DARK CRESCENT

Shyla Intervenes

                The last day of Senior year was bonkers. The faculty had completely lost control of the school. Teenagers had everything going on from making out in the halls, to spraying silly string. Detention was definitely going to be full this afternoon. I managed to duck and dodge a soccer ball as I turned to go down the science hall. Just as I regrouped from ducking I slammed straight into Principal Oates, and we both went tumbling to the floor. I landed hard on the wheel of my skateboard with my left ankle.

"Dammit Arthur!" he yelled as we both struggled to get up.

"Mr. Oates I am so sorry" I apologized, as I got up, hobbling a little on my right leg.

"You will be" Mr. Oates growled.

Other teens of the student body began to gather around to watch the spectacle, forming a decent sized circle. Mr. Oates gripped my skateboard in both hands and lifted it from the floor.

"Wait, wait, wait, Mr. Oates what are you doing?" I gasped.

"I've warned you about this board Arthur" Mr. Oates growled, raising the board up above his head.

"No, no. Mr. Oates please no" I pleaded.

The crowd of students grew as people took out their phones to film the altercation.

SMACK!

I watched in disbelief as Mr. Oates slammed my skateboard into the floor hard, over and over again.

"STOP THAT ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS?!" I yelled.

Mr. Oates slammed the skateboard into the floor a few more times, before dropping it, and then stomping it. Done with the ordeal I pushed Mr. Oates with all my strength. This sent him tumbling backwards off the board, making it slip from under his foot and crash into my left shin now.

"FUCK!!" I yelped in pain as I tumbled to the floor holding my leg.

I lay in a fetal position, wincing and holding my leg as I rocked.

"Detention Arthur" Mr. Oates growled, snatching up my skateboard and walking off.

           Great, just great, and just hours before graduation. By third period I'd had my fill of the day. I was starving, and lunch couldn't have come sooner. Lunch today consisted of the choice between unevenly cut pizza or dry meatloaf. Even ketchup couldn't save it. Thank God I got a drink from the vending machine in the Freshmen hall, otherwise I'd be stuck with half frozen, nearly expired milk, or some kind of green juice with pulp in it. I sat down in the quad at my usual picnic table under a large Western Redcedar tree. Just as I began to unpack my spoils of the day a set off hands went over my eyes.

They were small, soft, dainty hands, so I knew they belonged to a woman. I began touching them lightly trying to figure out who my guest was. Suddenly, I felt her warm breath on my ear, as she leaned in and planted a soft peck to my earlobe.

"You can't cheat you have to guess" She whispered.

"I don't know, could it be the little girl that's been terrorizing me the last few weeks?" I grinned playfully.

"Little girl? Terrorizing you?" Maggi gasped, moving her hands away from my eyes.

"Yea you heard me" I smiled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down on my lap.

She giggled, as I buried my face in her neck and blew a raspberry.

"Ahem."

            We both looked up to see Shyla standing on the other side of the picnic table. She was dressed in a beige tunic shirt, white leggings and peanut butter colored, open toe sandals. She had on a gray cardigan and her shyly blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun. In her hands she was holding long, white, wrapping paper that concealed a subway sandwich, and for her drinks was some sort of green boba tea. Maggi slid from my lap and planted herself on the bench beside me. Shyla pulled her shades down on her nose to peer at us, and a devious grin curled over her demeanor. Holding her drink with her other four fingers, she pointed with her index finger.