Chapter 28: What If Wrong Is Actually Right?: Part 2:

    What makes something 'wrong'? What makes something 'right'? Does someone tell us what shall be done and what shall not be done? Or do we just know what's 'wrong' from the time we're born? Does some unforeseen being plod its way into our conscience and tell us to: "Do the right thing, be the better person, help those in need, to be good, and do good?"
    I contemplated what the 'right' thing actually was. My fingers were saturated with my own sweat. In that moment I could've fallen straight to the ground with the way my knees trembled. I was weak, scared, and enraged, but most of all, I felt brave. I felt like I had to do something-  the 'right' thing.
"Security!" A droopy old teacher called out from across the field.
I looked over at her, and then quickly glanced back over at Shanice. There was no way that old woman was going to get involved with this confrontation.
Fear stabbed me straight through my spine like the needle of an epidural. I became paralyzed from the waist down, I couldn't feel my legs.

     "I'm going to tell you one more time Quinn. Pick my fucking paintings up right now-"
     "Or what?" The white-haired guy countered, walking closer to the girl as they came face to face.  "You think you're so pretty but nobody wants you, get your head out of your ass, you're just a whore with a bunch of lumps."
    "Fuck you Quinn, you're no more attractive than me." She swung her mahogany shaded hair around her shoulders. Shanice wasn't overweight but she wasn't skinny either, she was something in between those two but it worked for her. A mirror was always attached to her hands, she was self-obsessive or as some would say, "conceited." Even on rainy days, she still managed to look camera-ready.
Quinn was known for being a 'bad apple', and truthfully no one really knew why he was here. Lakewood was an expensive school, even for someone that didn't take their education seriously. But then again, it was always better to hear "Oh my son is enrolled at Lakewood" rather than "Yeah my son is enrolled at PS22" or something generic like that.
"What's the matter, are ya' too pretty to pick up your own paintings? They're horrendus anyways, they bleong on the ground." He sneered.
"I can pick up my own paintings, but I'm not going to. Especially since you knocked them out of my hands." Their foreheads were nearly bumping into each other. "Pick-Up-My-Paintings." She pointed at her artwork on the ground.

"I'm not your God damn slave. Get on all fours and pick up your shit like any regular person would, it's not that hard, you can do it. After all, you're used to being in that position, you're a bitch so start acting like one. Get on your knees, and pick up-"
Booosh! Shanice jumped on Quinn like a savage-ridden lion, throwing punches and wild kicks that eventually led to them both tumbling down on the turf.
"Oh God.  Don't just stand there like an idiot! Do something!" The little voice in my head  was controlling my body. I didn't want to but my legs moved forward, closer and closer towards the two of them tumbling on the ground.
"Don't get involved! Everyone stay calm and wait for security to get here!" The teacher called out. This had to be stopped even if that meant I was technically doing the 'wrong' thing.
Students flooded around us like a bunch of grey clouds in the sky on a stormy day. "If anyone jumps in or even gets hit on accident, I will have to report you guys for the NT-Policy, back up!" She warned again. But who was going to listen to the frail old woman?

I looked back at her, and looked all around the kids surrounding me, and then I glanced back down at the ground. There was blood and ripped fragments of their uniforms covering the turf now. Shanice had her arms up, trying to cover her face, and protect herself for dear life as Quinn was slinging punches at her. "Someone please help me!" She squirmed around, trying to get Quinn off of her. "Where the fuck is security?!" She hollered, with her face all red and puffy.

No one was jumping in, they were all just watching. Some people were even shouting and egging them on.  Were these people insane? Or just apathetic and cynical in their minds?
Sometimes the 'right' thing may be the 'wrong' thing according to laws and regulations placed on us by society, or those in higher authority. But that still doesn't mean you should forget what's right.

      I hesitated for a moment, looking at my hand that was shaking as I held it out towards them. My voice was a catalyst, as soon as I yelled "Stop!" I went full-on , and full force, straight into the fight, and it hurt.
     "Get the fuck off me" He hollered, as he tugged his shoulders back and forth, releasing my grip from his shoulders and sending me straight to the ground.
     "Ahh!" I winced a little bit, but ignored the pain and jumped right back in. "Get off of her" I managed to say as I was hanging onto him with all of my might, which was making it hard to speak and on top of that dodging punches and kicks wasn't helping my voice sound any better either.
     "Who the hell are you" He turned around, facing me and lifting most of his weight off of Shanice, as he tumbled on top of me, pinning me against the ground.
            “Stop this nonsense right now!” She croaked, pointing her old saggy finger at us. What was the point of being a teacher if you weren’t even going to set the right example for your own students? I mean seriously, she should’ve been yelling “Help her!” or “Break up the fight!” But instead, she was advising us not to touch each other and just sit around and wait for security. People can die from brawls and fights, sitting around and waiting for a person of authority to come and settle the situation was a waste of time. When there’s a conflict you must use action, and that’s what I was doing.

