Santi: The Devil's Pioneer

Chapter 27 - Hannah Goes Back to School

            “I hear she’s psychotic and killed her own mother in her sleep.”

“No way, who was asleep? The mom or her?”

Whispers echoed loudly throughout the hallway. Every person I run into immediately cowers to the side. Like a magnet to metal, I attracted every gossip in town.

I reach my old locker and check to see if it still functioned for me. If the combinations were left the same, and if my things were still inside.

8-9-3-2

I enter.

It doesn’t open. Groaning, I try again.

8-9-3-2

Wrong again.

I could not have gotten the number wrong. I wrote it down on my hand the first time I got it. Annoyed, I left to go to my first class. Mr. Grumpy’s.

Mr. Grumpy was a grumpy old and fat fellow who took the liberty to trash his students every single time. He rarely taught and picked on everyone. Depends on his mood, most times.

Today, he’s my day starter and I felt more depressed already.

“I’m Santi Grahams,” The girl, two rows in front of me, says with a flat tone. She pauses and her eyes wander across the room.

“That’s enough introduction. You’ll take up all of our time.” Mr. Grumpy responds just as fittingly. He was always a jerk that grunts and cackles.

After his banter with one of his renowned students, he shows us dozens of videos where I honestly felt pretty bored. Then he had the gall to ask us to start an essay. He didn’t even teach anything.

“What a douche,” I hear the new student whisper in her breath. I inwardly gasp. She was a rebel in disguise. She’d probably trash Mr. Grumpy in nonsense banters in the course of this school year. She’s just too shy to do it on the first day of school.

The class finishes and I make my way alone to my next schedule. I had Math with Mrs. Carter.

Funnily enough, that Santi girl and I met again in the same class. I sat in the middle row. Arriving early, I notice the other students come in. One of which was this renowned jerk, Kirk. He enters the room, and straight away, heads for Santi’s seat in the back of the class. They spoke in whispers and I turn around to the blackboard, ignoring the drama. It just wasn’t worth it.

“Get out of my seat or I’ll punch your face,” I hear Kirk’s voice echo through the silent room. Everyone, including me, turn our heads to them in a flash.

“Don’t do this, you’ll only embarrass yourself,” Santi growls back in response.

“You’re a girl,” Kirk states a fact? I don’t know, that was such a lame retort. Even my grandpa could come up with a better one.

“And so are you,” I hear Santi say with spite.

Ugh, this was one of the reasons I wanted to leave high school so bad. I had advanced my classes just so I could avoid all this drama. All this unnecessary drama that no one ever asked for.

Like, why can’t ever just deal with our own shirt and leave everybody else alone? We don’t need to add to others’ problems.

I roll my eyes at the drama unfolding and watch as Mrs. Carter arrives with her eyes slightly widened at the boxing match ensuing. As everyone’s eyes are on the boxing duo, I quietly make my way out of the room.

I’ve taken Math one too many times. In fact, I’ve been called a genius at Math one too many times. I think I can skip a few classes.

I walk down the hallway with a lollipop in my mouth. As it turns out, I had an extra one from my last visit to the doctor.

“Ah, Ms. Towski, is it?” A tall, old man meets me in the hallway, with glasses so thick I could barely see his entire face. “Fancy seeing you here?”

I stop to meet him and greet him back, “Nice to see you, too. Given that I haven’t met you.”

“You are Hannah Towski, right?” The old man asks again, lowering his thick-ass glasses.

“Yes, and you are?”

“Kenneth Gray, your senior teacher in Pre-calculus. I remember you. You were magnificent in class. Not a question you can’t answer. Hannah, you truly were one of a kind. I’ve never had another student as smart as you.” He says, grinning from ear to ear.

Feeling appreciated, I smile back.

“Well, isn’t it nice to meet a fan,” I tell him, taking his hand in mine and shaking it firmly with confidence.

“Why’re you back here? Has Harvard bore you already?”

My smile vanishes just as instantly the moment he mentions Harvard. This sicko doesn’t even know what he’s talking about.

“What do you mean, Kenneth? I haven’t heard from Harvard.”

“Oh, I mean, I thought Harvard gave you an offer after you finished high school at 16? With all your units of advanced classes, you have assured a spot in every top university. At least that’s what I heard.” He talks casually, his hand kept in the pocket of his jeans.

