Santi: The Devil's Pioneer

Chapter 25 - We Meet in Detention

    The day was over. As it turns out I only had two classes in the afternoon, and it was with Emman and Emily. It sailed pretty smoothly. Except that they had different reactions to my encounter with a certain bully.

Emman was furious with me. What was with me taking on a huge person when one punch from Kirk could seriously injure me. I think he didn’t hear he did punch me.

Emily, on the other hand, was furious with Kirk and impressed with me. Just as I thought she would be.

“I can’t believe you took him down though. The hallway was sparkling with rumors that you were a drug addict on steroids that’s why you were able to know him down.” She laughs. “What a drag though, you got detention, too.”

“It’s all right. It was actually pretty cool of Debbie Reynolds to side with me.” I tell her. We were making our way down to the detention room. As it turns out, we were both called for detention.

“Right? Right? She does look a lot like Debbie Reynolds. All that hair, and that posture? At her age, she looks so majestic. Just a little boring, if you ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you, Ms. Jones.” Debbie Reynolds says from behind us. Yes, I’ve already forgotten her name. She wasn’t that essential to my narrative, anyways.

“Hey, Mrs. Carter, I didn’t see you there,” She nervously laughs. “Well, we better get going.” She says, grabbing my arm towards the room we were stopped in front of.

We take a seat in front of the room since all the others were occupied. This was a busy day for this institution.

“Yes, Miss Jones, hurry along to the same room I’m heading.” Mrs. Carter smirks as she enters the room, placing her books on the desk.

“Wait, what?” Emily says in confusion.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I am Mrs. Carter, and I will be substituting for Mr. Reynolds today. He’s feeling a little unwell, you see.” She spoke her last line, directly looking at the ashamed Emily.

“Detention for today will go as long as an hour. No talking and no phones.”

Well, that was easy considering I had no phone. And when you spend your whole life living with demons, you pretty much get used to not talking.

But Emily was heartbroken and let out a groan.

“I can’t believe we’re still in this era where we try to force our beliefs on others. What a shame, Debbie. What a shame.” She fake revolts to Mrs. Carter who grins at her.

“Speak again and it’ll earn you an extra hour here, Miss Jones.” She says with a sweet smile plastered across her face.

I look around the room to see that it was pretty full. Moreover, in the last row where the rest of Emily’s friend group. Emman, Kiki, and Peter. Peter whispers something to Kiki to which he responds with a laugh. They see me looking at them, and waves.

Emily turns around to look at them and waves back. How was this even possible?

Our one hour of detention eventually passes by. The bell rings and the students scramble out.

“Here’s to hoping I never see your faces here again.” Mrs. Carter raises her tumbler full of water and lemon slices. “Though I’m sure you’ll be back again, you trouble-makers.” She spits under her breath.

We leave the room in complete disarray. I follow Emily as she walks down the hallway, heading to the quadrangle.

“Well, that was a fun hour.” She laughs as she faces me.

“How did you all get yourselves in detention?” I questioned as the three boys approached us.

“Pretty easy, not a proud moment though.” Peter answers.

“Basically anything you do here can get you into detention. You just have to make sure the right people are looking at you.” Kiki explains which did not explain anything.

Why would they purposely get themselves detention?

Oh, wait.

“Did you get yourselves in detention to accompany me?” I ask them, bewildered. Sure, detention didn’t exist in Hell, but I had known it wasn’t a place to bond with friends. Or so I thought?

“Busted,” Emily raises her hands in confession. “We knew it was your first day, and the school’s a little tough. Besides, it’s not like we can leave you.”

“It was also some sort of solidarity against Kirk. Who knows what he might’ve tried on you in detention?” Emman says, clearly out of concern, so I don’t react to it.

Their intentions were good, even if it was a little misguided. I can handle myself at all times.

“Thanks, you guys. I appreciate it. The school was a little tough.” I say with a smile.

“I’m gonna fetch the car,” Kiki says as he leaves the group.

“So, we wanna hear all about how you punched Kirk the jerk,” Emily says, clinging to my arm.

“And we wanna hear about how you didn’t follow as Kirk suggested and leave him alone.” Emman crosses his arms, and I do the same, facing him.

“What makes you think I’m afraid to face that bully? I’m a grown woman. I don’t have the following orders, and it’s not like I started it.” My eyebrows meet in fury. Here was Emman acting like a knight in forking armor. I don’t even need a knight in rusty armor.

“He could’ve hurt you. His punch stings.” He retorts, inching closer to me.

“I know, he did.” I inch closer, not backing down.

“He punched you?” He stops in his tracks, and his arms fall on his side. His eyebrows fall in concern. Emily rushed to my side, inspecting my body for bruises.

“Aww sweetie, that forker punched you? Where?” She said, opening up the cuff buttons on my blouse. I grab my arm away from her and fix my cuffs.

“It’s nothing. It didn’t even hurt.” I tell them.

Emman's brows cross.

“You should have told us,” Peter says in a low tone. “He’s been bullying everyone for a long time now. But he’s never hurt anyone of us. He just crossed a line.” He continues.

