Murdered for love

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Natalia

I've got something really important to do in school today. I do. I always have something important to do, but this thing is maybe a little more important than most things, and more fun.

I could end up in trouble for doing this, and so can my friends because they are a big part of it. But lately, I've been feeling that the students here at my high school have been quite stressed out, even the jocks and the students who say that they don't give a damn about the school are stressing. Hell, even the teachers are stressed. That doesn't really create a good learning climate, so that has to change. I think I can change it.

I want to do something to encourage both students and teachers. Because I know that everyone needs motivation, and not always students, teachers also need motivation. So hopefully we will not get detention for a life after this. Even if I do, it will be worth it.

We're supposed to be in English class now, but we're not, and the English teacher is probably really irritated right now. We can laugh about this in detention later on.

Even if I'm a good student who the teachers love, with good grades and all of that, I do see myself as something of a rebel. And I'm sly. And I get great ideas. Ideas like this one. Sometimes I even amaze myself with my brilliant ideas. Yeah, they sure are brilliant.

We're in the corridor. And everyone is smiling. They nod at me to go right ahead and start.

I start to talk in the head microphone I stole from the technology room. And my voice sounds throughout the whole school.

"Hey, students and teachers in our beloved high school! Natalia Colton and friends here, we've got a little something for you all, since I think that the motivation has been low and the stress high, this is for all of you from us!"

The boys start to play the instruments. Logan plays the drums and Elijah plays the guitar. He's so sexy playing that thing, I just want to rip his shirt off. Damn. I did a good thing, choosing him.

I start to sing. I myself think I have a relatively good voice, maybe not the best but it's alright. As Audrey and I sing, the auditorium fills with students and teachers, everyone has interrupted their classes. Some of the teachers look very annoyed but others look happy and excited.

Audrey and I continue to sing until the end of the song. When we stop singing and everyone explodes into even louder cheers. Or do they just sound louder because the boys stopped playing the instruments?

We all take each other's hands. I take Elijah’s and Audreys. We're smiling. But we only stand like that for a few seconds before we as well, start to jump and cheer up on stage.

In the crowd. Right by the stage, I see Cali. She's cheering along with everyone. It's her first day back after the incident at the train station. I see how happy she looks now and I just can't stop thinking what would have happened if I hadn't gotten to her in time. But I shouldn't think like that because I did get to her in time. She's alive and she's here, cheering and jumping and applauding. With a big smile on her lips. I feel so happy seeing her smile and laugh, I feel happy with myself, I feel happy with life.

My plan has reached its goal. I planned this because I've had a feeling that both students and teachers are sad about summer being over and I think that's sad. Summer may be over, but we've got a lot ahead of us. Each one of us. Summer is over, yeah, but what waits along the line could be a lot more exciting than summer. Who knows? No one. I wanted to bring back the motivation. And I think I have. Everyone needs a little motivation from time to time, and it's nothing wrong with that. Everyone needs encouragement and I wanted to be the one to help them. I love helping others. I don't quite know what I want to do with my life when I'm older or what I want to work with, but I do know that I want to help people, maybe I should become a doctor or a psychologist. Psychologist sounds good to me, to be able to help people in the deep. That actually sounds great!

"Okay, spit it out", principal Henderson says, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Who's idea was this?"

Does he even have to ask? We all know that he knows it was my idea, maybe he's just fishing for my confession and apology.

We're in the principal's office., Elijah, Audrey, Logan, and I. We are currently standing in front of him. He's standing up as well, looking at us with sly eyes. He's too overwhelmed to sit down at the moment. He starts pacing around, still with his eyes on us. We're all still quiet. I want to give our sweet principal to figure out for himself who came up with this. He knows it was me, he's just pretending not to. He also knows that I will never come forward and tell him that to was me, we've been in here for other situations as well, it's always my idea. Always. And it will always be my ideas.

He sighs and shakes his head. He looks deeply tired, a sting of regret.

"Although, why do I even bother to ask?" He asks, more himself than us really. "Why Ms. Colton? What did I ever do to you?"

I laugh. Aww, poor principal Henderson. I do feel a little sorry for him, his years of being a principal at this school must have been easier before I came here three years ago. When I came here, his life suddenly got more exciting and interesting. I can't believe how he went by without knowing me for all those years.

"Oh come on principal H", I say. "This wasn't anything to you personally, it was to everyone, students and teachers, including you, they needed their motivation back", I say. "And I saw you applaud a little yourself".

