Star Quality

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“What is going on?”

“Dalton and Jameson are going at it!”

“Because of that Sashi chick?”

“I heard it was because Dalton kissed Sierra.”

Antoinette lifted her head up from the table, where she was
sneaking a 10 minute nap in. The fight was on again. It never
actually stopped. Like the ocean, it ebbed and flowed.

“Good to see you awake and alert,” Odele grinned, “You
going to break it up or should I?”

Antoinette looked towards the small crowd growing around the two
boys and groaned loudly.

“You did it last time. I’ll go,” she grumbled.
As she stood up and walked across the floor to the crowd she could
hear Odele whisper, “Oh, thank God.”

Antoinette moved through her peers with effort and made her way
into the middle, where the boys were.

Dalton grabbed Jameson’s shirt with both hands and lifted it
up.

“You remember what you said?”

Jameson grunted in response.

Dalton punched Jameson in the stomach. Jameson’s breath came
out of him and he fell on his knees.

“Yes,” he managed to get out.

“Don’t you ever touch her again!” Dalton pulled
his fist back and before he could make his next move there was a girl
standing in front of his foe.

“Come on, Annie, move,” Dalton let his arm fall to his
side and narrowed his eyes at Antoinette.

“No. You are being an idiot. Jameson and you need to deal
with your problems like humans not animals.”

The crowd dispersed, since the action wasn’t happening. A
woman started storming over to them.

“Okay. What just happened,” the woman folded her arms
and waited for an answer.

Jameson stood up and began to speak but Antoinette interrupted.

“We were playing Ninja, Ms. Hamilton.”

“Judging by Mr. Jameson’s face, it looks like it got
pretty intense,” Ms. Hamilton tucked a smile under her cross
look.

Jameson dabbed at his lip with his finger, just noticing that it
was bleeding.

“I’m done,” Dalton crossed to the table that he
had been eating at before the fight. He grabbed his backpack, left
his tray on the table and walked to his next class.

Antoinette reached over to the closest table and grabbed a napkin
from the dispenser. She handed it to Jameson. He took it from her and
gave her a look that showed gratitude.

“You’re not gonna stop him?” Antoinette asked
gesturing to the hallway that Dalton was walking down.

“I’ll deal with him later. I want you two to come to
my office,” Ms. Hamilton led the way.

Antoinette and Jameson swapped faces during the walk to the
office. Antoinette wanted to ask Jameson why he chose today to pick a
fight and why it was so important but she figured she would save that
for later. She stared at Jameson’s lip. It didn’t look
bad and he probably deserved it. Jameson stared back and smiled then
grimaced from the pain that the smiled caused. Antoinette held in a
giggle but smiled back. Jameson loved her smile. It was contagious
and could probably cure cancer. If only there was a way to harness
the power of the smile.

Ms. Hamilton stopped and motioned them to go into her office
first.

“Sit, please,” she shut the door, crossed over to her
desk and sat down.

“As both of you know, we have our Star Quality meeting
today. I do not expect perfection from everyone but I am a bit
disappointed in both of you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Antoinette protested, “I
was trying to stop them.”

“It is not just that. Both of you have been acting out of
character. Jameson, you have been picking fights. Don’t think
that I don’t see you. You know better and you are better than
that. Annie, you have been skipping class.”

Jameson just nodded but Antoinette was ready to argue.

“I have turned in all of my assignments and I make good
grades.”

“I understand, but you both know the rules and the
consequences,” Ms. Hamilton offered them mints from a lavender
bowl on her desk. Jameson took one, popped it in his mouth and
crunched down. Ms. Hamilton cringed at that and Jameson smirked. “You
will hurt your teeth doing that,” she said to him and turned
towards Antoinette, “Three strikes and you are out. You know
what’s wrong and right. Plus you signed a paper saying that you
read the handbook.”

“You’ll just dismiss us from S.Q. that fast?”
Antoinette knitted her brow together and leaned forward on her knees.
“I don’t understand. I mean, we are great students,
Jameson is an amazing athlete and I’m awesome in the band. Why
can’t we just skip out for a few minutes every once in a
while?”

“You know why,” Ms. Hamilton gathered some paperwork
from her desk and stood quickly. “Go on to class now. Jameson,
you see the nurse and if you fight anymore, I will have to suspend
you.”

All three left the office with Antoinette and Jameson going one
direction and Ms. Hamilton going the other.

They walked in silence for a few beats then Jameson spoke up.

“You think she is going to actually go after Dalton next?”

Antoinette glared at him. Of all times he decides to speak….

“Yes. I know she will. She’s good at what she does and
Dalton did not wait around.”

“He was pretty angry with me. I hope that he can forgive
me.”

“Speaking of that, what did you do?”

“I…um…” Jameson’s face flushed
pink and he turned away from Antoinette as they continued walking.

“C’mon. Spit it out.”

“I kissed Sierra.”

Silence.

Antoinette cleared her throat and stopped walking. Jameson turned
towards her and looked at their shoes.

“Was it good?” Antoinette kicked herself for asking
that. What am I supposed to say? What is proper etiquette in this
situation? I probably shouldn’t have said anything.

“Eh.”

Eh? Eh?! What is that supposed to mean. Eh, I’ve had
better? Eh, she was the worst.

“Well, alright then,” Antoinette laughed nervously.
Jameson smiled at her and then wrapped her up in a quick but
comforting embrace.

“Don’t be jealous,” he whispered into her hair.

She pushed him away and asked, “Why would I be jealous?”

He shrugged and walked on towards the nurse’s office.

Antoinette turned and started towards her next class. I am NOT
jealous. I have no reason to be jealous. Me? Jealous? Nope.

But as she walked to Calculus she admitted to herself that she may
be a bit jealous.