Before the Bell

Kyle did his best to keep everything except surliness out of his expression. He couldn't act out of the ordinary, in any way. But it was a relief to know why he got into so much trouble. Now he just had to learn to control it...

He looked up and realized that he was nowhere near the geology classroom. He was in an empty hallway on the other side of the school, and just around the corner he could hear two guys talking quietly.

Kyle sighed. Not again.

He turned the corner and strode to the two teens. "Excuse me."

The freshmen jumped apart guiltily. "We were-- We were just--"

He didn't change his expression. He had a reputation not just as a delinquent, but as one with a hair-trigger temper. If he could intimidate these two into stopping whatever trouble they were planning, he could rest a little easier. "Just what?" Then he saw one of them hiding white squares in his hand, and scowled. "That'd better not be what I think it is."

"It's not. It's...tea."

"Tea."

"Yeah. We get headaches."

"Headaches? Kid, that is the worst excuse I have ever heard." Kyle sighed. "Listen up, both of you. If you throw that away right now, I won't tell anyone what you were about to do. But if I catch you doing it again, I'll have to tell someone. I can't let drugs stay at our school." The two freshmen immediately tossed the squares into a trashcan. "Now get to class."

The two bolted. Kyle turned around and headed for geology--and almost immediately bumped into the principal. Mr. Clemens leveled a stern look at the junior and said, "Good morning, Mr. Bolton. Care to explain what you're doing here?"

Kyle sighed. "Frankly, sir, I'm starting to wonder."

Mr. Clemens's eyes narrowed. "I received an anonymous tip this morning about some drug dealing that was going to happen. Would you have had anything to do with that?"

Allison came almost literally out of nowhere and said, "Sir, I saw it. They started to trade the packets, but Kyle stopped them."

"Oh." Mr. Clemens seemed a little flustered by this turn of events. "Well, my apologies, Mr. Bolton."

Kyle nodded, trying not to smile. "It's okay, sir."

"Get to class, you two. You only have a minute."

"Yes sir." The principal left and Kyle smiled. "Thanks, Allison."

She waved it off. "Don't mention it. Mr. Clemens can be such a jerk."

Kyle shrugged. "He likes an ordered school, and thinks that I'm the source of all the disorder. Not really his fault."

"It's not your fault either."

He sighed. "I don't even have an alibi. I'm always at the scene!"

She shook her head. "You'd think someone would realize that if you were the one causing trouble, you wouldn't stay at the scene of the crime. Or at least that it's physically impossible for you to cause all of it." She looked at her watch. "We should hurry. The bell's going to ring pretty--"

BRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!!

"Dang it."