I'm now standing in front of the door of my favorite place ever.
That's me if I lied.
I was seriously debating whether I should show up to detention or not but I don't want to risk getting in even more trouble if I didn't show up.
It's going to be a painful tension in the air the for both of us but maybe we can actually get the chance to clear things up.
That's if she doesn't place all the blame on me.
Instead of knocking and feeling myself start to sweat everytime I hear her footsteps coming closer, I just open the door myself.
I already know it's unlocked. She always leaves it unlocked at the end of the day.
"Nice of you to knock Ms. Oliver." She looks up at me trying to get some sort of reaction out of me but I don't budge.
No matter how angry I am at her, I still sit in my usual seat right in front of her desk.
I throw my backpack down on the floor and sit down in my seat, my back slowly sliding down the head of the chair.
"Well. I'm actually surprised you decided to show up today. Then again, I think you're pretty predictable when it comes to me."
It's so hard to keep a straight face right now and not tell her off but I am somehow managing to keep my straight face on. This bitch annoys me so much but I'm not going to give her the satisfaction I know she's craving right now.
"Please Ms. Reed, can we just get this over with."
I say that more as a statement than a question because I seriously do not want to deal with her right now.
"Fine." She stops looking at her computer and turns to me. "Let's talk about why you are here."
Fuck me.
Her eyes lock on to mine. No matter how many times we lock eyes, she is still the most unreadable person I have ever known. But right now, I can tell she's waiting for me to say something.
Waiting for me to owe her an apology.
Or maybe for me to argue with her.
But I don't.
Instead, I look at her, and won't stop looking at her until she speaks again.
"You don't take this class seriously, Jules. I'm sick of it."
I let out a humorless laugh. Is she serious?
"You outdid yourself with this one Ms. Reed. That's why I'm here? Because I don't take P.E. seriously?! Who does?!"
Ms. Reed exhales slowly, trying her best to remain calm. "You're here because as always, you were late."
I adjust myself in my seat and sit straight up. "Right. That's all you wanted me in here for to talk about. Nothing else."
I turn left and look out the window for a moment but I can still feel her clench her jaw.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I shrug. "Nothing. Just thought it was funny because there were a lot of people late today, and everyday since the first day of school and I've been the only one in here."
The room is silent.
I turn back to her. I see her face. I can tell she wants to deny what I just said but we both know that I'm right.
She shifts in her seat as she crosses her arms on her desk. "You're here because I make the rules and as expected, you don't follow them."
Does this bitch think she's doing something?
I roll my eyes for the second her attention isn't towards me. "Of course, because your name is Principle Reed and not Ms. Reed"
It's not Mrs. Either.
Ms. Reed smirks for a moment then puts on the most serious face I have ever seen. "Get to work."
"What? What work?"
She looks down at my chest area and her eyes meet mine again.
"Your essay. The essay you owe me."
My face is blank.
Pretty sure you don't write essays in gym class.
"What essay?"
Ms. Reed stands up from her seat and I see her grab a piece of loose leaf paper and slam it on my desk. "The apology essay you owe me and the team for leaving Texas unannounced."
This bitch can't be serious right now.
I scoff. "You're joking."
She raises an eyebrow at me.
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
I'm gripping the sides of my seat the hardest I can to make sure my hands don't turn into a fist and attack her. Thankfully, Ms. Reed returns back to her seat. "Wait. You actually think I owe you and 'the team' an apology?"
I see Ms. Reed's eyes grow wide for a moment, telling me she was definitely a little shocked at what I said.
Her brows furrow. "You don't?!"
I am seriously trying my hardest to control myself right now.
"What exactly do I owe you and the team an apology for? For leaving when no one cared that I was even there in the first place?"
She's biting her lip, probably to stop herself from yelling at me. But I'm not done speaking.
"You want me to go sit down and write an apology essay for people who didn't even notice I was gone? People like you?!" I lean forward in my seat, frustrated as hell. "Sorry, did my actions hurt your ego?"
Her lips part just slightly for a brief second, almost like she's been caught. Like maybe I accidentally struck something deeper. But that face is gone just as fast as it was there. Now placed with frustration.
"This isn't about me Jules." She emphasizes my name. "This is about you abandoning your team."
"Oh please Ms. Reed. We both know damn well that this is about you."
Ms. Reed stands up from her seat so fast. "Watch it, Jules."
"Or what?" Now I snap back and stand up from my seat. "Gonna give me more months of detention?! Another essay? What is it that you want from me?!"
Her chest rises then falls and I notice her fingers gripping the edge of her desk as tightly as she can that the veins in her hands are popping out. Hot.
There's just silence.
She doesn't say anything in return.
The silence stretches between us. Both of us frozen like we're mannequins, neither of us backing down.
I swear I see something flicker in her expression but she looks away before I can even figure out what it might be.
"Sit down, Oliver." She returns her gaze to me and is now rubbing her temple in circular motions as if I gave her a headache. I probably did. "You're not leaving this room until you start writing. Got it?"
I'm still so mad but I'm not going to argue. Only because I need a moment to breathe. To figure out what the fuck I had just went through.
I sit back down, sinking into my chair, and grabbing a pencil from my backpack.
I'm focused staring on the blank paper in front of me but I can hear Ms. Reed sitting back down as well.
As much as she won't admit it, I think she's just as tired of fighting as I am.
The silence in the air lingers but this time it feels a little different. Lighter. Less suffocating.
I sigh, tapping my pencil rhythmically with the shaking of my left leg.
"You know," I look up at Ms. Reed who isn't looking at me. "If you wanted me to write an essay so badly, you could've just asked me nicely."
What is this confidence I'm gaining?
Ms. Reed exhales sharply, almost like it's a laugh. But of course, she's hiding it pretty damn well. She shakes her head, leaning back in her chair.
"I'll keep that in mind for the next time you decide to disappear without saying a word to anybody."
I roll my eyes but I don't say anything in return.
Instead, I decide to just stare intensely at the paper on my desk.
I seriously don't know what the fuck to write or where to even start.
Ms. Reed shifts in her seat and for the first time in what feels like forever, her face and voice is softer. "Just write something Jules. It doesn't have to be perfect. I'm not asking for a 5 page essay, just something."
I glance up at her. Her face doesn't seem cold, it seems understanding.
I return to looking at my paper and finally begin to write my name. "Be grateful if you get even get one paragraph."
Ms. Reed doesn't say anything for a second.
I'm looking at the paper but I can feel her eyes looking at me.
"Noted." She says finally. I look up at her, I see the smallest curve at the end of her lips curving up. Almost a smile.
Maybe this detention and the rest of my detention days won't be as excruciating as I thought coming into today.