AllFreeNovel
Share Us
19
The next day at school is business as usual; or at least it is before Kaitlyn shows up. Annalisa is at my locker before school starts when Kaitlyn walks by.
“Oh my God, what happened?” I ask Kaitlyn, genuinely concerned.
She looks terrible. She has an angry black eye that’s tinged with purples and greens, there’s a small cut in her eyebrow and her lip, and her arm is in a sling.
Even though I don’t like the girl, I’ve been there, and I know it sucks. She looks from me to Annalisa, and back at me with narrowed eyes.
“Like you don’t know,” she answers coolly before walking down the hallway.
Okay, that was weirder than usual.
“What was that about?” I ask Annalisa, who just shrugs.
We barely make it ten steps down the hall before two school officers stop us, Principal Anderson between them. I’ve only met Kaitlyn’s mom once when I first transferred to King City High. She’s a petite woman with pale skin and has the same intense eyes as Kaitlyn.
“Ms. White. Come with us.”
Annalisa and I look at each other, confused.
“Why?” she asks, eying the two school officers.
Other kids start to notice and are pausing to whisper to each other. I hear mumbles of “Wacko Anna White” and clench my fists to remind myself not to make a scene.
“Just come along. Let’s not make this harder than it has to be, Annalisa.”
Annalisa’s eyebrows are drawn together when she looks back at me, but she steps toward Principal Anderson anyway, and they make their way down the hall.
I’m left standing there confused. Why would the principal need to talk to Anna? And why would she need two officers to do it? That fact doesn’t go unnoticed as Annalisa walks down the hall with her head held high. “Wacko Anna White” is being mumbled by almost every student she passes. With nothing else to do, I send a quick text in the group chat and go to first period before the bell.
I sit with Charlotte in class, Mason and Noah in the desk behind us, and none of us can figure out what happened. It isn’t until the end of class when we’re walking to our next class that we find out. I meet Aiden at my locker as usual to get my books for calculus when Annalisa comes up to us, fuming mad, the two officers still trailing her.
“They expelled me!” she yells, the anger and irritation rolling off of her in waves as she marches toward us.
“What? Why?” I ask.
“They said I beat up Kaitlyn! Me! I didn’t touch that stupid bitch.”
Aiden’s confused. He hasn’t seen Kaitlyn yet, so I quickly tell him how we saw her this morning.
“Why did they say you did that?” he asks, eyeing the officers behind her.
“Kaitlyn sat there crying to her mother about how I ran into her Saturday night and ‘decided to attack her and beat her up for no reason other than being crazy.’ Can you believe that?! As if I wouldn’t have a reason.”
Saturday night we were all at Charlotte’s party. Well, all of us except Annalisa. She said she was checking Luke’s old bars. Did she lie to us?
“Ms. White, you need to be off school property,” one of the guards reminds her.
“I’m going!” she snaps at him, then turns back to look at us. “I’m going to have to go to Commack now. I’m going to be a Silver! This is fucked up on so many levels!”
She hits a locker beside me out of frustration and I automatically flinch. I feel Aiden’s reassuring hand rest on my waist.
“Ms. White,” one of the guards warns, and she focuses her deadly gaze on him. She’s about to unleash her wrath when Principal Anderson appears.
“You are no longer allowed on school property, Annalisa. Collect your things and leave immediately.”
Annalisa’s eye twitches. “I didn’t hit your fucking delusional daughter, and if I did, I’d own up to it because she would’ve deserved it!”
I’ve seen Annalisa mad before, but this is probably the angriest she’s ever been. Now that I know who she’s related to, it’s hard not to get flashbacks and make connections. Will she snap, like he did? Is she really capable of flipping a switch and attacking someone out of nowhere?
I shake my head. Annalisa is nothing like Tony. Just because she shares his DNA, it doesn’t mean she’s like him.
At her outburst, Principal Anderson takes a few steps back from Annalisa, and of course, all the students walking by are paying attention. This isn’t helping the rumors going around about Annalisa at all.
“We’ve been over this. It’s your word against hers. And given the fact that it’s no secret you’re prone to outbursts, especially toward my daughter, as attested to by multiple students, it’s obvious that you’re lying. You’re lucky we’re not pressing charges. Now, please collect your things and remove yourself from school property.”
