as silly little Charlotte Powers COME from? The MOON?
That's when the spaghetti sauce got dumped over my head. I didn't see who did it, one of Veronica's cronies probably, it doesn't matter. All that mattered was that I was standing there totally humiliated in front of the whole school and they were all laughing at me again, standing there dripping with tomato sauce, all in my hair and over my new clean uniform and seeping into my shoes.
Worst. Moment. Of. My. Life.
Worse even than when I realised I'd lost my powers. I don't know why, it just WAS.
What followed was pretty bad, too. This guy suddenly appeared, a student but dressed in a different-coloured uniform to everyone else, darker and with a band across it, and he started by telling Veronica off so that wasn't bad, but then he turned on me! I couldn't believe it, I was standing there dripping with tomato sauce and he was telling ME off!
"You might be new here but that doesn't excuse your behaviour," he said. I didn't do anything, though! I haven't done anything bad, just the thing with my guitar which I still haven't gotten back and getting spaghetti sauce dumped over me, what did I do? WHAT DID I DO? Anyway, he wasn't finished telling me off, he went on about me 'causing disturbances' and 'encouraging misbehaviour'.
"I ... I'm just trying ..."
I couldn't get anything more than that out. And before you say anything YES I cried AGAIN, why am I such a crybaby? I'm supposed to be a superhero, even without my powers I should have 'inner strength', right? A will of iron? An indomitable presence of mind? An invincible spirit? I always thought I kind of did but now I know that I don't. I'm not strong-willed or indomitable in ANY way, I'm just a stupid weak girl who cries when she's told off. Just pathetic.
"Trying to do what?" the guy said—he's a head student or something, I don't know, I was too upset for comprehension. "Be a menace to the school? Look, Powers, while you're here you're going to have to do things OUR way. Keep your head down, do your work, and FOLLOW THE RULES. Don't act out, don't rock the boat. The last thing this school needs is another hero. Somebody get her to a bathroom."
So once again I was escorted to a bathroom, my head spinning. What did he mean? What rules? Nobody said anything about any rules! It's not fair to say that sort of thing and not even tell me what's going on! Give me a pamphlet or something with everything written down, otherwise how am I supposed to know how to behave? And what did he mean, 'another hero', how have I acted in ANY WAY heroic since I've been here? Hah, he doesn't have to worry about that AT ALL, if there's one thing I've learnt since I came here it's that I am DEFINITELY not a 'hero'. At this point I wouldn't even make a good VILLAIN. I'm just a no-power nobody, of no worth to anyone.
About halfway through getting cleaned up I realised that the person who was helping me was the creepy girl from yesterday, the one who'd warned me about Veronica. Now I realise what she meant, of course, a little too late.
"Why didn't you tell me!" I demanded—I know it was unfair but I wasn't in a state for reason at that point. She shrank away and I could tell I'd upset her, but to my shame I didn't apologise or say anything, just kept trying to clean up—she'd brought a clean uniform for me but there was a lot of sauce all over me, it got EVERYWHERE.
After a couple of minutes she spoke:
"I did tell you."
That made me feel worse. Horrible, actually. She was just trying to be nice to me and what did I do? Acted like a totally awful person, is what. But ... but I didn't apologise. I should have, but I didn't.
"I'm Charlotte."
That was her, a couple of minutes later. Her name is Charlotte, too. Charlotte Crescent.
"That's my name," I managed to mutter. She half-gasped.
"I'm sorry, I've offended you—"
"No, you haven't—why would that offend me?"
She shrank back again and clasped her hands together in front of herself,
That's when the spaghetti sauce got dumped over my head. I didn't see who did it, one of Veronica's cronies probably, it doesn't matter. All that mattered was that I was standing there totally humiliated in front of the whole school and they were all laughing at me again, standing there dripping with tomato sauce, all in my hair and over my new clean uniform and seeping into my shoes.
Worst. Moment. Of. My. Life.
Worse even than when I realised I'd lost my powers. I don't know why, it just WAS.
What followed was pretty bad, too. This guy suddenly appeared, a student but dressed in a different-coloured uniform to everyone else, darker and with a band across it, and he started by telling Veronica off so that wasn't bad, but then he turned on me! I couldn't believe it, I was standing there dripping with tomato sauce and he was telling ME off!
"You might be new here but that doesn't excuse your behaviour," he said. I didn't do anything, though! I haven't done anything bad, just the thing with my guitar which I still haven't gotten back and getting spaghetti sauce dumped over me, what did I do? WHAT DID I DO? Anyway, he wasn't finished telling me off, he went on about me 'causing disturbances' and 'encouraging misbehaviour'.
"I ... I'm just trying ..."
I couldn't get anything more than that out. And before you say anything YES I cried AGAIN, why am I such a crybaby? I'm supposed to be a superhero, even without my powers I should have 'inner strength', right? A will of iron? An indomitable presence of mind? An invincible spirit? I always thought I kind of did but now I know that I don't. I'm not strong-willed or indomitable in ANY way, I'm just a stupid weak girl who cries when she's told off. Just pathetic.
"Trying to do what?" the guy said—he's a head student or something, I don't know, I was too upset for comprehension. "Be a menace to the school? Look, Powers, while you're here you're going to have to do things OUR way. Keep your head down, do your work, and FOLLOW THE RULES. Don't act out, don't rock the boat. The last thing this school needs is another hero. Somebody get her to a bathroom."
So once again I was escorted to a bathroom, my head spinning. What did he mean? What rules? Nobody said anything about any rules! It's not fair to say that sort of thing and not even tell me what's going on! Give me a pamphlet or something with everything written down, otherwise how am I supposed to know how to behave? And what did he mean, 'another hero', how have I acted in ANY WAY heroic since I've been here? Hah, he doesn't have to worry about that AT ALL, if there's one thing I've learnt since I came here it's that I am DEFINITELY not a 'hero'. At this point I wouldn't even make a good VILLAIN. I'm just a no-power nobody, of no worth to anyone.
About halfway through getting cleaned up I realised that the person who was helping me was the creepy girl from yesterday, the one who'd warned me about Veronica. Now I realise what she meant, of course, a little too late.
"Why didn't you tell me!" I demanded—I know it was unfair but I wasn't in a state for reason at that point. She shrank away and I could tell I'd upset her, but to my shame I didn't apologise or say anything, just kept trying to clean up—she'd brought a clean uniform for me but there was a lot of sauce all over me, it got EVERYWHERE.
After a couple of minutes she spoke:
"I did tell you."
That made me feel worse. Horrible, actually. She was just trying to be nice to me and what did I do? Acted like a totally awful person, is what. But ... but I didn't apologise. I should have, but I didn't.
"I'm Charlotte."
That was her, a couple of minutes later. Her name is Charlotte, too. Charlotte Crescent.
"That's my name," I managed to mutter. She half-gasped.
"I'm sorry, I've offended you—"
"No, you haven't—why would that offend me?"
She shrank back again and clasped her hands together in front of herself,
Similar Books
