Free The New Girl by Tracie Puckett Page A

the students cleared out on her
arrival.
    “You, you, and you. Suspended ,” she
yelled.
    Mr. Rivera rounded the corner and stopped
next to his co-worker. “Someone said there was a fight?” His gaze
landed on the three of us and he dropped his shoulders.
“ Girls ….” Like Miss Holt, he should’ve been angry. But I saw
more disappointment in his eyes as he stared at me. “What
happened?”
    Miss Holt pointed at me. “Why don't you ask
Miss Ghijk.”
    “ Me ? I was just trying to—”
    “Save it,” she said, holding her hand up.
“You were involved in a fight on school property. You'll be lucky
if you get by with anything less than a five-day suspension. And
all three of you can forget showing up for the fall
production—”
    “ No !” Bridget said. “You can't do
that!”
    “I just did,” she said with a definite sense
of finality in her voice. “The show is canceled .”
    Mr. Rivera shook his head. “Pipe down,
Karen,” he said to Miss Holt. She stared at him in awe at the
demand. He shifted his attention back to us. “Okay, ladies. Let's
talk this out.”
    “Mr. R,” Rachel whined. “I came in to touch
up my lipstick and Bridget pounced me—”
    “ Bullsh —”
    “Watch your mouth, Miss Wright,” Mr. Rivera
said, raising his voice. “You're already in hot water.” The room
fell quiet. “We'll need to call each of your parents and have you
escorted home.”
    “I can just walk—”
    “I'm sorry, Miss Ghijk,” he interrupted.
“Someone will need to speak with Caroline as well.” Bridget's face
wrinkled and Miss Holt perked up, both probably wondering how Mr.
Rivera knew my mother by name. He continued, “Report to the office
first thing Monday morning to discuss the consequences of your
actions. Despite Miss Holt's misconception, the punishment doesn’t
rest in our hands.”
    I stared at the floor. My experiences at
Webster Grove High School were stacking up to be nothing short of
memorable. First, I land the job of a lifetime working on the fall
production. Second, I get set up on a blind date—or something of
that nature— with the hottest teacher to ever walk the planet. And
now, at the homecoming dance, I'm being kicked out and facing
suspension for... well, nothing within my control.
    Wonderful.
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Friday, October 28
    “Welcome back, Miss Ghijk,” Mr. Rivera said
as I walked into class the following Friday.
    Bridget, Rachel, and I had received a
four-day suspension for the homecoming bathroom brawl. The time off
was miserably boring… and Mom still hadn't forgiven me for
'rolling with the rough crowd.' I'd be lucky if she ever let
Bridget set foot in our house again. And sadly, I hadn't seen or
spoken to my best friend since her parents picked her up from the
dance.
    The classroom was empty with the exception of
the two of us, and I nodded in acknowledgment as I took a seat. I
propped my head into one hand and tapped a pencil on a book with
the other, hoping someone else would walk in soon and ease the
discomfort.
    “It's been strange without you here,” he
finally broke the silence, walking over and leaning on the desk in
front of mine, just as he’d done on my first day of school.
    “Mmm-hmm.” I pretended to ignore him.
    “Are you going to be bitter for the rest of
the year?”
    “You could’ve tried harder to help me,” I
said, finally meeting his gaze. “You know I had nothing to do with
that fight, and you just stood there and scolded me—”
    “You said yourself that you didn't want
preferential treatment, Steph—”
    “On the assignment ,” I spat. “But what
happened at the dance… that wasn’t fair.”
    “Sometimes life's not—”
    “I don't need your words of wisdom, Alex,” I
said, biting back my frustration. “I know better than anyone how
unfair life is. I've been jerked around the country for the past
fifteen years; I've had very few friends, a loose screw for a
mother, and now I’m dealing with all these