At least it wasn't your car

At least it wasn't your car

            On a spring afternoon at Williams high, the bell rang releasing everyone to lunch. The weather wasn’t too warm but warm enough for every girl to wear her favorite spring dress. The smell of spring in the air and of the putrid school lunch was lingering in the air, it was chicken nuggets. Walking out of history class on my way to the crowed breeze way where all the lockers are located, I saw one of my best friends; Kelsie a short blonde with a preppy attitude in her new spring dress waiting for me by my locker. I squeezed and pushed through all the people in the breeze way, holding my breath as I walked by the boy’s locker room.

            “Lets go before the line gets longer!”

            “Let me put my books away and we’ll just cut in line.” I replied

            We got to the cafeteria and saw one of our friends at the beginning of the line.  The cafeteria was loud, everyone was talking, some even yelling across the room. The smell of the chicken nuggets made my stomach hurt. As we approached the check in, we both entered our student numbers. Kelsie had enough for lunch but since I owed money I couldn’t get lunch which was fine with me considering the smell of the chicken nuggets made my stomach hurt. I stepped aside and waited for Kelsie to get her lunch. I looked around and saw some of the senior boys snickering and pointing over to the barbeque sauce. I turned around, Kelsie picked up the barbecue sauce, I looked over again at the seniors covering their mouths and laughing. I looked back again at Kelsie. Kelsie had started to pour it on her tray, but as soon a she squeezed it, the lid fell off and all of the barbeque sauce had came out, all over her tray and all over her new dress and sandals. I started to laugh and couldn’t stop. Her face looked devastated. She looked over at me as if she was going to ask me a question, she didn’t. Kelsie threw her plate away and went into the bathroom.

            Kelsie got paper towels and started to clean herself up. She made the entire bathroom smell like barbeque sauce. She finished cleaning herself up the best she could but her dress was ruined.  As we walked toward the breezeway Kelsie suddenly looked down. I looked over and as I looked over, Kelsie hit a pole, head on. I was still laughing about the barbeque sauce incident, and now she had hit a pole. I fell to my knees laughing, tears streaming from my eyes. I couldn’t help it. Kelsie looked confused; she looked around to see if anyone had seen. One of our friends who was walking by saw it, and came to Kelsie’s rescue.

            “Oh my gosh! Are you okay? Do you need me to take you to the office?”

Kelsie, still in shock that she had barbeque stains all over her dress, said “No, I’m fine.” As she continued to walk but as she walked she had one hand on her head. I started to get on my feet, still weak from laughing I whipped my face. Kelsie had got her phone out and texted her mom what just happened. Her mom replied ‘At least it wasn’t your car that hit the pole.’ Kelsie started to get upset, her eyes started to fill with tears and turn red. I couldn’t help myself I started to laugh even harder to where no sound was even coming out. Tears began streaming down my face once again. I held my stomach; it started to cramp from laughing so much and most likely because I hadn’t eaten.

            The bell rang which meant our next class was going to start. We both had the same class next, US history with one of the strictest teachers on campus, Mr. Simmons. Mr. Simmons a 71 year old at the time was a retired army vet; he had served over thirty years as a Major, so he claimed. He was tall, gray; his face covered in wrinkles and always smelled like apples, he always wore a sweater vest, even on the hottest days. As we walked into class I tried my hardest to stop laughing and put a serious look on my face, I couldn’t. Once class started Mr. Simmons started his usual discussion on how the recession isn’t really a recession, we are in a depression and how our future children are going to suffer because the president will raise our taxes to where no one could afford to live decent. During the middle of his rant, I glanced over at Kelsie, who was trying to hide the barbeque stains with her purse. I started to laugh hysterically; Mr. Simmons looked over at me with a glare.

            “God damn dipstick, why can’t you ever pay attention? Go to the office!”

            I did the walk of shame and headed to the office. On my way there I heard a bee buzzing in my ear, I shoed it away. I kept walking still laughing hysterically at the sight of Kelsie running into the pole.  As I got to the office I felt a sharp pain on my arm as if someone had pinched it. I didn’t think anything of it. The secretary who was on the phone at the time stood up and grabbed my arm. Apparently a bee had stung me and was still hanging on by its stinger. My arm started to hurt worse than ever; I could feel my pulse in my arm thumping harder and harder. The spot where the bee had stung me had started to swell. The secretary grabbed a tissue and grabbed the bee pulling it, but leaving the stinger still in my arm. The school nurse came waddling down the hall with a first aid kit. She opened it and got out a pair of new shiny tweezers, she pulled the stinger out. My arm was still of course swollen but it had gotten larger.

            Since Mr. Simmons had kicked me out of class I had to sit in the dusty office for the remainder of the class. The bell had rang once again to release everyone from class to continue onto their next one. I walked into the breeze way holding my arm which was swollen and red. I saw Kelsie from a distance, so I pulled my sleeve as far as it would go to cover the bee sting so Kelsie wouldn’t see.

            “How was the office?” Kelsie said as she gave a half smile.

            “Better than sitting in a barbeque stained dress in Simmons!”

            She gave me a dirty look and slapped my arm, and of course when she slapped my arm she slapped where the bee had stung me. I grabbed my arm right away, my eyes filled with tears.

            “I didn’t even hit you that hard!” 

Kelsie grabbed my arm and pulled the sleeve up. She started to laugh, “You got stung by a bee didn’t you? That’s what you get for making fun of me running into a pole! Karma is a bitch!”