Chapter Eight - Citation

Presently, all the cool kids had jumped up on their chairs. Hunter almost laughed out loud. Josh scoffed. Zoey looked amused. Chirag was offended.

"Get it away!" Michelle was screaming.

Chirag pushed back his chair and marched to their table. "What're you doing? Come back!" Zoey called. But Chirag was determined and took nine short paces to the table. 

With a jab, he yanked the lizard out of the sauce and laid it reverently on the ground. Nearby kids scampered away in fear. 

"Don't come near me!" Linda said, shooing him away with her hands. "I hate those creepy climbing things"

"That's only a reptile". Seth, Josh's geeky friend ventured. He'd freckles all over his face.

"Don't call it that". Chirag admonished. "This is an Iguana, one of the most sacred animals in India. No one is allowed to catch or eat them as is punishable by law". His Indian accent made his voice sound funny.

He lay down in front of the animal and bowed down several times before it murmuring a strange string of words.  A crowd of kids were mocking him and chattering behind him. Some already had their phones out, no doubt a meme in the making.

If Chirag knew the kids behind him were making fun of him, he didn't show it. 

After finishing his rites of worship, he put the lizard in his backpack. "What're you gonna do with that thing? Eat it?" Hunter asked.

Will buried his face in his palm. "Actually, I was considering it but since I don't want to get cursed, I think I'll bury it instead". Chirag explained.

The cool kids had returned to their lunch though they could be seen inspecting every spoon before they are it.

Thank God I bring lunch from home' thought Josh.

They'd each returned to their food. "How'd you suppose a dead lizard got into the food?" Zoey asked suddenly. "I think someone did that purposely".

"That's one idea. You may be right but personally I think that iridescent reptile was having a pool party". 

The whole table burst up in laughter. Hunter laughed so much that snot almost fell from his nose.

The bell rang  again and everyone moved out of cafeteria directly to their lockers. Chirag stashed his bag inside his locker because he didn't want anyone to steal the lizard.

Zoey and Hunter brought out the books they needed and dropped their bags too. Josh went farther down the hallway, holding the straps on his bag when he stumbled.

His glasses fell on the floor and as he tried to pick them up, the mob of students crushed it on their feet. The glass cracked into tiny bits under their feet. He stumbled up to his feet.

He looked back but couldn't see who did it because of the crowd in the hallway. Someone was leaning against his locker as he approached.

Brett.

Josh sighed.

But the bell would soon ring again so he had to get to class as soon as possible. "Hello". Josh said, timidly.

"Hello, smarty pants. What did you bring for me".

"A- an apple". Josh said, holding it up towards Brett.

"An apple". Brett scoffed. "What will I do with that?" Josh cowered into himself. Brett held Josh by the back of the neck and slammed him to the lockers.

The impact vibrated the chain of lockers as Josh prayed they wouldn't topple him. Brett was speaking. "Fatty, if I were you, I'd kill myself. You're scum".

"Please leave me alone". Josh begged, hoping the crowd of people passing by might help him.

Somebody tapped Brett's hand and as he turned to acknowledge who did it, he moved most of the weight on his hands.

I'm saved! Josh thought.

It was the hall monitor. Simon. "You're late for class Brett. Also you're bullying a junior kid. For that I'm gonna give you a citation and you're gonna get detention today.

Brett stepped up to Simon, though he was bigger and taller than Simon, he looked him direct in the eye and didn't shake once. His stare was creepy.

Brett's eyes flickered and he shut it and opened it again. "Take it". Simon said, giving him the citation, maintaining a  calm level of stares until he grabbed it. "I'm outta here". He said.

Stomping down the hall, Brett punched a little crater into someone's locker.

Simon gave Josh a sympathetic pat on the back and walked away.

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Hunter was lying on his desk, staring at Ashley. He was staring at her through the corner of his eyes. The teacher was teaching but he felt like everything he was saying was passing out from one ear through the other.

The warm blonde of her hair and her melodic voice enveloped him as he thought of her.

"Mr Jackson".

Her cute face and long eyebrows were inviting though he was wondering if he would ever get to touch them.

"Mr Jackson".

The way she bounced in her walk always made him stare.

"Hunter!"

Hunter jerked dazedly at his teacher. "I asked you a question Hunter".

"You did?"

Mr Bryant, the history teacher wasn't amused. "Daydreaming again I see". He cast a significant glance at Ashley. The whole class's attention was now on them.

Crap!

"Hunter, I'm giving you detention today for sleeping in class repeatedly". Hunter groaned. Will was surprised because Hunter didn't look like the kids who got detention easily".

He lay his head on the desk. Angry, not at his teacher but at himself for being a fool.

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The last bell had rung. Josh, Zoey, Hunter and Chirag moved towards the school main entrance.

Just as they were going down the steps, Hunter stopped. "What's wrong?" Josh asked.

"Wait. I think I forgot something in my locker. I need to go pick it up". He said, hurriedly.

"What is it?" Zoey asked suspiciously.

"No time. You guys can go without me". He was already turning back, bumping shoulders with the surge of students coming out the school.

"Is it another lizard?" Chirag called.

"No!" He shouted.

He traced his way to the detention center. A grumpy teacher sat behind the desk, a cup of coffee on the desk and a laptop in front of her.

She motioned him to one of the seats and he slumped into one, making it creak.

He looked around. No one was in here except a nervous looking kid avoiding his eyes. 

He didn't bring his homework so he couldn't keep himself busy. 

He lay on the desk, preparing for the next one hour of nothingness. Maybe he could play videogames when the teacher wasn't looking. He glanced upwards quickly.

One glance told him not to try it unless he wanted another detention.

Brett wasn't in the room.