You Messed With the Wrong "Student"

I was at the local high school running a routine field audit, grabbing a quick lunch in the cafeteria.

I spotted a guy—Ezra—staring down at nothing but a bowl of the free watery soup. I swiped my card and slid a tray of hot food over to him.

Whispers immediately hissed through the nearby tables. "Isn't that Ezra?

The Ivy League prospect?" someone muttered. "Who does she think she is, talking to him?" Before the words fully registered, a woman stormed into my peripheral vision.

A hand cracked hard against my cheek. The sting flared instantly. "What homeroom?" Lorraine stepped right into my personal space. "Little tramp!

Trying to sink your claws into my son!" Ezra’s face drained of color. He grabbed her sleeve. "Mom!

Stop, it's not like that!" Lorraine ripped her arm away and clamped her fingers around my wrist. Her nails bit into my skin. "Move.

We're going straight to the Principal." I planted my feet. "You've got the wrong idea. I'm with the Board of Education." She let out a short, harsh laugh. "Board of Ed?

You think I'm an idiot?" "A kid your age lying to my face? Walk!" I rubbed my temple. I just happened to be cursed with a baby face.

She hauled me right through the double doors of Principal Milton’s office. She slammed her free hand flat on his desk. "Principal!

My son is top of his class, Ivybound!" "And this girl is trying to seduce him!

She needs to be expelled, today!" Milton leveled a heavy, deadpan stare at me. "What homeroom are you in? Give me your parents' phone number.

You are expelled." I rubbed my stinging wrist. A slow, easy smile stretched across my face. "I'll give you the number.

But I highly doubt you have the guts to dial it." Chapter 1 Milton choked on his next words, blinking at me in stunned silence.

Lorraine practically vibrated beside him, her nails digging into her palms. "Principal, look at her attitude!

Trash like her needs to be taught a hard lesson!" I leaned back into the chair, massaging the red marks on my wrist. "Stop wasting time. Dial the number." Milton took the bait.

He snatched up the desk phone. "What's the number?" I rattled off the digits. He punched them in, hit the speaker button, and puffed up his chest. "Hello, this is Principal Milton.

Am I speaking to this student's parent?" "Your child has been seducing a male student on campus.

I need you down here immediately!" Dead silence stretched over the line for two seconds. Then, a voice came through, thick with confusion. "Excuse me? What did you just say?

Who?" Milton repeated himself, louder this time. "Your daughter! She's been seducing a male student!

You need to come to the school and handle this right now!" Another beat of silence. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

If Principal Milton had any idea who was actually on the other end of that line, he’d probably wet his pants. It was a shame he didn't.

He just sat there, looking unbearably smug, waiting for my "parent" to come groveling. "Principal Milton," the voice on the phone shifted, adopting a very strange tone. "Are you absolutely certain you're talking about my daughter?" "Of course I am!" Milton snapped, his patience fraying. "Are you coming or not?" "I'll be there shortly," the voice replied. "Principal Milton, until I arrive, nobody is to lay a single finger on her." The line went dead with a sharp click.

Milton slammed the receiver down, scoffing. "Real tough guy." Lorraine leaned over the desk. "What happened?

What was his attitude like?" "Said he'll be right here." Milton leaned back, crossing his arms. "Told me not to touch his daughter." Lorraine’s eyes darted around the room before locking onto the desk, her breathing quickening. "Principal, I have an idea.

Call an allschool assembly!" "Make this little tramp apologize in front of everyone! We make an example out of her.

Show all those other girls exactly what happens when they get out of line!" Milton hesitated, rubbing his chin. "Isn't that taking it a little far?" "How is it too far?" Lorraine’s pitch skyrocketed. "My son is top of his class!" "He’s the pride of this entire school!

If we don’t crush this tramp now, any piece of trash is going to think they can just sink their hooks into him!" Chapter 2 Milton nodded.

Before he could open his mouth, Lorraine lunged, her hands clawing for my hair.

I snapped my arm up, caught her wrist, and twisted hard. "Ah!" She shrieked, all the color draining from her face. "I can walk myself." I let go, holding her gaze.

Lorraine cradled her wrist, stumbling back a halfstep under my stare. The curses died in her throat. She hadn't expected me to fight back. She definitely hadn't expected my grip.

Out in the hallway, she marched ahead of me, throwing venomous glares over her shoulder. The insults didn't stop. "Shameless trash. Little tramp. Born cheap." I stopped walking.

