Kingdom of Arzialla by Marilyn Arias (story reading txt) 📕

He shook his head and made it obvious that he knows she’s guilty. He faces me. “Now, Miss Yetzer. Taylor has told me that you’ve called her a slut and then kicked her in the shin.”
“Well, yes. But it wasn’t like that. She asked me if I wanted to ‘go potty’,” I made the quotation marks with my index and middle fingers, quoting Taylor, “and I decided to be sarcastic and told her ‘no, I’m just here to join you guys and be a slut’. And then when she burned me with the cigarette, that’s when I kicked her.”
“Well, you still cursed and hit someone so I’m going to have to keep you in the ISS room for a day,” he told me.
“But, I--” I started saying in defense but then he gave me a look that said “would you like to add into your punishment?” I began feeling anger but kept it all in and slumped back into my seat with my arms crossed. I could see Taylor giving me a look that showed that I haven’t completely won this battle but then her face shifted to something frightened when I glanced at her.

So I received one day of indoor suspension while Taylor got two weeks of outdoor suspension from starting a fight, burning a student, smoking in the restrooms, wearing clothes that’s against dress-code and for technically skipping class. Since Jason harshly slapped Taylor, he’ll be suffering three days of outdoor suspension.

My first day in the ISS room was boring. I wasn’t allowed to at the least bit slouch down, put my head down, sit on the chair sideways, or anything of the sort. You weren’t allowed to read, talk, doodle, write notes, etc. Basically, all they had you do was quietly sit straight on your seat and wait for the day to pass. I couldn’t see how anybody like Taylor could continue being a troublemaker and spend time here…

The next day comes and I’m back in class. My first class was Biology and, like always, the teacher isn’t there to start the day right away. The seat next to mine was empty since Jason is in OSS but something made my heart dance but my brain confused. A single red rose sat on my desk. Honestly, my favorite flower is the pink Tiger Lily but I couldn’t complain since I barely ever get any flowers from anybody. I pick it up and I found a note being tied onto one of the leaves. I flipped it open to find “Here’s Something Beautiful For An Angel That’s Hurt. Hope Your Burn Feels Better” written in decent handwriting. I flip the note over and over again to find a name but didn’t find any.
I showed it to Caitlin, Megen and Chris later that day and they all went crazy with awe.
“How cute! I’m so jealous,” Caitlin said.
“Do you think it’s from Jason?” Megen asked.
“Yup,” Chris replied, examining the note. “No doubt about it. That’s his handwriting.”
“Chris, you’re so creepy! You even pay attention to his handwriting?” I asked him.
He just shrugged and smiled like he doesn’t know how to respond.
“Can’t he get in trouble?” Megen asked.
“Why?”
“Well… He technically trespassed school property. You can’t do that while you’re suspended,” she explained.
I thought about it. He risked his chances of getting more in trouble just to send me a rose?

Three school days passed and I sat in Biology with my head down, tired from waiting for the teacher to arrive.
“You okay?” a familiar voice asked me. I looked up to find Jason there. I shot up and sat up straight.
“Yeah!” I said. Why am I such a dope…?

He chuckled and settled down onto his seat. “How’s you’re burn?”

I touched the scab with my fingers. “It’s getting better.”
“Can I see?”
I looked at him and hesitated before pulling the collar of my shirt down and peeling the bandage off. All you can see is a single reddish-brown dot on my collar bone.
He sighed. “I’m sorry that happened. She can be a bit of a bitch once in a while.”
“How do you know Taylor?” I asked him.
“She’s my ex,” he grinned.
“Oh…”
“Alright, class!” Ms. Burkey finally arrives. “Please, be seated.”

Ms. Burkey has been explaining plant photosynthesis for ten minutes now when a note flies onto my desk. I looked at Jason to find his chin leaning against his hand, acting like he didn’t just pass a note. I opened it to read “Will you go out with me to the Homecoming Dance?”
Homecoming Dance is about three weeks away and I wasn’t originally planning on going. I looked at him and thought about it until I took my mechanical pencil and wrote “I’ll think about it”.

