UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(10)

Everything about Mrs. Porter was a throwback to some other era and time. Even her antique candy bowl that sat on her desk with ancient uneaten candy corn seemed forlorn and out of place amongst the high tech gadgetry of the school and classroom.

Mrs. Porter had been with the school since they first opened and refuses to retire, which is why she only teaches homeroom or study hall. Her teaching methods are so far outdated that she makes VHS tapes seem modern. Mrs. Porter has never touched a DVD player, TV, or computer. While other teachers have moved onto video chat guest speakers and live televised distant learning, Mrs. Porter has literally been left in the Stone Age. But there is one thing that Mrs. Porter does and does well, it is discipline. She prides herself on handing out the most detention slips and tardy notices, explaining that the other teachers had gone soft which is why our country is on the verge of rotting away underneath their feet.

Mina shrunk into her seat, crumpling the tardy notice and stuffing it into her pocket. It wasn’t fair that she was always late, most of the time it was out of her control. Biting her lip, she tried to study her Algebra notes when a persistent foot kept nudging her Converse shoe. Mina looked up into the excited eyes of Nan. Nan always sat across the aisle from her and was being very careful to mouth her words so as not to be overheard.

“Have you heard? Assembly about you,” she mouthed.

“What?” Mina said audibly. Quickly she ducked her head and buried it in her notebook, just as Mrs. Porter swung around at the noise. The woman may be old, but she had hearing like a bat. Mina pretended to scribble in her book and out of the corner of her eye she watched as Nan pursed her lips and tapped her pencil on her book as if solving a complicated problem. Mrs. Porter scanned the room for the noise and then turned her back and continued her writing.

Nan blew out a breath of air that made her bangs float in the air before resting nonchalantly on her cheek. Her hair always looked effortless. She raised her eyebrow at Mina as if waiting for a response. Mina glanced at the back of her teacher and shook her head.

Nan scribbled in her notebook and flipped up the edge so Mina could see what she wrote. News reporters, photographers, media in the gym.

Mina's brows furrowed in confusion. “Why?” she mouthed quietly this time.

Nan gave an exasperated head bob that could only mean one word, duh, and began scribbling in her notebook. This time only three words appeared on the lined paper.

You and Brody!

Mina's head began to shake back and forth in disbelief. This was exactly the kind of debacle she was afraid would happen. What if her mom found out and made them move?

Nan rolled her eyes and began nodding her head in affirmation.

Mina glared at Nan and shook her head violently, as if by this motion she could deny what Nan had said. Maybe she was joking.

Nan widened her eyes, pinched her lips and grinned while nodding further. If someone else looked at Mina and Nan right then they would have seen two bobble heads at war with each other.

Nan stopped nodding and scribbled in her notebook and held it for Mina to read. “Promise me that I get an insider’s scoop later.”

Mina whispered, “okay.”

Nan used her hand to cross her on heart. Mina smiled and did the same, the whole while shaking in her shoes. With a few more quick notes, Mina was able to discern what she had missed by being late that morning. Apparently an announcement had been made over the speakers and the assembly would take place during second period in the gym.

What was supposed to be a glorifying rally seemed more like an executioner’s sentence. Why couldn't she be more like other kids and enjoy these things? Instead she was terrified and tried to think of ways to escape. Maybe she could feign sickness and go home. One look at Mrs. Porter sitting in her desk made Mina realize the futility of that plan. She would definitely make her tough it out or maybe even go so far as to escort her to the nurse’s office herself. Any other period and she knew she would be able to come up with some excuse and slip out unnoticed. Her only other option would be to leave as soon as the bell rang.

The forty-five minute class seemed to drag on and Mina gave up trying to study for her algebra class. Her eyes began to water from staring at the clock for so long. Mina had actually grabbed her bag and was moving toward the door one second before the bell sounded.

Yes! Mina escaped the room, turned right down the hallway toward the exit when she walked right into Principal Hame.

“Ah, Mina! Just the person we were looking for. Please come with me.” His heavy hand on her shoulder felt like an iron manacle snapping around her neck. She watched someone exit the school doors and the sound of them closing reverberated in her ears, similar to a jail door being shut with finality. Mina winced.

“Um, Principal Hame, I'm not feeling well this morning and think it would be beneficial if I went home, immediately.” She tried to slump her shoulders and look sick.

“You can't leave now. We have something very special planned for you.” He brushed off her terrible acting and shuffled toward the office, pulling her alongside him. In the background, Mina heard the noise of lockers being shut and the excitement of students moving toward the gym. They loved any excuse to skip a class.

Principal Hame guided Mina into his office and had her sit in one of the chairs facing his desk. His office was decorated with pigs and lots of them. Ceramic pigs, pig bobble heads, a Hog Heaven monthly calendar. Everywhere you looked there were pigs, mostly because his secretary gifted him with a pig decoration every bosses day, Christmas and birthday. Mina wasn't surprised at the pig decor; she had been in Principal Hame’s office on numerous occasions. They creeped her out at first and the ones dressed as clowns needed to be burned and shot. Mina knew she was a lost cause for tardiness when she began naming the pigs. She stared dejectedly at a ceramic pig with a red polka dot tie perched on Principal Hame’s desk. This one she named Lucky, because he was the least stupid looking of the collection.