The Big Bang

Chapter 4 - Junkie

For all my luck, it seems that Keith will be around for all my classes. There he is again wearing his own PE uniform, with a gray, fit-sized shirt and gray, white lined shorts. His body was toned, easily seen because of the skin-measured size of his shirt. He noticed me again and waved a hand in my direction. The dude simply doesn't get the message.

I was stretching my arms after being instructed by this overweight woman in her forties, Mrs. Racoon. She was wearing a larger size of our PE clothes except hers are pants and not shorts. She was holding a list of some sort where all the warm ups that we needed to do were written. I was doing a basic stretch, one where I needed to point out my right arm while it is carried by the left arm when Cass suddenly whizzed by me. I didn’t even notice the damned ginger.

“Yo b***h,” Cass says in a high pitched and childish voice. I was shocked by the use of language.

“Honey, who the hell taught you that,” I say as I switch the left arm to the right.

“No one. I just hear it from Dory sometimes,” she says proudly. She now tries to duplicate my exercise, failing terribly because she cannot decide what was right and left.

“Nice nickname, bud,” I say.

“Yeah, we named 'im after the fish. Y’know tha’one? The one wit' no brains?”

The girl talked like a child. I was in no position to know why so I just continued the warm ups.

“You're 'ot,” Cass says out of the blue.

“Excuse me?”

“I said yer'‘ot. Better than Dev actually,” Cass says, having a hard time pronouncing the last word.

“Thanks kid,” I say. Not like I do any exercises at all. Maybe because of my parent's genes? Atleast I finally got something good with them and not just the dumb blonde and the ocean blue eyes.

“Not a kid,” Cass says, insulted by the word.

“Thanks woman,” I reply laughing.

“Not a woman,” Cass says, this time laughing too.

To this, the fat coach walks near us while looking at her list.

“Cassie, sweety, you're doing it wrong. You need to put this on top of this,” She says as she does it for Cassie to replicate.

“Thanks Mama Bear,” Cass says.

“Uh-huh,” Mrs. Racoon says non-comittedly. She was now looking at me.

“Nice job, honey, but you need to curve your waist a little bit,” and so I followed.

The lesson for today was hip hop dance. Weird. I thought they never taught that in class.

After a brief explanation of its history in America, Mrs. Racoon showed us a diagram of basics. Popping was the first one. It came from California. It is comprised of quickly contracting then relaxing a certain muscle. Dancing wasn't one of my fortes, so I simply copied the dance step.

Mrs. Racoon then opened a radio player that instantly blew a series of beats in 4/4 signature, with no lyrics or rhythmic progression. We were dancing to this beat, I realized. I was popping my left and right shoulder, looking like a duck, when I saw what Cass was up to.

On my right, there was a duck that escaped from a preschool talent convention to a high school PE class. She was trying hard to pop, but her elbows just kept on joining it. She had a face that wanted to just do the right thing though, judging from her angry eyebrows and determined face. Finally, when her energy was depleted, she sat on the grass comically on her butt.

“This sucks. I’m not tryna’ be a ‘ip-‘op dancer,” she says, with the energy of a child who wasnt able to eat breakfast.

“Do you want a drink or something?” I offer her while I was pointing my left and right elbow simultaneously to its direction to follow the class.

“Nice dance Odette,” Keith says from a distance. I rolled my eyes.

“You can speak for yourself,” I say. He wasn’t so bad, but I just lacked enough words to banter him with. I watched as Mrs. Racoon praised him because of his moves. Gratified asshole.

“Coke please,” Cass says, emphasizing the please.

I sneaked for a while to get my bag by the side of the grass. I took the still-cold coke from lunch that I took when I was going to class.

I handed it over to Cass, who greedily took it in a second. It didn’t last three seconds before she gulped the whole thing. Her throat bobbed and instantly, she was jittering. Like a druggie, her eyes opened wide and she instantly smiled, her lips reaching her cheeks. What was up with this kid?

With the air of a maniac in frenzy, she instantly stood up and copied the dance move that was currently being taught. It was now the part where we have to rotate ourselves. I copied the step and turned for one spin.

However, crazy Cass was too excited, doing the same thing over and over for five times and more. She was swirling out of control now.

“This is soooo fun!” She says, like a child in a field trip.

“Odee, what happened to your pet?” Keith asks, this time with concern. He walked near us to study the situation.

“I don't know! I just gave her coke and now she's acting like this.” I tried to stop Cass from swirling, but the monkey grabbed my arm and freed herself. She was now swirling uncontrollably and shouting,

“Bitchesssssss” in a loud and deep voice (or as deep as her voice can get). Damn, this girl has balls. A lot of it.

With that, she was now attracting attention, garnering laughs from my classmates and from the nearby soccer team.

“New girl, hey, what’s up with her?” Mrs. Racoon approaches us and the dance class is paused for a while. Now, everybody in the class was looking.

“Oh my god Cass, stop,” I say as I try to calm her by patting her head repeatedly.

