"Fuck you!" Grenner spat as she pulled Grace's hair. "Scary's...slut. Oof."
Grace raked her fingers across the other teen's face, forcing Grenner to release the hold on her hair. She heard the sound of bunks moving but could not turn to see what was going on as hands gripped her shirt and jerked her off balance. She tried to roll out of the way but Grenner's boot caught her in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her and forcing Grace to curl up in a defensive position as she fought to regain her breath. Helpless to protect herself, she suffered a painful shot to the back before she heard Jan shout and tackle Grenner. "Ohh," she groaned, slowly rolling to a sitting position. She saw Latisha and Mo keeping Dawson pinned face down on the floor while Jan continued to trade blows with Grenner. Grace pushed herself to her feet, then charged at her enemy. "Bitch!" she yelled, hooking her arm around Grenner's neck. Together with Jan she managed to get the larger teen down to the floor. "Not so tough without your damn knife, are you?" she said, ignoring the shouts and voices behind her. "You have a good laugh when she fell? That give you a fucking thrill?" Grenner reached for her arm, trying to break her grasp, but Grace was too angry to let go. "Huh? You're not laughing now, are you?"
"Let...go."
"Not so funny now, huh?" Grace asked through gritted teeth, tightening her hold.
"Grace, let go," Jan said, tugging on her arm. It took both hands but she finally separated them, Grenner rolling away and gasping for air while Grace held her midsection and trembled with anger.
"They're coming," Rosetti said. When the doors opened, Mo and Latisha released Dawson.
"The knife is right here, ma'am," Mo said, pointing by the fallen locker when Carey and Instructor Donaldson entered. Gage followed, taking several girls aside to find out what happened.
"I don't know anything about it, ma'am." Grenner said as she got to her feet. "They must have planted it there."
"No we didn't," Jan said as Grace got to her knees, then used the bunk to stand up. "We tipped the locker over and it was there, ma'am."
Carey walked over and picked up the knife. Even from the distance Grace could see the tightening in her mentor's jaw. "Instructor Donaldson, take Grenner to my office and keep her there."
"Let's go," the blonde instructor said, grabbing the teen by the arm. "It's a setup," Grenner protested. "Waters and Bowen, they put it there."
"Just get moving," Donaldson said, pushing Grenner toward the door. Mitchell arrived, stopping at the entrance to get updated by the other instructor.
"Dawson!"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Where did the knife come from?"
"No idea, ma'am."
"You had your chance," Carey said, putting the knife in her back pocket and reaching for the teen. "Let's go. Instructor Gage, take those two." She pointed at Grace and Jan.
"The rest of you get this place cleaned up," Instructor Mitchell said.
"We're in trouble," Jan whispered.
"Not a word," Gage said. "Not a sound from either of you until I ask you a question, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," they said.
"All right," Gage said after Jan and Grace gave their versions of what happened. "Bowen, go back to the barracks and help the others clean up the mess you helped make."
"Yes, ma'am."
Great, Grace thought as Jan left the room. I am in so much trouble.
"I can only assume there's a clone of you that sits in my Anger Management class," Gage said.
"She tried to kill Instructor Carey, ma'am," Grace said.
"First of all, I don't think a fall into a swamp is going to kill anyone," Gage said. "And that still doesn't give you the right to put your hands on someone else, no matter how mad you get. You know that."
"I know, ma'am," Grace said.
"You may think that we don't know what's going on outside the classrooms," Gage said. "But I know a great deal more than you think. I know you've been labeled by Lauren and her friends as Scary's bitch."
Grace nodded. "It's just talk, ma'am."
"Does it bother you?"
"No, ma'am, they're just trying to get a rise out of me."
"Looks like it worked," Gage said. "You could have seriously hurt her when you choked her."
"She shouldn't have cut that rope, ma'am."
"Would you be this upset if someone else had been on the rope when it broke?" Gage asked.
"I...I don't know, ma'am," Grace said. "I guess it would depend on who it was."
Gage stopped pacing and sat down on the folding chair. "Instructor Carey doesn't need you to fight her battles."
"I know, ma'am. It's just that..." Grace put her elbows on her thighs and buried her face in her hands. "I can't explain it. You wouldn't understand, ma'am,"
"It really must be a clone that goes to AM if you don't think that I'm capable of listening and understanding. What's going on, Grace?"
"I can't talk to you about it, ma'am."
"Then talk to Instructor Carey."
Grace snorted. "I definitely can't talk to her about it."
"Is the problem with her?"
With her? It is her. "It's my problem to deal with, ma'am. You can't help me."
"Grace, if you need to talk, I'm here," Gage said.
"Do you have to tell her what we talk about?"
Gage reached out and pulled Grace's hands away, forcing her to look at her. "If it involved hurting yourself or someone else, yes I would."
I'm already hurting. Every time I look at her. "I like Instructor Carey." Taking a chance, she looked up at Gage. "I mean I really like her."
"I see," Gage said. "Have you talked to her about this?"
Grace shook her head. "No way. She'd kick me to the infirmary until graduation." She rubbed her hands together. "Please don't say anything to her."
"What are you going to do?"
Grace shrugged. "What can I do? She'd never be interested in me."
"Probably not," Gage said. "You can't change that."
"So what do I do?"
"My first suggestion is to talk to Instructor Carey about this."
Grace shook her head. "I can't do that," she said. "It's my problem."
"Then you need to learn to accept the things you cannot change," Gage said. "You can't make her love you." She put her hand on the teen's shoulder.
"Yes, ma'am. I know that."
Gage shook her head. "Okay, Waters, I'll let Instructor Carey decide what your punishment will be for fighting. Now go on."
"Yes, ma'am."
Grace slowly walked to the cabin, unsure of what mood Carey would be in after the fight. Opening the door, she spotted the dark-haired woman sitting in the recliner. "Hello, ma'am," she said, hesitating by the door.
"Think I’m about to drop you for a hundred pushups, don't you?"
Grace nodded and closed the door. "At least."
"I should," Carey said, rising from her chair. "You had no business fighting." She stopped in front of Grace and cupped her chin. "I will tell you that I'm very disappointed in you for that." She ran her finger along the length of the scratch on Grace's face. "You're on restriction until graduation. Now go in the bathroom and put some antiseptic on that cut so it doesn't get infected."
"Carey?" Grace lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"And you'll never do it again, right?"
"Right."
Carey sighed. "What am I going to do with you? Go wash up. I'm going to make a pot of coffee."
"Okay." Grace walked into the bathroom, shutting the door and the world out behind her. God, what a day. Closing her eyes, she put her hands on the vanity and let out a deep breath. Gage said she wouldn't say anything, but she's Carey's buddy. What if she does? Oh, I'd never be able to face Carey if she did that. She's mad at me enough for fighting. She turned on the cold water and let it run for several seconds before splashing some on her face. Now I have to go face her and explain why I lost it with Grenner. How am I going to explain that? Sorry, Carey, the thought of you getting hurt bothered me so much I put someone in a choke hold? She shook her head. That'd go over like a lead balloon. Shutting the water off, she opened the medicine cabinet and found the tube of antiseptic cream. She finished applying the cream, then put the tube away and stared at herself in the mirror. "You screwed up good this time," she said to her reflection. Taking advantage of the privacy, she lifted her shirt and hissed at the discoloration on her lower ribcage. She twisted but could not see the bruise she knew was forming on her back. If Gage saw these she'd send me to the infirmary for sure. Tucking the shirt into her pants, she took one last look at herself. Time to go out there and face her, she thought, certain Carey was not finished reprimanding her about the fight.