"I did not", he says. "You disturbed the peace at this school, how can we put the students back in the classrooms now? They will for sure start a riot, and I can't give you detention because that will also cause them to start a riot".

Yeah, principal H came up on stage and told us all to follow him to his office. And ever since every student has been standing outside, yelling "LET THEM GO!" And "NO DETENTION!" Refusing to return to the classrooms. It's actually quite flattering, to tell the truth. I enjoy this to be telling the truth. I enjoy this a lot, it means that the students like what we did, they like that I try to keep their motivation up. I don't care if I get detention, I did what I thought was best, and it was best, and I do not regret doing what we did.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to let them go for the day", Audrey stays sneaky. "Look this may have been Natalia's wonderful and sly idea, but we all participated in it without even blinking or second thoughts, if you're going to punish her, you'll have to punish us all I'm afraid".

"Maybe all students, including us, will come back fresh on Monday if you let everyone off today", Elijah says. "I mean it is lunch break now, half the school day has passed and it is Friday after all".

I giggle. The principal smiles. I can see that he's got something on his mind, he's planning something himself, and I don't know why. In some ways he's actually a cool principal, not everyone has this kind of principal. I'm so glad that we do.

"I'm not going punish anyone Ms. White", he says to everyone's big surprise.

"Wait what?" I ask. "Why not? We broke at least a dozen school rules and..."

I'm cut off when Elijah puts his hand over my mouth, pulling me back towards him. I hit my back against his front. What the hell is he doing? He should know better than to do this.

Elijah laughs nervously. "Natalia is delusional, she doesn't know what she's talking about". He must think that I'm out of my mind completely, it almost sounds like I want to be punished and get detention or something. I don't want that, but it does sound a little fishy that we won't be punished at all.

I sink my teeth into Elijah's hand and he jerks it away, hissing between his teeth. Audrey and Logan looks at us with amused expressions. I just bit Elijah. Serves him right for trying to make me quiet.

"I'm not delusional, I just want to know what reason principal H has to not punish us", I say, and look at the principal with narrowed eyes. I mean I think I deserve to know why the hell we are not getting detention. Don't get me wrong. I don't want to be punished. But what aren't we? We should be. We broke the rules. What is the principal up to? It's like I said, not all schools has a cool principal.

"No reason I suppose", the principal says. "I just think that even if you broke the rules and even if I don't want you to repeat this whole thing, that maybe you were right about the whole motivation thing".

What? Maybe I'm not delusional, but principal H definitely is.

"But..." I say though Logan interrupts me.

"Thank you so much principal H, I knew you always loved us, admit it, the first time you saw us three years go as freshmen you thought 'Oh boy I love these young wise students, they'll make me so proud one sunny day', he says in a dramatic voice.

Principal H rolls his eyes as he walks towards his desk, though he doesn't say anything against what Logan said. "Or maybe I thought that you would make my life in school into hell, which you have".

"You love us", Logan repeats.

The rest of us starts to laugh.

Principal H takes up the mic that sounds through all the speakers in the school.

"Students", he says and it becomes dead silent outside his office. Everyone's stopped shouting. "Because of recent events, had to make a sad and drastic decision, a decision I did not want to make".

What? Was principal H playing us? Is he going to expel us all? I look at the others and see at their slightly worried faces that they're thinking the same thing.

The students start to roar angrily.

"Quiet students", principal H says. "The decision is that you're all off school for the rest of the day! Run out and have fun!"

I look at this man. This man who's been my principal for three years, going on the forth. The man who's strict but also funny. The man who, excuse me, is a little fat but also cute in this old person way. The man who's got white hair and glasses but doesn't look too old. Is he joking right now? Is he actually going to let us all go? He really is the coolest principal.

It's dead quiet outside. After a few minutes, we hear an explosion of cheers.

My friends and I all start to laugh. Do we have the best principal or what?

"Hey that includes you four", the principal smiles. "But I expect you back Monday morning, and no more breaking rules! Can't we get through your senior year peacefully?"

"You never know, principal H", I say and we all start laughing, even principal H.

We continue to laugh before opening the door and waking out to students cheering on us as if life depended on it. Life's so great!

It's going to be hard to leave this school when the year ends. I have really grown close to the school, almost as if the school is a part of me. And yet, there is someone at this school, maybe in the crowd of cheering students, who leaves me threatening notes. I don't like it, it's making me nervous, and it's making me nervous to not know who it is. It can be anyone, that's the worst part of it. Anyone at this school.