She froze, eyeing me with sudden caution. "Watch your mouth." I kept my voice low, but she shrank back another halfstep. Her lips trembled, yet she didn't dare utter another word.

Milton hurried us from behind. "Move it, move it. The whole field is waiting." Out on the field, over two thousand students stood shouldertoshoulder in their homeroom lines.

A massive sea of bodies. A low hum of whispers buzzed through the air. Lorraine shoved me up the steps to the stage.

She put her back into it, trying to make me eat dirt, but I planted my feet and didn't even sway. A flash of disappointment crossed her face.

Milton stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat. "We are holding an emergency assembly today!" The field fell dead silent. "This girl!" He pointed a thick finger right at my face. "Was caught in the cafeteria seducing Ezra, our Ivy League prospect!" The crowd exploded.

Voices buzzed from every direction. Lorraine snatched the mic from his hand. "Ezra is my son! Number one in the district!

He is the pride of this school!" "He's Ivybound!" She whipped around, jabbing a finger inches from my nose. "There have been little tramps just like her before, and they all want to ruin my son!

Ruin this school's hope!" "What do they think they are? Do they think they deserve to even speak to him?" Milton took the mic back.

He softened his tone, playing the magnanimous leader. "Apologize in front of everyone. Write a formal letter of apology.

If your attitude is acceptable, I might consider not expelling you." I stared at his hypocritical face.

A laugh slipped out. "You don't even know who I am, and you demand an apology?" Lorraine lost it. "Who are you? Who else could you be?

Just a shameless little bitch!" She lunged, swinging her hand aiming a fullforce slap at my face. I sidestepped. Her palm hit empty air.

Her momentum carried her forward, and she stumbled, nearly pitching headfirst off the stage. A roar of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Lorraine's face flushed dark red. "Shut up!" She screamed at the students. She whipped back to face me, utter madness in her eyes.

She dug into her pocket, pulled out a thick red permanent marker, and popped the cap off. "You think you're tough?

You think you're fast?" She advanced on me, raising the marker. "I'm going to write 'tramp' right across your face! I'm going to make sure you can never wash it off!

The whole school is going to see exactly what you are!" The laughter cut off. People gasped. Someone in the crowd yelled that she was taking it too far.

The marker tip was an inch from my cheek. I drove my foot into her leg, kicking her straight to the floor. Lorraine shrieked in pain, her face going stark white.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out my official Board of Education badge, and shoved it right in her face. "Read it." She squinted at the plastic card. Her eyes went wide.

Chapter 3 The bold print on the badge read: Sinclair, Deputy Director of the City Board of Education. "You… you—" Lorraine's lips trembled.

The color drained from her face, leaving her stark white. I let go of her arm. Her knees buckled instantly, and she collapsed in a heap on the stage floor.

I turned to face the two thousand students staring up from the field.

I held the plastic badge high in the air. "I am Sinclair, Deputy Director of the City Board of Education." A heavy silence dropped over the field.

Milton froze for three solid seconds.

Then, a harsh laugh burst from his chest. "Do you think we're toddlers?" Lorraine scrambled for traction, suddenly finding her voice again. "Right! Right!

That badge is a fake!" Milton dragged his eyes up and down my frame, his upper lip curling. "Deputy Director? How old are you?" "You look like a teenager.

Playing dressup, trying to act like a boss?" Lorraine leaned in, shaking her head at the ID card. "Fake IDs are getting so good these days. Almost looks real!

If I hadn't seen the real thing before, you might have actually fooled me." Milton turned to the crowd and shouted, "Records! Check the rosters!

Which homeroom does this Sinclair belong to?" The Dean of Students flipped through a thick binder at the edge of the stage. He looked up. "Principal, I checked.

There's nobody by that name." Lorraine jabbed a finger at my nose. "I knew it!

You're some street punk who snuck onto campus!" Her pitch spiked, the tendons in her neck straining. "Probably from that vocational school down the street!

Sneaking in to seduce our boys! I've seen street trash like you before!" A ripple of movement went through the crowd of students. Whispers broke out.

Heads craned to get a better look at me. A few brows furrowed in confusion. Lorraine ignored the shift. The momentum was hitting her now. "Look at her!

Dressing up, trying to look professional, but she's just a thug!" "Faking a badge, sneaking into a toptier school, targeting the honors students!" She spun toward the side of the stage. "Security!

