𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐢'𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐠, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲
𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞
Once again, the first day of school has rolled back around, leaving behind the days of tanning at the beach and wild summer nights with friends. It’s one of those days that you’re either really excited about, or really not. Not this year, though. This year, all of East High rejoiced knowing it was Robin McDonald and Griselda Lee’s last year at that school.
Mac and Grizz, two-thirds of the troublesome trio involving them and their partner in crime, Eli Perez, would soon be leaving. And with their absence, East High might know peace for the first time in almost 4 years.
While the rest of their school celebrated their imminent departure, the trio was forced to face just how little time left they had together. But not only was their friendship at stake, but also something far greater, something much bigger than any of them.
“S-so, I just stand here? Or do you want me to move around? Or….���
“Yes, Carrot Top!” Eli screeched in frustration, knuckles white as they clutched their drumsticks in anger. They took a deep breath, trying to subdue the urge to beat the scared boy in front of her with the sticks.
“Well, which one is it? Stand still or move around?” The boy holding the video camera asked, starting to get a bit frustrated too, but too afraid to show it. It was late at night and he rather be anywhere else, but when Eli Perez tells you to do something, you do it. Or else.
“Obviously move around,” Grizz chimed in, lazing strumming the bass guitar in her hand. “It would be a pretty lame ass video if you just fucking stood there,” she snapped, though not as harshly as her friend.
“R-right,” the boy nodded, looking anywhere but the intense gazes of the people in front of him.
“Hey, Little Ginger,” Mac spoke up as she finished adjusting the setting on the amp. “We’re all set, so hit record and let’s get going.”
“It’s Big Red,” he reminded her, though he could tell none of them could care less. He was about to hit record when he was stopped by another voice.
“Wait! Your brother isn’t back yet,” Grizz reminded Mac. The fourth and newest addition to their group, Benny McDonald, had yet to return from Grizz’s room where he was fetching the girl a new jacket because she simply was “not vibing” with the one she currently had on.
“Oh shit, you’re right. He’s so quiet, I forget sometimes,” Mac admitted, frowning as she glanced to her brother’s empty spot.
Right on cue, the Sophomore boy entered through the door connecting the garage to the house, holding the “more badass” jacket Grizz had requested.
“Sorry,” he huffed, handing the jacket to Grizz before getting into position and strapping on his guitar. “Your closet is like a freakin’ maze.”
“Is that why it took you so long to come out of it?” Eli joked from behind their drums, trying to stifle their laughter as they noticed the burning glare Grizz was sending.
“Haha,” Grizz retorted monotonously before turning to Big Red. “You can record now, Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Frowning at the nickname, Big Red put aside his frustration and hit record, gesturing for the band to start as he zoomed in on Mac.
“WE ARE BELOW AVERAGE AND WE’RE ABOUT TO FUCK YOU GENTLY WITH A CHAINSAW!!!” Mac screamed at the top of her lungs, Big Red having to fight the urge to take a step back from his close proximity. He switched focus to Eli who had their drumsticks raised in the air, a manic smile on their face as they started the countdown.
“1-2-3-4!”
“The world is simply not ready for our genius,” Grizz assured her best friend.
Mac stared glumly at her phone as she played the video they’d posted to YouTube last night. Their video barely got any feedback, which she should’ve suspected since their account barely had any subscribers in the first place. She’d hoped they’d gain a bit more of a following after two years, but no dice.
“Maybe we need, like, a manager,” Benny suggested as he walked beside his sister, looking up to see a frown still firmly planted on her face.
“Right, like anyone would want to work with us,” she scoffed, shaking her head at the idea. “Face it, this band is gonna die before it even really started.” Grizz nodded along sadly, once again being reminded that their time as a band drawing to a close.
Benny scoffed, shaking his head at their defeated expressions. “You guys are such pessimists! Come on, I know you both care about this band way too much to give up on it.”
“We’re gonna have to quit by the end of the school year anyway,” Grizz shrugged off Benny’s optimism, continuing to focus on the negative.
“Yeah. You and Eli will have to rock on without us,” Mac nudged her brother with a smirk, getting a weak one in return.
“It won’t be the same, though,” he whined, nudging her back. “Eli’s great, but two people isn’t much of a band.”
“Then you’ll get some new members,” Mac suggested as the trio entered the school.
