No More Than A Student Counselor, chapter 3
I heard the door open and hear the voice of the of the campus security. I exhale in relief and then inhale in fear again.
"Sir, there's a student by the name of Jazmine Richards that was supposed to be in class 20 minutes ago. I know I saw her walk in the building this morning. You wouldn't have any idea to know where she might be do you?" Mr. Bundy asked.
"No, sir, I haven't. She did come in here earlier to ask me something and then left. I thought she was on her way to class," he lied, trying to sound as serious as possible.
"Alright. Well, if you see her, tell her to get to class okay?"
"Will do sir."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
I heard the door close and I started to get up from under the desk. He then kicked me and I looked up at him with an angry look. He then began to write something again. He then pretended to put in his pocket but slid it to his knee. I took it and read it.
He's still in here. Don't move.
I then froze and and sighed softly. "What was that note?" Mr. Bundy asked.
"That was...uh...a reminder for myself to pick up my kid after school. I sometimes forget to and my wife gets mad if I don't," Mr. Pritchard said, afraid that Bundy wouldn't believe him.
"But your child doesn't look old enough to school," Mr.Bundy said as he walked over to the desk and picked up a picture of Mr. Pritchard and his family.
"She's not. My wife's mother watches her for us since my wife works long hours at the...uh....the hospital."
"Ahh, ok. Well, I think that you should take care of that...umm..." Bundy began but was interupted by the sound of kids yelling, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" in the hall.
I heard the door open and Mr. Bundy yell something. I couldn't make it out but it gave me the chance to get out of the office. I got up and grabbed my bag. I then open the window. I turned around to see Mr. Pritchard looking at me. I threw my bag out the window and then gave him a quick kiss and then leaped out the window. "Ow!" I yelled.
I then see Mr. Pritchard look out the window in shock. "I'm okay. Just a little scraped. Think I can get a ride to my place?" I asked casually as I smiled.
He shook his head and laughed. "I shouldn't do it but hold on. Let me grab my jacket and keys and I'll be out in a second."
"Okay cool." I stood up and walked toward the edge of the walkway. I turned around and saw Mr. Pritchard standing on the edge of the window and close it. He then turned around and jumped and landed perfectly on the ground on one knee and his hands. His jacket on his shoulder and his keys in his mouth.
He threw his jacket on and took his keys out of his mouth. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yes Mr. Gorgeous...Pritchard I am..." I said as I looked away and blushed a little.
"Mr. Gorgeous, eh?" he asked as he chuckled to himself.
"Sorry. I thought I was thinking that. I guess not."
"It's okay. I could sense that you liked me when you saw me. I could see it in your eyes."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I guess that's why I kissed you. I felt the same way. I just didn't show it. But now you know."
"Yeah."
He then grabbed my hand and enterlocked his fingers with mine. I looked at him and smiled. When we got to his car, he unlocked my side and opened the door. I got it and he shut the car off as I unlocked his side. He opened it and said, "Thanks. You're not bad after all kid." He then looked at me and smiled. I then rolled my eyes and laughed.
I then go to put my seatbelt and then stop when I see there isn't one. "Hey, um, do you know that there's no seat belt on my side?"
"Yeah. There is no seat belt in the entire car," he said as he placed his hand on my head rest and looked behind the car and pulled out of the parking spot. He then put the car in drive and floored it.
I then laugh and cling to the edge of the seat. He looked at me and sped up even faster. The next thing I know I hear cop sirens behind us. I looked in the rear review mirror and see about 2 cop cars behind us. "Think we can outrun 'em?" Mike asked as he looked at me with a playful grin.
"Stop Pritchard. I know a way you can get fired. And I don't want to have to do that," I said as I looked back at him with a serious look on my face. He nodded, slowed down, and pulled off to the side.
He rolled down his window and got his license and registration as the cop got out and walked over to his side. "Sir, do you know you were doing 80 in a school zone?" the cop asked as she got to the window and placed her arms on the edge on the window and looked at Mr. Pritchard. She then took off her glasses and then looked at him wide-eyed. "I know who you are. You're the Dirnt guy from...um...damn it. I forgot the name. But I know you're one of them. Nevermind. Go ahead. You're free to go." She then walked away and talked to the cop in the second car. The one in the second car then got out and stopped when she saw him.
They both jumped in their cars and zoomed off down the streets. Mike looked just as confused as I was. "Dirnt?" I asked as I looked at him and as he began to drive again.
"It was a stage name. But I dropped that when I got offered to become a school counselor," he said as he put his license and registration back under his seat.
"Stage name? For what? Were you in a band or something?" I asked as I looked out the window, watching all the houses, stores, trees and such pass by.
"Yeah, I was in a band. I was the bassist. Mike Dirnt I went by. Dirnt was what I got from friend. My bass would make the sound a little and the guys would chant 'Dirnt, Dirnt, Dirnt' and that's how it became my stage name. My real last name is Pritchard, as you might have guessed."
I listened to him and studied him. "You know, you do look familiar. I saw this band on T.V. playing a real good song. It was called something like 'Minority'. I liked it. I can't remember the name of the band though."
"Green Day. The band was Green Day. I'm close friends with the frontman."
I then look at him wide-eyed and say, "No fucking way! I loved that band for years. I thought that band was someone different because the drummer changed. And that's when the name changed."
"Yeah. But enough about that. I don't want to start crying," he said as he stopped himself from tearing up. I placed my hand on his knee and squeeze it gently.
I then whisper, "I'm sorry." Mike then looks at me and smiles weakly. He grabs my hand and squeezes it. And we sat silent in the car as we drive to my house.