“Lady, who do you think you are?” She asks, then laughs. She was still swirling, her ginger curls joining her dance. It was as if she was summoning a demon. I was now panicking, beads of sweat travelling down my temples. This was a disaster.

“What happened?” Mrs. Racoon asks me as she taps Cass’ shoulders.

“Lady, what the hell?” Cass says, now angry. She was now doing a series of angry, faster spins. It was dizzying to see, mixed with her constant screams of whatever curses she knew. Words like “Bitches”and other swear words came out of her mouth in high-pitch.

“I dunno. I swear, I just gave her coke and she's doing this now,” I say.

To this, the PE teacher turned her back and looked at me. She had a grave look on her face as she clarified, “You gave her coke?” this time with heat.

I didn't understand what was going on. What was wrong with giving coke to the girl?

“What was your name again?” Mrs. Racoon asks as she desperately tries to calm down the shivering psycho.

“Sundane,” I reply, trying to calm Cass down too.

“Go to Mrs. Crawford's please. Escort the girl to the clinic. I'll be there after this class.” She says angrily.

I was being sent to detention on the first day? This was all a huge mess. I tried my best to escort Cass, with her shivering badly as we walked while I was holding her elbow as gently as I could. What was happening to her? She was trembling badly but she still looked happy.

As time passed by, she got weaker and weaker. She was still saying random things, her voice suddenly getting quieter and quieter. She said her last “Asshole” before sleeping right on my shoulder.

I tried to carry the girl, but she was too heavy. Underneath that childlike proportions and voice, she was still a teen like me, and I was no weightlifting teen.

This was when Keith goes near us and flashes a smile at me. Thank goodness, the guy has some sense after all.

“Want me to carry your daughter?” Keith asks teasingly.

“Yes, please.”

In one swift motion, Keith carries Cass in a baby-like position. He had strong arms, able to carry Cass without even twitching. We were now walking by the grass.

“Y’know, she usually has this when she drinks sugar. That's why we don't give her juice or soda of any kind.” Keith says.

So that was it. Sugar hyperactivity. I didn't know that this still existed when kids finally become teens. It was a huge mistake to give Cass the coke.

We were walking by the green gardens now, with the flowers lining the stone path we were walking on. It was filled with brown, flat stones, with a little bit of blue-colored dusts sprinkled on it. The flowers lining us were simple dandelions and rosemary's. Spring is in full bloom.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t take Cass to the clinic. I got there one time with a black eye and all they made me do was sleep on the bed.” He recalls. Wow. So much for a clinical staff.

“Not even a bag of ice?” I ask with a laugh.

“Nope.” He replies, smiling.

“So what should we do with her?”

Keith thinks for a while and replies, “I'm usually the person they call when they have medical injuries during PE class, and Cass has always been the first one to have an excuse. Usually, I just make her drink water, but that's when she drinks juice. Coke is too much sugar, I guess, so we’ll have to make her drink more. Or eat.” Keith looks at me with an idea.

“What?” I ask him.

“We’ll go to the cafeteria.” He says.

“Okay. Will you bring Cass?” I ask.

“Nope. I'm just gonna lay her for a bit here, by the bench. She likes it that way.” Keith says as he lays the cat-like girl on the bench. Cass intakes two fast inhales of breath and then instantly sleeps again.

“So, are you like her dad or something?” I asked teasingly. He seemed like a nice guy, totally far from the asshole image he was showing me earlier.

“Yup, I guess so. Want to be her mom?” He asks flatly.

My cheeks instantly blushed at that. He immediately noticed and said, “Don't get the wrong idea. I know you have a crush on me and all, but she just likes calling her friends like this.”

“Is being a narcissist a qualification?” I ask.

“Yep, and a good body and mind to suffice.” He replies.

“We'll see.” I say. The girl was really a kid then. I wonder what he calls Stacey and Dory though.

We were now walking by the kitchen and I observed the remaining food. There were bits and pieces of lunch food still waiting to be taken.

Keith breathes for a second then says, “Okay, first things first, find either an avocado or anything with garlic to lower her sugar level.”

“Look at this smart nerd.” I say teasingly. I immediately looked at the selection of food.

There was garlic bread at one side, but I sidelined it for the avocado available in whole. I asked the lunch lady to split it in half, who gave me an evil look, and we immediately ran back to Cass.

When we returned, she was still sleeping peacefully. I tapped her gently on the shoulder for her to wake up. She yawned and stretched like nothing happened earlier.

“Odeeeee.” She says as she hugs me. I hugged her back and gave her the avocado.

“What this for?” She says. She was still groggy and weak. Like a baby, she had an ugly face when she was trying to close her eyes and open it again.

“Just eat it.” I say. I gave her a spoon to scoop the fruit with.

She looks around the view and sees Keith. Her eyes immediately lighted.

“Hi Daddy!” She says as she excitedly waves at him.

“Yo Cass.” He says, smiling. He had a gleam in his eyes as he did. Totally Dad material.

Cass takes her first scoop out of the avocado with a loud slurp. Keith and I watched her as she delightfully eats the fruit with fervor and joy. She was truly a kid, as it seems.

