Ella's Twisted Senior Year(51)

Something weird happens when we walk into the school. Usually Mondays are sluggish. Students file through the hallways like zombies, running on too little sleep from the weekend. Today, the hallways seem to light up as I walk by. I’m high fived, whooped to, and given smirky half-smiles as if I share a secret with every other person who looks at me.

“Are you noticing this?” I whisper to Ella.

She nods and chews on her bottom lip. “It’s because of the shirts.”

“It has to be,” I say, noticing the same thing she is. A sea of navy blue crazy ex-girlfriend recipe shirts. They’re everywhere.

An Asian guy I’ve never spoken to waves at me as I walk by. He points to his shirt. “You’re a badass, man,” he says.

“Thanks,” I say back, glancing at Ella.

“Well I do know one thing,” Ella says.

“What’s that?”

A flash of something conspiratorial crosses her face. “I think it’s safe to say you won this war.”





Chapter 28





Something happens on the walk to second period. A chill courses through the air, lightning zaps across the sky and the all of the happiness is taken away forever. Okay, maybe it’s not that dramatic.

But I can feel it in the air: Kennedy is back in school today.

Maybe it’s the way people are looking at me, like they’re worried for my safety, or maybe it’s all that bad karma finally coming to get me for the dog joke I typed online. Whatever the case, I slip into second period and slide into my desk, suddenly dying for the day to be over. For the whole school year to be over. I don’t exactly know how I know, but I do—Kennedy is back in school and she’s more than pissed.

A girl walks into our class halfway through third period, handing a pink slip of paper to Mr. Martin. He gives a cursory glance at it and then calls my name.

I look up, hands shaking. This is it. “You’re wanted in the office,” Mr. Martin says, handing me the note. “Might want to back up your things in case it takes a while.”

I nod and try to swallow the lump in my throat. I can feel the entire class’ eyes on me as I sling my backpack over my shoulder and walk into the safe aloneness of the hallways. When I get to the office, I see Ethan sitting in a chair, staring boredly at his shoes.

He looks up when I walk in. I see the same pink note in his hand as well. I sink into a chair next to him. “Guess we’re in trouble?” I ask.

He shrugs. “We didn’t do anything at school. How much trouble could we be in?”

I wish I had his confidence. When Principal Reynolds calls us into his office a few minutes later, I’m practically causing an earthquake with how much my hands are shaking. I’ve never been in trouble before.

I smell her cloud of witch perfume before I see her and know that she’s sitting in Mr. Reynolds’ office, too. Good. We’re all in trouble.

“Have a seat,” Mr. Reynolds says. He gestures to two empty chairs across from his desk. Kennedy sits in the third one. A brief pause happens where Ethan and I have a standoff, both not wanting to sit by her. Finally, he caves.

Mr. Reynolds takes a seat behind his desk and laces his fingers together over his protruding gut. “It has come to my attention that the three of you have been participating in bullying.”

Kennedy gasps. She doesn’t look like someone who was sick all last week, but I guess no one was supposed to believe that lie anyhow. “The two of them have been bullying me!”

Mr. Reynolds holds up a hand. “Don’t act innocent, Ms. Price. I know very well what’s been happening on social media.”

Ethan clears his throat. “Then you’ll know very well that Kennedy has been bullying not only Ella but me as well, and it was completely unprovoked. All I did was break up with her, kindly I might add, and she went on a rampage.”

Mr. Reynolds’ eyes soften and he almost looks like he agrees with us. But then deep lines form in his forehead. “Mr. Poe, do you run the online webstore called Poe’s Tees?”

Ethan swallows. “What I do outside of school doesn’t matter here.”

“It does when your webstore is bullying another student.”

Kennedy crosses her arms, looking absolutely thrilled right now. I roll my eyes. “Sir, nothing on Ethan’s shop is bullying anyone. It’s all satire and humor and a few sketches of cute animals.”

Ethan jumps in. “Exactly. If you could please show me exactly which item I sell online that says someone’s name on it directly, then I’ll be happy to agree with you. But I’m not bullying anyone.”

Mr. Reynolds chuckles. “I wish that were the case. My job would be easier. As it is, the term bullying is used to define all kinds of inappropriate actions and in the case of your store, I think we all know who exactly you are targeting with a specific T-shirt. It’s a shirt I’ve seen quite a lot in the hallways.”

“That shirt could mean anything,” I say.

Kennedy’s neck snaps around to face me. “Shut up, freak. Don’t act all innocent.”

Mr. Reynolds holds up a hand to stop her. “I have full faith that we could ask any student in this school and they would all tell you that your “ex-girlfriend” shirt is aimed at Kennedy. However, she is also not blameless as evidenced by her online social media posts.” He leans forward, pressing his thumbs together on top of the desk. “This behavior from all three of you will cease immediately.”