ARRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHH" I shrieked, laced with fear and revulsion. With that, my pretty head broke down for the first time of my senior high life.