           “It’s not worth it! Stop fighting! Please get off of me, I was only trying to break up the fight, Quinn!” I screeched, as I shook my hands beneath his grip. Quinn ignored my plea and scratched my cheek. It burned like pouring alcohol on a fresh wound. My adrenaline was pumping and my mind was unrestrained, in response to my instincts, I started kicking violently, trying to get Quinn off of me. But where was Shanice? God damnit, that bitch probably got up and left as soon as I jumped in to save her. That’s what I get for trying to be a ‘good’ person. I looked over at my side, rolling back and forth on my back, dodging Quinn’s punches. Luckily he got on his feet and I was able to try and defend myself. I grabbed a hold of his wrist and tried my best to stop him from punching me but he was stronger than me and his wrist quickly escaped from my grip. I threw my hands up over my bruised face, trying to protect myself.
     

     “What’s the matter are you scared of a little masculine power?” I gave up and let go of his wrist, he swung at me again. “You know that’s what you get, when you choose to fight guys. If you want to fight like a man, be brave enough to get hit like one.” He laughed, holding his arm up in the air, delaying his punch he was about to throw at me. “Where’s security whe-“ Thump! Quinn’s head jerked forward and he landed on top of me, holding onto his head as he winced and groaned in agonizing pain. “Ahhh! Fuck!”
            It was like I was trapped inside of a whirlpool. What the hell just happened? The constant up and down motion of Quinn’s chest was the only thing I could feel on top of me. “Get off of me!” I mumbled, pushing him over to the side.
           “Owww” He groaned. I looked up and it wasn't until then that I realized what just happened. Shanice was standing over us, smiling a rough and edgy smile with blood on her face. I looked down at the ground, her paintings were right next to me.

     "Alright! Alright! Break it up you bastards!" A tall mean looking guy dressed up in all black said as he approached us.
    He tugged Shanice straight to the ground, but she was trying to hit Quinn. He whistled and motioned for back up. A tall woman dressed up in black came over and pinned shanice down to the ground. "Not a word. Do you understand? Not a God Damn word is going to come out of your mouth." She pushed her deeper into the ground as if she already hadn't had her face in the ground far enough. Shanice laughed like it was a joke, still trying to tug on Quinn's hair.
     Like lightning, another black draped guy swooped through the crowd and straddled on top of Quinn, pushing his hands into his back. Quinn winced, flapping his arms around in the air like a seal."Stay still, you idiot." The guy all dressed up in black pushed Quinn's head into the grass.
     His voice was all muddled and unclear as he spoke."Hey man! My head is fucked up, that whore just threw all her portraits on my head." Quinn rubbed his head some more trying to get up even though the security guard was pushing him down. He demanded that they "Get an ambulance!" He flapped his arms some more. "I think I'm dying of An aneurysm!"

     And then there was me, sitting on the ground, still looking at this awkward scene. The shadow of the dreadful figure standing before me was black and rigid through the streaks of green grass. "Get up." He demanded. I couldn't, my body just wouldn't move, I kept my head down. I was coming down from my high, now ashamed of what I had just participated in. "Are you dead?! I'm not speaking Chinese! Get up right now!" His voice shook the ground beneath me, it was deep and dark. Stony like a rock.
    He tugged on my hair like he was playing tug of war with my head. "Damn kids, always startin' trouble." He mumbled.
    "Stop pulling on my hair! I was just defending her!" This had to be illegal, there was no way in hell he could touch me that roughly and get away with it.
    "I don't care what you think you were doin'. You're a bad girl. I ain't stupid, I've seen em' all and I can guarantee you were instigating this fight and just adding fuel to the fire."
    He dragged me by my arm, green muddy streaks were coating my pants and then he tugged on my hair once again. "Check the cameras and stop pulling my hair before I get up and beat the shit out of you." I hissed.
    His breath smelled all minty and fresh as he leaned close to my face. "Oh yeah?" He smiled a patronizing smile at me. "You ain't gonna do shit to me. I could handle you but that's not my job, the Dean will handle you himself."

***

               “Ms. Wiggins, I assume you know why you are here.” Mr. Drist said as he hunched over his desk, his hands crossed as he seared me with the stare of his flaming eyes.

                "Of course I know why I'm here, but it wasn't my fault." I said sternly, still looking him in the eye.
                Mr. Drist was the dean but that still didn't mean I wasn't going to defend myself. "Do you know what an agitator is, Ms. Wiggins?" He asked, with his royal tone of voice.
     "Uhh, yeah. Why?" I fiddled with my thumbs, this was my first time sitting in the dean's office.
    "Well, that's what you were." His eyes widened, and he smiled, all knowingly. "As soon as you jumped into that fight, you only made the situation worse."
    "I was only helping Shanice, sir." I defended. "Do you really think it's okay for people to stand by and watch a girl get beat up by a guy?!"
     "Ms. Wiggins, you need to realize that not everything is white and black. Sometimes the right thing, is really the wrong thing-look at you." He pointed his interrogating red laser beam of a finger at me. "You've got a bloody lip, a scratched up face, and your pants are all muddy."