“Uh, weren’t you the one saying how no one would want to work with us,” he pointed out, making Mac purse her lips before chuckling.
“You got me there. But you’ll be alright. You’re in good, tough hands,” she assured him, referencing Eli as she patted him on the back.
“Where is she, anyway?” Grizz wondered aloud.
Her question was answered by the large bang that sounded from further down the hallway, gaining the attention of the trio and everyone else in the vicinity.
“SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU BEANSTALK LOOKING MOTHERFUCKER!”
“There she is,” Benny quietly muttered out, fear already settling in as he tried to keep up with the other two as they immediately raced to their friend’s aide.
They arrived to see Eli had cornered some guy wearing an East High letterman jacket against the lockers. The guy had to be at least a foot taller, but still looked like he was about to shit his pants as Eli looked seconds away from ripping out his throat.
“What’d you do!” Mac immediately accused him, standing on her toes to get up in his face.
“Guys!” Benny got the others' attention, sparing the frightened boy from their glares. “Can we please not get in trouble on the first day of school?” he begged.
“He told his buddy over there how he thought you’d put out if he got you drunk enough,” Eli whispered to Mac, though Benny and Grizz were close enough to hear. Fury reignited in the group, though none felt it as strong as Benny.
“THE FUCK DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SISTER?!”
Though still significantly shorter than the guy, and probably not as strong, Benny didn’t hesitate to yank him off the locker and shove him onto the ground, earning shocked gasps from the crowd that gathered. He was too blinded with rage to see the looks of pride, and mild shock, on his sister’s and friends’ faces.
“Hey! Break it up!”
Benny’s foot froze mid-air, about to kick the cowering guy in the ribs, when the principal, followed by the students who snitched on them, arrived at the scene. Everyone, besides the band, the guy laying on the floor, and his buddy, scattered to avoid facing the wrath of Principal Gutierrez.
“I should’ve known it would be you four,” he dryly chuckled, wagging his finger at them. “My office. Now!”
In a symphony of groans and scoffs, the four troublemakers followed the Principal through the halls to his office, the journey being all too familiar to them.
“Sit down,” the man ordered once they made it to his office. Mac and Eli had already sat down before he even told them to, with Benny plopping down on the floor and Grizz sitting on the edge of his desk as there were only two chairs. “You two, just stand,” he instructed the remaining two, annoyance barely contained in his voice.
“Love what you’ve done with the place, sir,” Mac smirked, glancing casually around the room while Grizz and Eli giggled beside her. “Are those new window shades?”
“Enough!” he barked, more than fed up with her attitude. He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples before continuing. “I was hoping you would forego your yearly tradition of causing trouble the first day of school, but it seems I have once again set my expectations too high.”
“Look, can you just give us detention and get this over with?” Grizz questioned, now standing though still leaning on the Principal’s desk much to his chagrin. “If you’re expecting us to apologize to that creep, you can forget about it.” The others nodded along, stubbornly crossing their arms in unison.
“Unfortunately, I think we are well past just detention,” he thought out loud, scratching his chin as he thought.
“Wha- Do you mean…suspension?!” Benny stuttered out, his confident facade crumbling at the thought of facing a more severe punishment.
“No, no,” Gutierrez dismissed. “Something worse. It needs to be something much worse…” he trailed off, still thinking deeply while his students waiting impatiently. “You four may leave…for now. I’ll come up with a more suitable punishment by the end of the day.”
The band, stunned at the man’s words, cautiously made their way out of the office as he waved them away, a hint of a sadistic smirk on his face as he was no doubt planning something horrible.
“What do you think our punishment will be?” Benny asks fearfully, the first of them to speak up as they wandered the hallways.
“I don’t even want to know,” Grizz said with a groan.
“Whatever it is has to be really awful if it’s worse than suspension,” Mac thought aloud. Her attention was brought to her left as she looked down at Eli, her friend letting out small chuckles. “What? What could you possibly be laughing at?”
“I was just thinking about how Benny was totally about to beat that guy's ass for you," she explained, directing her beaming smile toward the blushing boy.
"Aw, you're right! Baby's first fight," Grizz coos, pinching his cheeks and cackling when he swats her hands away.
“You know what this means, right?” Mac asks, addressing the group as she sends her brother a proud smile.
“What?”
“You’re officially a teenage dirtbag, baby.”
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