Kenneth Gray was a senior with white hair and creases for eyebrows. His potbellied appearance lost him any credibility or intellectual capacity he might have had. He wore a flannel shirt tucked tight in his jeans. It was such a disgusting look that I almost barf myself. He had a cup of coffee in the other hand, still steaming hot.

“I don’t know who told you that, old man, but I’m a senior in high school. And I haven’t received news from any university nor have I tried to apply. Quit forking me off.” I flick the cup of coffee in his hand just strong enough for it to tip over and spill a little.

His eyes grew, bewildered, but I ignore him and walk around him, towards the school exit.

“What a disappointment,” I hear the old man whisper. Like a rumble of thunder in a storm, something sparks in my brain. I rush towards the old man who was walking away from me, and push his back, causing him to trip over himself, and his cup of coffee fall over.

“What did you say to me, you old fart?” I scream.

“Pardon me, Ms. Towski? I didn’t say anything. And how dare you–“

“Oh, I heard you just fine,” I say with spite while he lies on the floor, crutching his spine, and kicking him on his shin.

“You disgust me,” I hiss and spit on his feet.

I walk away, not allowing him to make me regret my actions. He deserved it.

“Hannah!”

The exit doors burst open to reveal the figure of an old man with an enraged spirit.

What is it with me and old men?

“Hannah Towski,” The old man approaches me and I recognize it immediately as my father.

“Dad,” I say, gleefully surprised. “You’re a little early to pick me up from school.”

“What did you do?” He takes my arms and inspects my wrists.

“I don’t cut. What are you looking for?” I laugh as he continues to wring my wrist around.

“Yes, you do. What are you doing here? I told you to stay home.” He tells me in a stern voice.

“Don’t be ridiculous, dad. I have school. Why would I stay home?” I roll my eyes at my father’s aging jokes. “I skipped Math but that’s okay, now that you’re here.”

He smiles sadly at me, with his eyes glassy. Taking a deep breath, he cups my cheek in silence.

“What’s wrong? Where’s mom?” As I say those words, a tear drops on his wrinkly cheek.

“Let’s go home, darling.” He begs after some time of silence.

“Towski!” A man bellows from behind me. I turn around to see the jerk, Kirk, with his bag slung in his back. “Wait for me.”

“Who’s this?” My father asks as Kirk approaches us.

“This is my classmate from Pre-calculus, I think?”

“Good morning, sir, my name’s Kirk.” He takes my father’s hand and shakes it, and my father smiles back.

“No offense, young man, but we need to get going.”

“Not so fast, dad. It’s not like we have somewhere to go.” I say, stopping my father in his tracks, and turning to Kirk. “What do you want?”

“If you’re going home, can I hang out with you?” He asks and I laugh.

“Why?”

“Mrs. Carter kicked me out of her class. I can’t go out without parental supervision. Would you take me out, Mr. Towski?”

Dad looks at Kirk and me disapprovingly, and I play my begging eyes.

“Please, dad? You’ll be around, anyways.” I beg, taking his hands into mine.

He sighs and nods, and I squeal a little in excitement. I haven’t brought anyone over for months. My friends were backstabbing benches who left me, and I haven’t been fortunate enough to find someone who understood me. Kirk was nothing better than anyone I knew, but at least he wanted to come with me, willingly.

“I’ll get the car. You kids wait out here.” He instructs as we settle the papers with the guard, Emilio.

“Your dad seems pretty nice.” Kirk attempts to make small talk as we wait for him.

“Yes, he is nice. Now back off. I don’t know why you’re trying to befriend me, but you shouldn’t.” I tell him with an unsympathetic voice. Just because I was letting him in along the ride does not mean I appreciate his presence very much.

Dad drives by in his pickup and we climb on in silence. No one spoke for the whole ride. You could hear a mouse squeak or a pin drop with the eerie silence between us. Dad wasn’t even making an effort to strike a conversation with me or Kirk. It was just plain tense in the car.

Kirk, on the other hand, was obviously still annoyed that I called him on his bullshirt and stayed meek on his side of the car during the entire ride. I, however, felt comfortable as I played ‘I Spy’ with my mother.

“I spy something alive and has lots of wiggles and curves,” I tell her.

“That cow over there,” She answers.

“Good job, mom.” I laugh as I play along. But notice dad’s concerned glances on me and Kirk’s weird expression. I ignore them as we almost arrived and I find no need to start drama.