Forgive Me by Kateri Stanley (reading strategies book TXT) 📕

“Language, Miss Patterson!” Coach Lucy shouted. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Fucking bitch!” Stripe hissed, the palms of her hands aching as they crunched against her opponent’s face.

Lucy pulled Cameron out from under the scuffle, Stripe fell onto her backside. “Susan, go to my office this instant. Cameron, go to the changing rooms and wait for me there.”

“But Miss-” Cameron wiped her mouth, glaring at Stripe. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong, you psycho!” She lunged, thankfully some of the other girls in the class managed to restrain her.

“Go to the changing rooms now,” Lucy ordered.

Cameron stalked off, shaking the arms that were holding her. Stripe felt the overwhelming sensation of embarrassment. Every judgemental eye was peeping and she wanted the ground to swallow her up. What on earth had got into her to react so savagely?

Coach Lucy went ballistic in the office, Stripe hadn’t seen her angry before. Getting into a punch up was not worth the stress of being on a teacher’s blacklist. But Cameron had been asking for it. She aimed the ball purposely at her head, to upset her. Stripe was defending herself, anybody in the same predicament would’ve done the same.

After the avalanche of shouting, Stripe was told to change and go to the principal’s office. A place she'd never been to, she’d tut when she saw the other kids sitting outside with their heads stooped in shame. I’m one of them now. On the other side of the barbed wire fence.

She felt sick as she saw Cameron waiting outside there too. “Thanks for giving me a swollen lip,” she uttered poisonously.

“You started it.”

Principal Charlotte opened the door to her office. She wore a disguise of pure dissatisfaction. She didn’t need words; her expression could stop anyone in their tracks.

“Miss Storms, Miss McLachlan, come inside,” she ordered sternly.

Stripe wanted to cry when she saw her mother sitting in front of Charlotte’s desk. Coach Lucy was also in the office standing by the window with her arms crossed.

Charlotte indicated to the girls to sit and they did. Stripe could feel her mother's gaze burning into her skull. Fuck, I’m dead meat.

“Now, I’ve spoken to both of your parents and informed them of what happened earlier today. I am thoroughly disappointed in both of you.” Charlotte stared at Stripe and Cameron. “You are brilliant students and this happens! You’re graduating next year!”

“I understand,” Stripe whispered. “I’m really sorry, Principal. It won’t happen again.”

“I hope you mean it, Miss McLachlan.”

“I do.”

“My daughter never gets into fights, Principal Charlotte,” Beverley McLachlan said with passion and a sliver of awkwardness.

“Neither does my daughter,” Cameron’s mother replied coldly.

Oh puh-lease, Stripe wanted to say. She’s always getting into trouble. She never does her fighting in school hours so this shit doesn’t happen. Shows how much you know.

“Regardless, there have to be rules and punishments laid out,” Charlotte said.

Stripe got herself ready for the worst; she was trying her hardest not to cry.

“What do you think, Coach Lucy? What should Susan’s detention consist of?”

Lucy leaned in on the debate. “Cameron threw the ball at her head before the fight. I saw her do it. Cameron deserves to be punished just as much as Susan.”

Stripe saw Cameron attempting to protest but was coaxed quietly by her mother. She felt a wash of relief and utter praise for Lucy, but within a couple of seconds, her worry seeped back making her want to cry all over again.

“From the sounds of it, you both need to be punished.” Charlotte ruffled the papers in front of her. “Cameron, I don't appreciate your act of smugness and Susan, you should know better. A whole week of cleaning the gym after school.”

Shit, I was hoping it would be writing the ‘I must nots.’ Why do we need to clean? Doesn’t the janitor do that? Another thought slithered into Stripe’s head. It’s so you can suffer.

“Starting from today.”

Double shit.

Charlotte smiled suddenly. “And you will both do it…together.”

“You two need to learn about the importance of team work,” Lucy added.

“But Principal-”

“No buts. I’ve made up my mind. You can leave now. Go back to class,” Charlotte said. “Mrs Storms, Mrs McLachlan you’ll need to stay behind a little longer as there is some paper work to complete. Get out, girls.”

Her authoritative voice made them stand up and Stripe was out of the door before Cameron. She heard her say something, probably some snarky comment but she was too distressed to even consider them. She reached the toilets as the tears began to fall until she heard the deafening, executing sound of the bell.

Stripe arrived at the gym after school. Cameron was already there wearing a mask of pure disdain.

“Right, it’s cleaning time.” Coach Lucy clapped her hands, indicating to the cupboard. “Wipes and cleaning products are in there. I want this floor to be spotless. Have fun and learn from this.”

“Like the fuck I will,” Cameron muttered after the coach left the gym.

Instead of wanting to scream, Stripe marched to the cupboard and got the cleaning gear. She didn’t know where or how to start, so she began scrubbing the floor, wiping back and forth. She was in detention, there was no going back now. This was her punishment. She had to experience it.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Cameron said.

“Can you just go somewhere else and stop watching me?!”

“No, you’re actually not doing it right.” Cameron walked over to her. “Do you even know how to clean? Wipe the floor like you're cleaning your car!”

“I don’t drive.”

“I know you don’t. I can tell.” Cameron snatched the wipes and started to scrub the floor vigorously. “See, watch this.”

Only a few hours before, Cameron performed a cocky notion by humiliating her in front of the whole class. Now, she was being helpful. What’s her deal?

Stripe knelt by Cameron, worrying it was some sort of trap and she’d start hitting her. She kept her distance and began to copy the cleaning style.