“Babe, I swear to you, he’s gonna get the hurting he deserves,” Emily says sympathetically with a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re overreacting. It didn’t even bother my appetite. I told you it doesn’t hurt.” I say, holding my hand on the spot he punched me. I flinched slightly, feeling it sting. It must’ve bruised.

Another lame feature of my human body, I easily bruise now.

Emman steps closer to me, seeing me wince as I touch my stomach.

Just then, Kirk arrives in his car and whistles us over.

“Let’s go for a drink,” He says with a serious tone.

“What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Emily asks as she climbs in.

Kiki opens the door to the passenger seat and motions for me to enter. Peter looks at me and nods. I continue to jump inside.

“I don’t think we should drink too much tonight. I still have a science quiz tomorrow.” Emily tells them. No one responds and I only smile at her.

The tension inside the car was growing. None of the boys had spoken since we entered. Kirk was driving along smoothly. No showing off. No speeding. Not even loudly blasted music.

Tell me, have you seen a sunset

Turn into a sunrise?

Kiss right through the night?

'Cause we should try that sometime

Hold you 'til the mornin'

Music played in the background. I didn’t understand the lyrics. I knew the language, but the words were foreign. I hadn’t seen a sunrise. Nor a sunset. I’ve never had anyone to hold me until the morning.

Ugh.

Somebody has to start speaking or I’ll continue spewing these ugly, vulnerable, and cringe thoughts.

“We still think you should have told us immediately, Santi,” Kiki speaks seriously, facing me at every other meter. “I had to hear from Emilio that that forking jerk punched you in the stomach.”

“It wasn’t your fight. It doesn’t even hurt.” I tell them, looking from Emman to Kiki. Obviously, Emman was also displeased with me.

“Yeah?” He asks and I nod. “Then show it.” And immediately, I regret nodding.

“You’re crazy,” I tell Emman to his face, rolling my eyes. Emily feigns a gasp and looks at Emman who was basically breathing smoke.

“Yeah, maybe you should. Otherwise, I have to break that jerk’s jaw.” Kiki says fiercely, stopping the car by the side of the road.

I look at them wide-eyed. Emily was on her phone. Peter, obviously trapped in an awkward situation, crossed his arms meekly. Emman looked at me with vexed eyes. Kiki faced me with a calm but indignant face.

“Santi, I think you should show them. They’re not gonna shut up with their over possessiveness unless you do and they’re sure you’re all right. It’s a matter of concern, babe. Let them win this time.” Emily speaks up.

Feeling defeated and overpowered, I raise my blouse, annoyed. I show them my abdomen which was perfectly fine.

“See? See, you jerks? I’m fine.”

“Yeah, Santi, I’m pretty sure a violet bruise means the opposite of fine.” Peter moves closer to my injury.

I look down to see a huge purple spot on my skin. It was even more evident as the skin around it was pale. It was cold to the touch, I had only noticed now. Kirk slowly moves his arm to my bruise. He looks at me, asking for permission. I nod and roll my eyes, still annoyed at this entire ordeal.

I wince as he touches my bruise.

“That’s not working fine.” Emman returns to his seat, still with arms crossed.

“That is pretty messed up, babe. That jerk better pays.” Emily says sympathetically.

“We’ll take care of it,” Kiki speaks with a dark and intense tone. Unlike the Kiki, I had met the last two days.

“I punched him already. What more do you want for me?” I asked, exasperated that they weren’t taking my words seriously. I had no intention to get revenge on that human being. He was a waste, he wasn’t even worth my attention. Seven angels do, though.

“Let’s just head to the bar, guys. No use trying to intensify the situation. We’re all a little hot-headed here.” Emily instructs Kiki to drive. He drives without looking back.

The drive to the bar was silent. Emily even kept her phone in her purse.

“I can’t believe you guys are mad at her,” She says after minutes of silence. “She was the victim. Kirk was the bully. How is she in the wrong?”

Her voice was exasperated. The boys hung their heads low in silence. Kirk chuckles in chagrin.

“It’s not that we’re mad at her. We’re mad at Kirk.” Kiki answers after some time.

“Then why are you guys in silent treatment?” She asks, poking her head in between the front seat to face Kiki.

“I just have nothing to say,” He responds.

“How about you two weirdos?” She backs up in her seat and looks at Peter and Emman, shaking her head profusely.

“I just think you’re playing it a little too tough. This is a tough world. You get bullied. That’s fine as long as you don’t get punched.” Emman speaks, still with his arms crossed and his brows united in fury.

“Whoa,” Emily stops his rant. “Calling for a sexist check. You reek of double standards, Emman. If Santi was a guy, the whole school would be egging her to fight back.”

I turn around to see Emman facing the window with his lips pursed.

“I took him on. You know I did. You’re just mad you weren’t able to play the knight-in-shining-armor role.” I tell him with spite.

Everything Emily said was right. They were being over-dramatic with the whole ordeal. I handled myself. Yes, I got a little bump and bruise, but I didn’t complain. Why’re these sissies complaining?

“I think Santi nailed the punch. She just forgot to move over, you know, so you don’t get punched back.” Peter speaks calmly.

Kiki chuckles and I can’t help but let out a small laugh, as well.