Post by silent.lullaby on Apr 8, 2010 14:17:53 GMT -5
//We Run This Town//Chapter 019// Principal
Weeks past in a blur. Gemma, Lucia, Blaire, Faith and I were all escorted from school by one of the older Mafia members. My parents rarely home at the time, they stayed at the hospital day and night vigilantly watching over Sergio. Maximo seemed ticked about having a babysitter at the house. Charlie practically was living there, Preston took his place some nights so he could go home and see his wife and kids.
I didn’t know who was down stairs, Preston or Charlie, I honestly hadn’t said anything to them. Hadn’t said hello, hadn’t looked up. I couldn’t remember doing my homework in the past few weeks. I hadn’t gone to tutoring. I couldn’t remember even speaking to my girls. I dropped my backpack at the inside of my bedroom and walked to my bed before belly flopping on top of it. I did remember phoning my father and trying to convince him that I should get to see Sergio. He refused. Maximo had yet to see him either.
Rolling over I stared at the ceiling. I don’t know how long I stared before my cell phone started ringing. I ignored it, I didn’t want to talk. I was jittery, my legs wanted to run but I remembered the last incident. I almost convinced myself that I could stay on a track and run, but I knew better than to trust the numbing of running in my state.
My phone started ringing again. I walked over to my bag and opened the front pocket, it wasn’t there, and had stopped ringing. I picked it up by the top strap and took it to my bed before emptying it. Books I had no intentions of opening fell out but not my cell phone, I moved the books around but it didn’t show up. It started up again and my agitation was at a high. I opened the side pocket where the sound seemed to be coming from and pulled it out, flipped it open with out looking at the ID and angrily said, “what?”
I was met by a strange silence, usually when you are on the phone with someone you hear some background noise. Especially with cell phones. You could hear them doing the laundry, a pen to paper as someone jots notes, clicks of a keyboard, cars as they walk down the street. There was no sound though, just silence, then the click of a hang up. I looked at the ID which showed up as UNKNOWN. “Of course,” I muttered to myself before there was a gentle tap at my door. “What do you want?” I bit angrily.
The door open and I was greeted Preston. I automatically felt bad for yelling at him. He was just one of those people who’ve never done anything to you but always seem to be around you when you’re pissed. A bad case of wrong place at the wrong time. “How are you feeling?” He prodded gently stepping in.
“I want to see Serge.”
He looked down a little before meeting my eyes, “I’m sorry, but you can’t.”
“Daddy’s orders?” I asked bitterly.
Preston’s lips formed a tight line before relaxing. “You should have something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“That’s what you’ve said for the past few days.” Preston came forward and put his arm around my shoulder as he spoke, “come on, we’ll whip you up something.”
I shrugged out of his grasp and took a few quick steps back, “I said I didn’t want anything.”
Preston folded his arms over his chest and stared at me. “Your teachers have been calling.”
“So?”
He rubbed his temples and I knew I was wreaking havoc on his nerves. “So your marks are dropping, they’re worried about you Lili, I’m worried about you.” He stared at me with such heartbreaking sincerity I wanted to apologize for a second. “Come on, we can go down to Jesters or something if you’d like.”
“No, I don’t want to go anywhere, and I’m not hungry,” I shouted loud enough to make Maximo come out of his room and poke his head into mine to find out what was going on. “Just go, out, both of you, just leave me alone!” I gave Preston a good shove and he took a few shocked steps back. He didn’t look amused at all but he left and Maximo grabbed my door and shut it behind him.
I almost punched a wall before remembering what my knuckles looked like last time. Instead I took out my frustrations on a pillow beating the feathers flat.
***
The next morning my alarm went off even though I was pretty sure I had forgotten to set it the night before. I got ready like I did every other morning. Walked down stairs, my stomach rumbled angrily but Maximo was eating breakfast at the island and I didn’t feel much like talking. Instead I went directly to the door with my bag and grabbed a pair of flat shoes shoving them on angrily and stood at the door waiting. “Ceasar is picking you up today.” I looked over my shoulder, even though I knew the voice well enough to know it was Preston behind me. I looked back to the window on the door, the frosted panel distorted the outdoor image, but I could still tell if his car pulled up.
“Lili...” He started but Ceasario pulled up.
“I’ve got to go,” I said with out looking back. I just grabbed my backpack and purse before going out and sitting in the back seat beside Faith. There was a light mummer of hellos, but I didn’t respond. After so many weeks, I don’t think they expected me to.
