Dusk by Ashanti Luke

Author:Ashanti Luke
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: scifi, adventure, science fiction, space travel, military science fiction, space war
Publisher: Ashanti Luke

eighteen

• • • • •

—Did Dr. Postlethwaite comm-sat you today?

—No, why? Does this have anything to do with that holodeck game?

—Yeah. Well, yeah and no.

—Explain.

—Terry told the Disciplinarian that I threatened to pop him one, and the Disciplinarian referred me to Dr. Postlethwaite’s office. So we get to his office, and he starts railing me, like I shot the Chancellor or something. And Terry’s sitting there all smug and smiling like an overstuffed rat. And Dr. Postlethwaite just keeps at me about my attitude and Miss Hasabe’s eval and being combative and how I’m now becoming violent, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

—So what happened?

—I popped Terry right in his fat, cheese-puff grin.

—What? In the office?

—Yeah, right in the middle of some blah-blah about me bringing down the character of the whole class.

—Why?

—Cuz, I’m not gonna sit there and take the blame and just soak in it when I didn’t do anything. I told Miss Hasabe there was gonna be a problem, but she and Disciplinarian Khoury and Dr. Postlethwaite didn’t wanna listen. I’m sorry Dada, I’ll be the bad guy, but I ain’t gonna be their escape goat.

—Scape goat.

—Whatever. It ain’t me.

—So how am I supposed to handle this?

—I dunno, Dada. You do what you gotta do, but I’m not apologizing.

—Well, I’m glad you told me before they called.

—I don’t think they’re gonna call, cuz they didn’t listen and they know they messed up. Dr. Postlethwaite didn’t know what to do after I slugged Terry. Terry started crying and he just sent us back to class. Maybe he knows if they had listened to me, none of it would have happened, and so he’s scared to call you.

—I’m sure that’s not too far from the truth.

—So am I punished?

—Well, what do you think your punishment should be?

—I don’t think I should get punished at all. This whole monkey hunt is punishment enough. But if they had listened to me when I told them, it never would have come down to this.

—Well, maybe your punishment is learning this lesson the hard way.

—What lesson is that? That principals are just as water-headed as school bullies?

—No, that no one listens to the man on the rostrum, not even the ones that agree with him.

—What the heck is a rostrum?

—Dari, mad is as it is, but you mind your tongue around me.

—Sorry Dada, but what is a rostrum?

—It’s those raised platforms like the Chancellor always stands on to give speeches. I think in ancient Rome, leaders used to stand on platforms made of pieces of the ships of their enemies. Either way, people cheer and praise, or they boo and hiss, but they never hear what he’s saying, they usually only hear what’s already in their heads, and they don’t believe it until they see it or feel it. By then, it’s usually too late. So maybe next time, find a better way to solve your problem; if there is one.

—I don’t know what better way I could have done it, Dada.

—Then, you’ll just have to live with the consequences, whatever they may be.

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