Called to the Office

I was typically a good kid in school, every now and then I would show up late to class a couple times but nothing too extreme to where you would call me a delinquent. Not a criminal or anything close to it yet on this day, early in the morning I was being called to the school’s office. This bewildered me because the office would usually call for disobedient students so you can probably imagine the surprised look on my face at this moment.

“Rafael Castaneda to the office please, immediately,” the office announced.

“OOOUUUU,” the class replied. “Your in big trouble Raf.”

I mumble back, “It’s most likely a misunderstanding you pathetic rodents.” 

“Mr. Castaneda come here for a second,” the teacher said.

“Rascals,” I thought. “Now I’m in more trouble because of my reaction but those kids always bully me so they deserve none of my respect and every ounce of my disrespect. They always take my lunch money, steal my schoolwork to copy, and call me four eyes because of my glasses, Savages.” I spring into action from my chair so I can hurry this process up. “Something tells me this is going to be a very long school day for me,” I pondered. Almost immediately I regretted the insult I had tossed to my fellow classmates. “The faces they made when I called them rodents was priceless they all looked horrified as if they had seen a homicide with both eyes wide open right in front of them,” I thought. All though words like this didn’t really penetrate an adult’s more bulletproof mind, at my young age of 14 it was like firing a loaded weapon when you shot off certain words. 

“Rafael why did you say that?” the teacher said. “Your typically very well behaved, is everything okay at home.”

“Yes everything’s fine just got a little heated, emotions were high I apologize,” I responded.

“Ok well, just take it easy you have a good reputation at this school don’t ruin it all in one day kido.”

“Yes of course no problem I’ll keep it nonchalant from here on out I promise.”

“Great, you should get going to the office now and remember to be polite to everyone,” she said with a hint of despair in her eyes as if she gave up already.

“Why me?” I thought. “I never do anything mischievous, so why would I be getting called to the office especially this early in the morning.” I proceeded to give her a thumbs up as I speed walked towards the door because my school is very massive. Severely oversized if you ask me, however it is this large for good reason because interestingly enough we are actually the first and only school in are state that has elementary, middle and high school all in the same building. “Kudos to the guy that came up with this fantastic idea,” I thought. However, I am not a fan because of the journey that’s created out of my destinations from room to room. Hence why I continue speed walking for added speed but not running because I have to conserve energy for my trip. I started thinking “The distance to get from classroom to classroom is so annoying but we conserve space this way, saving money in the process too. I wonder what’s the name of the guy who came up with the idea, or woman I don’t know, maybe I’ll research it later. Oh wow what a pleasant surprise, Kyle’s wondering the halls, I should probably say Hi just in case my teacher is secretly watching” I pondered as I look around me with the paranoia that I’m being watched.

“Hi Raf,” Kyle said.

“Hi Kyle how’s it going, personally for me it's been a complete circus this morning,” I responded.

“It's been good, where are you going,” Kyle said. “I had to use the bathroom but now I’m on my way back to my classroom.”

“I’m going to the office apparently Kyle”

“You? You’re going to the office?” Kyle responded with confusion.

“Yes shocking, I’ve done close to nothing today so I have absolutely no clue as to why I’m even being called down there.”

“Maybe they have a gift for you or something Raf, here I’ll go with you since class is a borefest anyways.”

“Alright let’s roll Kyle,”I responded. “Should probably tell him he needs to go back to class or else he’s getting in trouble but whatever I need the company,” I thought. Instinctively we both start speed walking down the halls.

“Raf do you know where the office is?” Kyle said.

“Oh snap I don’t, I’ve never gotten in trouble so I never been called down there to know where it is,” I thought. “Should I tell him or just roll with it, we’ve been walking for awhile so If I tell him the truth I look like an idiot he’ll probably call names like goody two shoes or worse since he’s a witty fellow. Gosh darn it Kyle.”

“Hey Raf do you know where that office is?” He said with urgency.

“Whatever,” I thought. “Okay Kyle real talk I’ll be truthful here, I have no clue where the office is, honestly I don’t,” I informed him.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll take us there no problem,” Kyle said calmly.

“That’s a relief,” I thought. “Gotta calm myself down, Kyle’s one of the nicest people I know, he definitely wouldn’t have judged me for not knowing where the office was, what in the world was I thinking. Pull yourself together Raf everything’s going to be perfectly fine, just go with the flow. I can’t possibly be in trouble, I never do anything out of order. Natural born rule follower I guess excluding what happened earlier with the whole rodent thing. Man, I really regret calling them rodents maybe after this is all set and done I’ll go back and apologize but how would I even start it, how would I overcome all their eyes staring at me at once. While I throwdown a short speech telling them how I have sympathy for them, so many predicaments.”

Kyle snaps his fingers three times, “Yo Raf, we reached our destination stop walking dude where are you going?” Kyle said.

“Oh ya right sorry Kyle I was lost in my thoughts, deep in thought Kyle it happens sometimes,” I told him.

“I see, well good thing you snapped back into the real world because I was close to giving you a good ole slap because this is urgent. Seeing your blank face worried me, Looked like there was a glitch in the system from where I’m standing so I was close to resetting the hardware with the back of my hand.”

“A bank-hand slapper?” I thought. “I had no idea that Kyle was willing to do such things, usually only adults would slap with the back of their hand to hit you with some sense, to get you back on track and drop the rude behavior. But he’s right this is serious, I’ve been assigned to attend the office and still don’t know why. My perfect record of not getting in trouble might get obliterated as soon as I walk in the office, missiled out of existence but I’m not going out without a fight, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind, I’m going out swinging but with words, no physical contact. I wouldn’t survive a day in jail.”

Kyle opens the door, “Ok Raf are you ready?” Kyle said.

“I was made for these moments Kyle” I responded. I walk in and there’s the principal looking straight at me holding out his arm with a fist. “He’s holding something,”I thought. He was a magnet to my curiosity, pulling me towards him. I really wanted to know what he had there. I put my hand out and he opens up his hand dropping a stress ball onto my hand. 

“Congrats Rafael,” He said.

“For what,” I replied.

“For being such a good student, Kyle had told me you’ve been stressing from the overload of schoolwork so I thought the stress ball could serve you well.”

“Kyle was a part of this?” I thought. “I’m not fond of set ups but this seems to be a positive one so whatever I’ll play along plus this is a beautiful stress ball.” The stress ball had glitter inside with a little mini alien and I loved conspiracy theories about extraterrestrials so this ball had meaning. What a beautiful morning not at all what I expected, going with the flow.

This will certify that the above work is completely original.

Rafael