Math with Lucia and October was dull. I wasn’t really listening. Just sitting there, thinking. I heard Lucia and October talking quietly as they worked together, heard them laugh quietly, and I felt my jaw tighten. How could they laugh? How could they smile, talk, work? How could they do all of that when Sergio was in a hospital fighting for his life? I felt sick and laid my head down on the desk.
I thought about just skipping Science class but thought better of it when I realized that would definitely be reported to my father. Last thing I needed was to be grounded on top of all else, though I couldn’t imagine a punishment he could possibly give me to make me feel worse. He could take away my cell phone, my laptop, cut my curfew time, shut down my bank account, but I probably wouldn’t even notice. Still to keep my skipping class off of my fathers mind I went to class although I couldn’t remember anything from the past weeks.
I sat in my usual spot, I didn’t even notice if Gavin was there or not. The class filled, the noise amplified, and the final bell rang. Mrs. Wetherill took her spot at the front of the class and started talking but I hadn’t listened to a word till she angrily called my name. I took my eyes off the ceiling to meet her icy glare. “Lilianna Lombardi! Where is your assignment?”
I stared at her blankly for a moment, “what assignment?”
People started snickering, some started whispering and Mrs Wetherill looked pissed. “Lilianna, it’s what you should have been working on in class for the past two weeks. It’s worth fifteen percent of your final mark.”
Despite the fact that fifteen percent is kind of high, especially in Science which I kind of suck at, I couldn’t bring myself to be worried. A failing grade on a project, a failing grade, it didn’t really matter to me. “So?”
Mrs Wetherill rubbed her temples like it would magically cure her annoyance. “You’re already doing poorly in this class Miss Lombardi.” The way she said my last name made it sound like a curse.
“Again, so what?” I asked crossing my arms over my chest and went back to counting the dots in the ceiling tiles.
“Go and see the principal.” She yelled pointing at the door.
I looked to her then to the door and shrugged grabbing my things, “gladly.”
“Lil?” The whisper broke me from my zombie like trance and I looked at Gavin. If I wasn’t mistaken, it was worry written on his face. I didn’t have any words to give him so I shrugged and left the room.
I sat in the waiting area, and the principal Mr Prose came out. “You must be Lilianna Lombardi, Mrs Wetherill called down about you. Come on in.” My jaw tightened as I bit back words. I stood with my books tucked under my arms and followed him into his office. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk and I sat down. “Now Miss Lombardi,” he opened my student file and knew I was in for it. “In the short time you’ve been here, you’ve already had a few fights, both with Miss Lexie Reid which have been reported, but you were not punished for either. Is that correct?” I gave a uncaring shrug as I looked at the bare walls and maple furniture. “Miss Lombardi, you were a dedicated nearly straight A student, a B+ student in Science, now you’re dropping to low B’s and even a few C’s in some classes. These are very bad signs, what’s going on at home.”
I bit my bottom lip for a moment. This guy must be a complete and total idiot. I leaned forward over the desk. “My brother was the one stabbed at the school dance. Remember that. Sorry if grades really don’t seem to matter right now.”
“Now Miss Lombardi, grades are always important, and I do know that your brother Sergio was the stabbing victim, but it’s what we do under great stress that shows who we truly are. Are you one who just gives up in the face of adversity?” Mr Prose seemed completely calm, unshaken by my comment. And worse, he made me feel a little guilty for giving up. “Is this what your brother would want for you?”
Sergio didn’t exactly put school work on the high priority list, but would he want me walking around like a zombie? Would he want me to be throwing away friends, ignoring everything and worrying constantly? My teeth clenched and I looked away from Mr Prose again.
“You’ve already been enrolled in the tutoring program, I’ll work something out with the teachers, new deadlines, and we’ll see if we can’t get you caught up. Every night after school you’ll be meeting with your tutor for two hours and we should have you back on track with in the next few weeks.”
“Why are you doing this?” The words slipped from my mouth before my brain could shut me up. No one went out of their way to help a Lombardi, I knew that since kindergarten. It’s why I worked so hard to keep up my own grades, I knew I wouldn’t get much help from the teachers who despised my last name.
“You’re one of our top honour roll students, even despite your downfall of science. We like to do well by our honour roll.” Mr Prose responded. The school bell rang, he stood, and I did the same. “You should be getting to lunch.”
“Yeah, thanks.”