We made her stand up and throw the empty avocado skin at the garbage can.

“Let’s go to Mrs. Crawford’s now, shall we?” Keith offers her shoulder to Cass. She happily takes it. We walked to the guidance room on the second floor with gentle steps.

As we approached it, I observed that it had a brown door and brown interior. It was like an office room, only with a wooden desk that had a vase of purple flowers and a picture frame of a three-member family, a thin, tall, and pale woman, whom I assumed was Mrs. Crawford, a man with obvious daddy weight, and a thin woman, who I recognized as Stacey. Damn, I was friends with the guidance counselor’s daughter. They were all wearing corporate clothes and a smile on their faces. They looked happy, totally opposite with my family. I don’t think that we even had a family picture taken ever.

The walls were decorated with a view of a mountain in winter to accentuate the contrast between the blue of the paint and the brown of the wallpaper. The wallpaper had simple wooden lines that replicated the natural lines of a tree. There was window on the left side which showcased the view of the grounds where were at earlier and a seat from far away. It was relaxing to look at, with the harmony of the color green and blue. I immediately wanted to take a picture of it, but I was reminded of the situation I was currently in.

Behind the desk sat the thin, tall woman. She had sharp features, with pouty lips, obvious cheekbones, and piercing eyes. She looked gentle but with an edge of ice. She looked up, as she was reading a book, and smiled.

“Hi, Ms?” She says as introduction. She shakes my hand as she stood up. She had a deep and scary feminine alto voice. It sounded like a cup of milk coffee mixed with broken glass. If that was in sound form.

“Sundane.” I say gently.

“Oh, you’re the new one?” She says as she sits down gently. She continues with, “Why are you in trouble?” She hands me a bowl of chocolate candy, each wrapped in red foil.

Cass tries to grab some but I immediately slap her hand gently. She sulks at me.

“Well, we were in PE class when Cass suddenly became tired. I offered her some coke and she instantly went berserk. I didn’t know that she had a condition, otherwise I wouldn’t offer her some in the first place.” I say gently.

Suddenly, the door opened and Keith stepped in theside as he was standing there earlier. An angry Mrs. Racoon entered and points at me.

“This girl just gave coke to a student. Cocaine! On her first day!” She says, steaming. She was red now, and a little bit of sweat was flowing by her temples. She used to be gentle and calm earlier, but I didn’t know she can be angry like this. And why did she call coke cocaine?

To this, I suddenly reacted.

“Cocaine? I don’t do drugs, Mrs. Racoon!” I tried to explain myself.

However, it was too late. Mrs. Crawford was now taking notes and shaking her head. She was also doing a “tsk tsk” sound.

“Give her something to do. Community service, even suspension. We don’t tolerate drugs here, Miss.” Mrs. Racoon says angrily. She gave an emphasis on the last word and walked out slowly.

“What is your age, miss?” Mrs. Crawford asks as she took notes.

“You don’t understand, Ma’am. I was talking about coke, the drink one. With the carbonated fizz and the brown color.” I tried to explain, to no avail.

“Trying to cover up, I see. Is this what the city teaches you?” She now looked for my file in her drawer. She looked at S and found my name. The city doesn’t teach drugs, it can be taught anywhere I thought. If I said that, it might raise suspicions so I just went silent.

To this, Keith entered the scene. “Mrs. Crawford I can witness for Odee and I saw that she gave a cola to Cass, not coke.” Thank God, he was trying to defend me.

“Don’t even get me started on you, Ledge.” She says, without bothering to look at Keith. She was now wearing her focals, with a pink string tied around her neck. So, it looked like had a bad reputation. However, this was too much.

“Why aren’t you listening?” I ask her this time with a bit of annoyance. I tapped the table with anger. This was unjust. She wasn’t even listening to me at all. All it took was one statement from a teacher to make her deaf.

In reply, she takes out a highlighter and highlights some parts of my paper. She hands me the paper. Written on the remarks section of the paper was “FREQUENTLY IN ACQUAINTANCE WITH GROUPS OF DELINQUENT TEENAGERS, TO BE OBSERVED”.

What the hell did my old school even wrote? My friends back then were wild, but they didn’t do anything like drugs. Sure, there were the occasional lunch food fights and stuff but it was enough to warrant a “delinquent” label. This might be the cause of their unease with me.

“I will let you pass for this time, but take note that I will definitely remember this. Now, out.” She says and then continues to read her book. An unfair woman. That was what she was.

I stomped my feet in annoyance and rose. Keith opens the door for Cass and I.

“Bullshit.” I say as tears run down in my face in the hallway. Hot, annoying, tears of anger and frustration. This was unfair and unjustified. The system here was crap.

“You’ll be having that for the rest of the school year.” Keith says in what I think was supposed to be a comforting statement. She and Cass tapped my shoulders as I unleashed a waterfall of fury.

This was a complete degradation of my character, and I didn’t even get a chance to defend myself. Now, what are people going to call me? A junkie? On the first day? Terrible.