     "I wouldn't be this muddy if the security guards hadn't dragged me across the dirt, they hurt me more than Quinn did, they were rough and they cursed at me. Do you think that's the right thing to do to a student who is a minor and a female?!" I retorted, nearly about to leap out of my seat and shake him by the shoulders.
     He remained firm, not even budging the slightest bit. "They were doing their job Melody, and that would've never happened if you would've followed the NT policy and kept it moving. This isn't about them anyways."
    "Well then what is this about?" I asked, sounding just as confident as he did.
     "This is about students following the code of conduct." He replied.
    "Well, the code of conduct is absurd. What if I hadn't jumped in and she would've gotten beat to death?!?" It was like he was on something, either that or he just really didn't have common sense.
      "Ms. Wiggins, you can't attach your feelings to the situation. That's the end of this discussion. Now, considering this is your first incident I will be generous and not punish you too harshly. Would you like two hours of detention or a week of suspension?"
    I guess some good deeds do get overlooked. Mr. Drist didn't care if I was trying to help Shanice, he only cared if I was going to be suspended for a week or sit in detention for two hours.
Staying home for a week and doing whatever I want? Sounded like heaven to me... But then I thought about it, realizing that was a bad decision, and my uncle probably would've been pissed if I got suspended. And Adrianne, ugh. She would probably stone me. "I think detention is the better choice, sir." I murmured.

      "Mhmm, it definitely is, based on your attendance history. You don't need to miss another day of school." He looked at me like he expected me to say something, so I did.
    "Well, that's what happens when you have a head injury." I sighed, thinking about it. My poor little brain. Whether it was dealing with a blow to the head or trying to argue with an ignorant man, it hurt equally the same.
    "No, you still could've come to school." He said coldly.
      "And do what? I wasn't supposed to do anything that could over-work my brain." I sounded extremely rude but his comment caught me off guard.
      "You could've sat there and gotten somewhat familiar with your materials." He shurgged, looking over at me like I was just coming up with excuses that entire month.
   Did he not understand what a brain injury meant? He was a fool.

    He sighed deeply as he looked at me. "Ms. Wiggins, it's such a shame to see our alumni stray from the right path." He shook his head.
     I looked at him shyly. "Huh?"
      "You're a red apple, sweet and strong...don't become a bitter green apple, we don't like those here at Lakewood. There's a reason why students give their teachers red apples."
      What the fuck? Was this guy on drugs? 
I was done arguing with him so I got up and grabbed my bag.

     He waved a pink slip in the air at me. "Don't forget your detention slip Ms.Wiggins, I expect you to serve it today. And I will call up your guardian and your parents and notify them all even though you're not living with your mom anymore."
     I looked at him, frowning. "Why? My mom isn't looking after me anymore..."
      "She's still your mother Ms. Wiggins and it's my job to inform her."
     "Fine. " I sighed before walking out of the door.

***

     "I'm sorry, maybe I'm not understanding this correctly. You're telling me that Melody was reprimanded and punished for trying to break up a fight?" My uncle looked at the Dean like he was insane, because he definitely was proving it right now. He sighed, "I'm sorry I just don't understand how that makes any sense." He frowned and shifted around in his seat a little. "My niece has her ups and downs but she's generally a good kid, and I know for a fact she would never want to fight someone...I'm actually quite surprised she jumped into a fight." He looked over at me for a moment and flashed a smile. "But I'm proud of her for standing up for what's right."
     "Sometimes what one may perceive to be 'right' is actually wrong." Mr.Drist fiddle with his tie. "Our NT policy forbids the students of touching each other in any violent way, even if an innocent bystander gets hit they get punished too because we always strongly urge the students to evacuate an area where physical harm is taking place...Its a great skill for them to practice in the real world."
     Was this guy fucking serious? A good skill for the real world? Well, yeah maybe if someone wants to be a *****.  Sitting in detention for 2 hours was painful enough but now that I had to stand here and listen to his bullshit again, I wasn't sure which was worse.

     "It is what it is. I'm proud of her and I don't see anything wrong with what she did. Is this discussion over now?" My uncle looked at me, and I looked back at him with my eyes wide open. I couldn't believe he was being so straight forward and somewhat rude.
     "I guess we are finished Mr.Wiggins. I assume you're a very busy man, working in a hospital and all. It took at least 5 or 6 calls before I actually got to speak with you on the phone! That must be a demanding job, I can only imagine."
      "Yup, you got that right. I was actually in the middle of a surgery when you called me 9 times. I save people's lives Mr. Drist." He paused for a brief moment, making sure his eyes locked with Mr. Drist. "I don't have time to play phone games with this ridiculous circus ring of a school you're running. When you want to talk to me about something serious that's when I'll listen. But when I'm in the middle of a surgery, trying to save my patient's life I don't have time for silly little games." If his words were bullets, he could kill.

     "Well maybe you should prioritize yourself better, surely your niece is just as important as your patients." Mr. Drist pointed at me as if that would make a difference.

     My uncle rolled his eyes. "You're not getting the big picture here, I can't tolerate this nonsense any longer, I have lives to save and you just messed up my schedule. I will be taking Melody home now." He looked at me and motioned for me to get up, I wasn't sure if he was secretly mad at me but there was really nothing I could do at this point.
     I got up and grabbed my bag, heading towards the door with him before Mr. Drist got out of his chair. "It was a pleasure speaking with you Mr.Wiggins."