"Sir, there's a student by the name of Jazmine Richards that was supposed to be in class 20 minutes ago. I know I saw her walk in the building this morning. You wouldn't have any idea to know where she might be do you?" Mr. Bundy asked.
"No, sir, I haven't. She did come in here earlier to ask me something and then left. I thought she was on her way to class," he lied, trying to sound as serious as possible.
"Alright. Well, if you see her, tell her to get to class okay?"
"Will do sir."
"Thank you."
"No problem."
I heard the door close and I started to get up from under the desk. He then kicked me and I looked up at him with an angry look. He then began to write something again. He then pretended to put in his pocket but slid it to his knee. I took it and read it.
He's still in here. Don't move.
I then froze and and sighed softly. "What was that note?" Mr. Bundy asked.
"That was...uh...a reminder for myself to pick up my kid after school. I sometimes forget to and my wife gets mad if I don't," Mr. Pritchard said, afraid that Bundy wouldn't believe him.
"But your child doesn't look old enough to school," Mr.Bundy said as he walked over to the desk and picked up a picture of Mr. Pritchard and his family.
"She's not. My wife's mother watches her for us since my wife works long hours at the...uh....the hospital."
"Ahh, ok. Well, I think that you should take care of that...umm..." Bundy began but was interupted by the sound of kids yelling, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" in the hall.
I heard the door open and Mr. Bundy yell something. I couldn't make it out but it gave me the chance to get out of the office. I got up and grabbed my bag. I then open the window. I turned around to see Mr. Pritchard looking at me. I threw my bag out the window and then gave him a quick kiss and then leaped out the window. "Ow!" I yelled.
I then see Mr. Pritchard look out the window in shock. "I'm okay. Just a little scraped. Think I can get a ride to my place?" I asked casually as I smiled.
He shook his head and laughed. "I shouldn't do it but hold on. Let me grab my jacket and keys and I'll be out in a second."
"Okay cool." I stood up and walked toward the edge of the walkway. I turned around and saw Mr. Pritchard standing on the edge of the window and close it. He then turned around and jumped and landed perfectly on the ground on one knee and his hands. His jacket on his shoulder and his keys in his mouth.
He threw his jacket on and took his keys out of his mouth. "Ready?" he asked.
"Yes Mr. Gorgeous...Pritchard I am..." I said as I looked away and blushed a little.
"Mr. Gorgeous, eh?" he asked as he chuckled to himself.
"Sorry. I thought I was thinking that. I guess not."
"It's okay. I could sense that you liked me when you saw me. I could see it in your eyes."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I guess that's why I kissed you. I felt the same way. I just didn't show it. But now you know."
"Yeah."
He then grabbed my hand and enterlocked his fingers with mine. I looked at him and smiled. When we got to his car, he unlocked my side and opened the door. I got it and he shut the car off as I unlocked his side. He opened it and said, "Thanks. You're not bad after all kid." He then looked at me and smiled. I then rolled my eyes and laughed.
I then go to put my seatbelt and then stop when I see there isn't one. "Hey, um, do you know that there's no seat belt on my side?"
"Yeah. There is no seat belt in the entire car," he said as he placed his hand on my head rest and looked behind the car and pulled out of the parking spot. He then put the car in drive and floored it.
I then laugh and cling to the edge of the seat. He looked at me and sped up even faster. The next thing I know I hear cop sirens behind us. I looked in the rear review mirror and see about 2 cop cars behind us. "Think we can outrun 'em?" Mike asked as he looked at me with a playful grin.
"Stop Pritchard. I know a way you can get fired. And I don't want to have to do that," I said as I looked back at him with a serious look on my face. He nodded, slowed down, and pulled off to the side.
He rolled down his window and got his license and registration as the cop got out and walked over to his side. "Sir, do you know you were doing 80 in a school zone?" the cop asked as she got to the window and placed her arms on the edge on the window and looked at Mr. Pritchard. She then took off her glasses and then looked at him wide-eyed. "I know who you are. You're the Dirnt guy from...um...damn it. I forgot the name. But I know you're one of them. Nevermind. Go ahead. You're free to go." She then walked away and talked to the cop in the second car. The one in the second car then got out and stopped when she saw him.
They both jumped in their cars and zoomed off down the streets. Mike looked just as confused as I was. "Dirnt?" I asked as I looked at him and as he began to drive again.
"It was a stage name. But I dropped that when I got offered to become a school counselor," he said as he put his license and registration back under his seat.
"Stage name? For what? Were you in a band or something?" I asked as I looked out the window, watching all the houses, stores, trees and such pass by.
"Yeah, I was in a band. I was the bassist. Mike Dirnt I went by. Dirnt was what I got from friend. My bass would make the sound a little and the guys would chant 'Dirnt, Dirnt, Dirnt' and that's how it became my stage name. My real last name is Pritchard, as you might have guessed."
I listened to him and studied him. "You know, you do look familiar. I saw this band on T.V. playing a real good song. It was called something like 'Minority'. I liked it. I can't remember the name of the band though."
"Green Day. The band was Green Day. I'm close friends with the frontman."
I then look at him wide-eyed and say, "No fucking way! I loved that band for years. I thought that band was someone different because the drummer changed. And that's when the name changed."
"Yeah. But enough about that. I don't want to start crying," he said as he stopped himself from tearing up. I placed my hand on his knee and squeeze it gently.
I then whisper, "I'm sorry." Mike then looks at me and smiles weakly. He grabs my hand and squeezes it. And we sat silent in the car as we drive to my house.