Where the hell is security? Restrain this punk!" The head of security jogged up the steps, flanked by two guards.

They stepped up beside me, but their hands stayed down at their sides. They had just watched me kick Lorraine to the floor. They weren't eager to test their luck.

Lorraine leaned close to Milton, pitching her voice loud enough for the microphones to catch. "Principal, she's a menace." "Faking credentials, trespassing, seducing our Ivybound boys!

Call the cops." "You have to call the cops! She belongs in juvie!" Milton nodded, puffing out his chest with selfrighteous authority. He pointed right at me. "Who are you really?

Tell the truth right now, or I'm calling the police." I held his gaze. I kept my voice flat and even. "I told you.

I am the Deputy Director of the City Board of Education." Lorraine scoffed. "Still lying? A little girl like you, a Deputy Director?" "Look at yourself.

Do you even look like an adult?" Milton crossed his arms, smirking. "Exactly. What Deputy Director shows up to a school completely alone?" "No driver? No assistants?

Who are you trying to kid?" "Call the cops!" Lorraine pressed. "Trash like her is a cancer on society. Let juvie straighten her out!" Milton pulled his phone from his pocket.

Right in front of the two thousand students, he dialed 911. "Hello, 911? This is Principal Milton at the high school.

We have an intruder on campus." "She faked a Board of Education badge, snuck in, and has been harassing our male students." "She is causing a severe disruption.

Yes, send officers immediately." He tapped the screen to hang up. He shoved the phone back into his pocket, crossed his arms, and locked a smug, triumphant stare on me.

Chapter 4 Lorraine planted her hands on her hips, her chest heaving heavily. "Just you wait!

You'll be sobbing when the cops drag you out of here in handcuffs!" "Forging government credentials?

They'll lock you up and throw away the key!" She whipped around to face the two thousand students on the field, her voice booming over the speakers. "Look closely, everyone!

This is exactly what happens when you try to get your hooks into an Ivybound student! Let this be a warning to anyone else with cheap ideas!" I stood my ground on the stage.

I crossed my arms over my chest. The smile never left my face, and I didn't say a word. Lorraine caught my smirk. Her face twisted.

She closed the distance between us, spitting her words. "You think this is funny? Let's see if you're still smiling when they process your mugshot!" Milton stepped up beside her.

He dropped his voice into a low, patronizing threat. "Forging a state official's badge carries a mandatory sentence of at least two to three years.

Your life is over, little girl." I met his stare. I let my voice drip with heavy, unapologetic sarcasm. "Oh, wow. I am terrified." Lorraine somehow entirely missed the sarcasm.

Her pitch spiked again. "What? Scared now?" "Too late! You were acting so tough a minute ago! Look at you backing down!" I gave her a single nod. "Alright.

Let's wait." The wail of sirens cut through the distance. Lorraine practically jumped out of her skin with excitement. She jabbed a finger toward the front gates. "Do you hear that?

The cops are here! You're finished!" Milton adjusted his tie and squared his shoulders, puffing himself up to greet the arriving officers.

A sleek black town car rolled through the front gates, flanked by three flashing police cruisers. Lorraine pointed at the motorcade. "Look at that!

All of them, here to haul you away!" I just kept my arms crossed. My smile didn't waver. The doors of the black town car opened.

Out stepped Warren, the Director of the City Board of Education. His face was a mask of pure fury.

He radiated an absolute, crushing authority, marching toward the stage with the precinct captain and a squad of uniformed officers trailing right behind him.

Lorraine pointed right at me, screaming at the approaching officers. "Officers! It's her!

The street thug!" "She forged a Board of Education ID, trespassed on our campus, and tried to seduce my son! Arrest her right now!" Warren didn’t even glance in her direction.

He marched straight up the steps onto the stage. He stopped squarely in front of me. His eyes quickly swept over me, checking for injuries.

Only after confirming I was unharmed did he finally speak. "Deputy Director Sinclair.

Are you alright?" "The second I got that phone call, I knew something had gone completely off the rails." The entire field plunged into dead silence.

Lorraine’s arm hung suspended in midair. Her finger pointed at nothing. "What… what did you just call her?" Warren slowly turned his head to look at her. His gaze was ice.

He enunciated every single syllable. "I called her Deputy Director. Sinclair, the Deputy Director of the City Board of Education.

Do you have a problem with that?" All the blood drained from Lorraine's face. She shook her head frantically, stumbling backward until her hip slammed against the principal's table