The teacher ran out of the gym, carrying a bloodied Barbara in his arms. The hospital was close to our school, so he ran there. In the meantime, I sank back into my own world. I was thinking about how to make a Senpai doll. I didn't have any pictures of him to use, just a piece of his shirt.
That's when the principal came over to me. Alone. She sat down next to me and asked:
"Why? Did she insult you in some way?"
I stayed silent.
"Did she bully you, hit you, say something nasty about you?"
Still, I stayed silent.
"Helena, answer me!"
"Helena doesn't exist anymore. From now on, only Hel is here, and she makes the rules. If someone doesn't follow them, they're finished."
The principal looked at me like I had just killed someone—well, almost...
"It seems you've been watching too many cartoons that are having a bad influence on you. What eleven-year-old says things like this? I'll call your parents, and we'll decide what to do with you. This behavior isn't normal!"
The principal immediately took out her phone to call my parents, but she didn't have their number saved, so she had to look it up in the records. She quickly went to the staff room and forgot about me.
I went home. I silently unlocked the door and went to my room. I laughed. But then the thought occurred to me: the adults might do something to me. What's the worst they could do? After all, I'm still a minor! However, I wasn't sure what could happen, so I decided to call my aunt for advice. Luckily, she was available on Skype.
I told her everything. She seemed kind of proud but warned me that I needed to act differently when adults were around. I had to become a different person when I was near them. I hadn't thought about that at all. I wasn't thinking about anything else—just Senpai. Now I felt angry because I had allowed such a mistake. But no matter. I won't despair.
When I'm around insignificant people, I'll be the quiet and reserved Helena. But when I feel the need to punish someone, Hel will come out.
I smiled, laid my head on the pillow with "Senpai" written on it, and fell asleep.
I was awakened by my mother's voice, shouting anxiously that she had found me.
"Do you realize how hard we've been looking for you? The whole school was searching for you, even the police! What are you doing to us, child? Where did I go wrong in raising you? Why did you leave school? Answer me!" she screamed.
"Mom, I've thought about it, and I'd like to apologize to everyone. To Barbara, to the principal, to everyone. And if you want, you can transfer me to a new school later. I'll accept anything."
My mother looked at me in surprise, grabbed my hand, and took me straight to the hospital where Barbara was, along with the police. Barbara didn't see me when I entered the room because I stood by the door while my mom explained that she had brought me. But I saw her. She had bandages covering almost her entire head, with only her eyes visible. I think they might have overdone it a bit.
I slowly approached with a smile on my face, one I only wanted Barbara to see. And she did. She started crying when she saw me, making strange sounds. The principal was also there.
I walked up to Barbara and began apologizing. I said that Barbara and I hadn't gotten along and that I shouldn't have done what I did, and now I regretted it. Of course, that was a lie. I went up to Barbara and hugged her. She stiffened. I whispered, "Watch what you do and say."
The principal said, "I'm impressed that you admitted your mistake and sincerely regret it. However, what you did was truly horrifying, and I fear it will ruin our school's reputation. You'll soon receive the transfer papers."
I didn't care. I had achieved what I wanted, and my heart was dancing. This event turned out quite well because if they transfer me, I won't have to see Barbara's ugly face or the faces of the other losers at school. In the new school, I'll have a new identity, but this time with no mistakes. I can't wait to be done with this wretched school.
I went home with my parents, and as we passed by the house of Senpai's relatives, I saw a familiar car.
Could it be him?
Has he finally come back?