“Hi Haylie!”

I looked up to stare at the green colored contact lens of Piama Rukkof. She lifted her especially long her carefully before sitting opposite me. 1…2…4…5 seconds, her sham smile didn’t did not wear off one bit. I gave up.

“What do you want Piama?” I asked without any interest in my voice.

Her answer was very predictable. Piama being the Head of the School’s Paper, the welcoming committee, the Student’s reach out commission and many other fund lacking boards, doesn’t look my way unless she wants something done. When she can’t find some one to do her work, on account that she cant risk being too strained, she gets me to do it.

“Ok Avilla, I would like really appreciate it if you would like take over the meeting like after dismissal. I’m really over scheduled for today and well this is just like putting the rest of the bored faculty to use right?”

She said this all in one quick breathe yet the mocking sweetness was still present in her tone. She gave me another toothy smile and grabbed her bag and walked hurriedly. I considered asking her about what was busying today but got contented with the idea of her just parking somewhere.

Oh well. I’d rather attend to a roomful of contemptuous staffers than to go back home and listen to my younger brother sob in his room over his parent’s worst mistakes.

Sigh. You have no idea how I miss him, no idea how I suffer being of no use to help him get over this. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to being Haylie Avilla.

---

I walked lifelessly to the staffer’s room. I had no idea what this meeting was supposed to be about. I never paid attention to Piama when she would be queen and make us the staffers, her slaves. I had my own feature editor’s corner, I just usually write about whatever appeals to me and even Piama had no say in that. S what was the point of listening to her yapping, which is exactly what I’m doing now…

“Ok you guys could start by…um…yeah…that….”

I stood in front of the elongated table and looked at those in front of me. Boredom, expectation, disappointment, a lot of disappointment, relief, much, MUCH more relief. I guess a lot of these people are really intimidated by Queen Piama. I passed around blank sheets of paper with only the word suggestions written on the up left corner.

“Enjoy.” I said quietly and fell on a chair and got back to my book. I didn’t even wait for their reactions. Who cares? If they don’t like it most of them are just going to rat me off to Her Royal Highness. Really, who cares?

I was just starting on the next page when I saw an arm extend from behind me to wave a crumple paper in front of my face.

What the?

I grabbed the paper without bothering to look at the critic.

Suggestions:

An editor with at least half a brain of an ape so maybe just maybe anything could get done here.

Does the editor even know how to talk??

What the ef?!

I slammed my book shut, pushed my chair, put on my full height and turned around with a forced blank expression forged on my face.