“Are you excited?” Caitlin asks as she curls my hair with a hot curling iron.
“I’m more nervous than excited, honestly,” I replied.
“Oh, don’t be. You’ll be fine. You’re going to be with one of the most hottest guys in school! What’s there to--”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m scared you’ll embarrass me in front of him,” I interrupted her.
“Pffft, thanks,” she said like she was hurt from what I said.
“Well, it’s true!”
“When have I ever embarrassed you?” she asked.
I spun my head around to look at her with an are-you-kidding-me glare.
“Hey, I’ve scared you, acted silly around you, and maybe broken a couple things,” she said.
“Yeah, in which I’m sometimes ashamed to call you my cousin,” I kidded. Her sentence echoed in my head and then I realized what she said. “And a couple?”
“Okay, maybe a couple too many,” she giggled.
All of a sudden, the doorbell rings.
I gasp. “He’s early.”
“I’ll get it! Try to finish you’re hair as much as possible until I get back,” she told me before shutting the door behind her and leaving me alone. I know nothing of styling hair other than taking mousse and just scrunching it onto my hair so I left my hair alone and waited for her to return. I just stared at myself in the mirror and studied my hair. It has turned a bit more orange than strawberry blond in the past years and I’ve let my bangs grow a bit. I need to cut them sometime soon…
Five minutes passed and Caitlin finally came back.
“Why didn’t you do anything?” she asked, rushing to my side and continuing with where she left off.
“I don’t know how to use that thing!” I told her.
“All you got to do is take a chunk of hair, wrap it around the barrel, hold it there for ten seconds and then release,” she explained. “Simple as that.”
“Oh, shush and finish with my hair.”
She was done with it within about five minutes since all she had to do left was the top layer of my head. She already did both our makeup. I looked at her and realized she hasn’t styled her hair at all.
“You’re not going to do you’re hair?” I asked her.
She just grabbed a comb, pulled her hair up in a ponytail and started teasing her ponytail until it looked like one birds nest. It literally didn’t even take her two minutes to do that. She just shook her choppy bangs and clipped a plastic black rose onto her edgy, messy ponytail. Her black, lacy dress was all frilly and dark, like her personality. She wore purple tights and sexy black boots.
Mine was a strapless dress that reached my knees with tons of waves and sparkle. I wore a necklace that had tons of silver beads and it covered almost my entire collar bone. I wanted to hide the burn and Caitlin found it just lying around in her room.
I rush out of my room and tried to go down the stairs in silver high-heels. I honestly don’t know how Taylor and her group can wear these hooker-heels. They’re so hard to manage, especially going down the stairs.
Jason was sitting on the sofa, reading a book that I left on the coffee table. The sounds of my heels immediately caught his attention when I came into the room.
“You read?” I asked him, surprised.
“Nah. I was just bored and that was there,” he said. He wasn’t being sarcastic or anything.
My face dropped a bit…
“Well, let’s go,” I told him.
“Not so fast,” my father came in from the kitchen. He was holding a camera…
“Oh, Dad. No, come on,” I said.
“Oh, just a few,” he said, taking a random picture without even focusing. The flash startled me and blinded my vision.
I rubbed my eyes. “Dad! That hurts my eyes.”
“Oh, really?” he took another.
I gave him a dirty look. I wasn't even sure if I was looking at him though.
“Does it really hurt your eyes?” he asked, checking the lens like the flash is going to be in them. Derp much?

“I feel fine,” Jason said with his hands in his pocket.

“Anna is just a sensitive little baby,” Caitlin said as she swung an arm over my shoulder.
“I’m not,” I protested.
Dad took another sudden picture. My eyes seriously burn now.
“Dad!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll take off the flash,” he said, disappointed.
I rolled my eyes. Jason looked at me and his eyebrows moved closer together for a slight moment with an expression of confusion and fright. Am I really that scary when I’m annoyed?
“Okay, group picture,” he told us. Jason slid his arm around my waist and Caitlin kept her arm around my shoulders. A sudden shiver traveled up my spine as soon as his fingers brushed my back. Dad looked at the screen of the digital camera and waited for it to focus. “Ready? Say cheese!”
We didn’t really say “cheese” but we did smile. The camera gave out a shuttering sound and didn’t flash. Thankfully.
“Alright, now one with the girls,” he said.
Jason stepped away and, with merriment, Caitlin instantly wrapped her arms around my arms. I went with it and gave her a gentle hug.
“Okay, say cheese,” he said. We smiled and he took another picture. “Alright, now the couple.”
Caitlin pouted and walked away as I scolded Dad for calling me and Jason a couple. Jason came in close and placed his arm back around my waist. I felt awkward just standing there with my arms just hanging there so I put my arm behind his back.
Dad didn’t look entirely happy with how Jason purposefully posed with me but he stayed quiet and took the picture after we smiled.
“Alright, have fun,” Dad told us.
“We’ll try,” Caitlin said just as we were going out the door.

Jason drove us to the Homecoming Dance. Yes, he’s sixteen as a sophomore and he can drive. Isn’t that so cool?! Anyways, I sat at the passenger’s seat and Caitlin sat at the back. Like always, she would not sit still.
“These seats are so comfy!” she said as she bounced up and down on her seat.
“Are you even wearing your seatbelt?” I asked her.
“Maybe,”