I followed the headmaster to his office like a sheep being led to the slaughter house. I didn't know what my fate would be. I have been in his office just once. That was the day my mum came with me to the school for admission. Since then, I have tried my best not to be called to his office. Few students go to his office without being punished. So when he came to our classroom to call me, I knew definitely that trouble was brewing.
His office was on the top floor. We climbed up there and entered his office. He gave me a seat to sit on. He opened his refrigerator and brought out two chilled bottles of Fanta. I found it so unusual. He placed the bottles of Fanta on his table. He brought out a sheet of paper from his pocket and wrote something on it. He folded the paper, and handed it to me and also gave me an order to answer all the questions on it correctly. I opened the sheet of paper, and read what he had written on the piece of paper. It was a Maths question. Algebraic expression. This headmaster can't be doing this to me. I knew he was gradually leading me to my grave. I wished the new guy was sitting beside me, so that I could look on his work. It only remained a wish.
Fifteen minutes passed, and I had not even written a number on the sheet of paper. I started sweating profusely. I knew by then that the only person who could save me was my 'shark' friend, but he was long gone. The headmaster opened the Fanta and started sipping it. He asked me to take the other one. I refused it politely. He insisted and even went ahead to open it for me. He placed it beside my work and looked on the sheet of paper. He got to know that I had not written anything. He didn't utter a word, but opened the door and went out.
I sat there gazing at the paper. I decided to take a sip of the "sweating" Fanta. Just when I lifted it to my mouth, the door opened. I dropped the Fanta on the table and pretended as though I hadn't even touched it. The headmaster entered the office, but he wasn't alone. He came with my dream girl. He asked her to sit on a chair next to mine. "Your Maths teacher is finding it difficult to do the work. Can you please help him?" he told Lucy. Lucy took the sheet of paper from me, looked at it. Seconds later, she started writing. She finished answering it in no time. She gave it to the headmaster, and he marked it. She got it correct.
"So Maths teacher, how come you couldn't do such a simple question? Were you really teaching her, or she was teaching you. Have you seen how aimless you have become? You sit with Frank, but you don't learn from him. All you do is copy his work, get high marks and then start fooling around with girls. Are you really serious in life at all?" The headmaster ended his "lecture" but not until he has given me five dirty lashes at my buttocks. He again told me to come along with my mum to school the following day. I couldn't cry in his presence. Oh yeah. Not when my dream girl was there. I didn't want to show any sign of weakness. I was going through pains, but I didn't show it. The headmaster asked us to go home.
"I'm sorry for putting you through this. I didn't know he was going to do this to you. I'm really sorry. Forgive me please. " Lucy said. Her words were a bit comforting. I told her not to worry because it wasn't her fault. She insisted it was her fault. I asked why and she told me she went and told the headmaster that I wanted to meet her after closing. I asked why she did that, and she explained that her parents left her in the care of the headmaster, so she just felt that there was nothing wrong if she tells him. At that point, I was boiling inside. I felt like punching her in the face, or maybe kiss her and run away or maybe rape her and stop the school. While I was contemplating on what to do, JK appeared from nowhere.
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