Page 34 of The Rebel
I shook my head, a little guilty that I was brushing her off, but I hadn’t asked to be here, or for her to make pancakes. “See you later.”
I hurried out the door and around the path, over the fence, unlocking the back door. Within seconds, Volley came racing into the laundry room and I gave him a cuddle and hugged him close. I hated the thought of Volley being alone all night and I wondered where he slept when I wasn’t home. His favorite spot changed on a weekly basis. Once Mom had bought a new pair of sneakers and left the box on a chair at the dining table and he sat on that for a week. Another time, he sat on a pile of folded towels.
After filling his food bowl, I texted Gabby to see if she could pick me up. I poured myself a glass of juice and poured the half carton of milk down the sink.
Gabby’s text came back straight away:I’ll be ten minutes!
Smiling, I ran upstairs to do my makeup. At least something was getting back to normal. My hand was unsteady as I looked inthe mirror, the line beneath my lower lashes shaky. Not having time to wash it off for a total redo, I evened it out by thickening the line, making it less than ‘natural looking.’ Oh well, with luck I wouldn’t run into Mrs. Hayman today.
At the sound of a tooting horn, I ran downstairs, giving Volley a last pat before setting the house alarm. My heart sank to see Scott sitting in the passenger seat, but I couldn’t show any disappointment.
“Hey, Vali,” they said in unison as I was relegated to the back seat.
“Hey, guys.”
The whole conversation was about a song the jazz band was rehearsing, and only as we turned into the school parking lot did Gabby remind me that she had the community garden club after school.
“Oh yeah, that’s okay,” I said, telling them about my art room punishment.
“That’s not so bad,” Scott said as he took Gabby’s backpack for her.
“It’s bad enough,” I countered back.
“Considering you were disrespectful and disruptive, it’s pretty light,” he said.
“I was not disrespectful,” I retorted. “Fox was the one who was disrespectful!”
“Well, actually that’s not what I heard,” Scott said crisply, taking the high ground. “Luke and others said you were on your phone and you did answer Mrs. Fox back. You know, you can be rude at times.”
I rolled my eyes so hard, that I nearly lost all vision. “Are you serious?” I spat at him, wondering how I’d ever thought he was cute. “She was the one who was rude to me!”
Gabby eyed Scott with a restrained glower. He walked on ahead and she put her arm around my shoulder and spokegently. “It’s okay, Vali. Let’s just hope this doesn’t stay on your record. It’s your first discipline slip, so hopefully it will fade away.”
I stared at her in disbelief, thinking that she was going to apologize for Scott’s verbal assault on me, defend me at the very least! I blew out a frustrated breath, my anger not dissipating one bit. “You agree with Scott, that I’m rude?”
“No, no,” Gabby placated in a soothing tone. “But you can get heated, Vali. You do sometimes get...”
Whatever she was about to say, I didn’t want to hear it. I shrugged out of her hold more forcefully than was necessary, causing Gabby to yelp and hold her jaw. Seemed my shoulder had bumped her mouth. Scott was back by her side in a flash.
“Are you okay? Sorry, I didn’t mean it,” I said.
“Just go, Valencia,” Scott said as Gabby continued to hold her hand over her mouth. There was no sign of blood, so I hadn’t knocked any teeth out.
“Gabby, are you okay?” I ignored him, stooping down to try to ascertain the extent of my friend’s injuries.
Gabby nodded, but didn’t speak, her face distorted in pain and tears welling. It was hard to tell if it was genuine or acting, because surely the accidental knock wasn’t that strong. I mean, no part of my shoulder felt sore.
“I’m sorry, it was an accident,” I reiterated to Gabby.
“Yeah, what’s your problem, Valencia?” Scott said. “It’s like you can’t control your temper.”
“What are you talking about?” I snapped back, still trying to gage what injury had reduced her to tears.
“The other night at the sledding hill, you lost it and lashed out.”
“I did not!” I said. “I just wanted to sled down the big hill. That’s not a crime, is it? It’s a free world!”
“Then answering back Mrs. Fox and getting a discipline slip,” Scott continued in a righteous manner.
