An unwanted visitor

Christina put her hand on the teacher’s chair and slid it back, squeezing out from under the desk. She stood up, shaking her legs out a little, stiff from crouching in place for several minutes. She looked around the room, hoping to find something she could use to cover herself with. No one had accidentally left a jacket behind from the morning sessions. Looking up, Christina saw a paper banner announcing the next school band concert, taped to the wall above the upright piano.

Crude, but I guess that’s all I have, she thought.

She took two steps before she heard a noise, something muffled. She froze in place. What was that? She thought. It almost sounded like… a laugh.

Looking back to the door, she saw a female face staring in through the window at her, a hand clasped over her mouth, her eyes giving away her amusement.

“Jesus!” Christina blurted, clapping her hands back over her body and darting behind the teacher’s desk again.

The door opened and Sally Chalmers walked in, giggling. Christina knew she was the biggest gossip in school, and felt her stomach drop for the thousandth time that day. They weren’t on bad terms, but they were barely more than acquaintances, much less anything resembling friends.

“I heard there was a girl running around here naked, but I didn’t know it was actually true! And I never would have guessed it was you, Christina!”

“Look, this wasn’t by choice! Now if you’ll just-“

“Not by choice my ass, you probably lost a bet with someone! This is some sort of dare you had to-“

“It’s not!”

Sally laughed again, before walking towards the piano. “Were you going to try wearing this banner?”

“Yes, I need something. Just long enough to get to my locker or my gym uniform. Can you help me get that?”

Sally stepped on the piano bench and then onto the piano itself, pulling the corners of the banner to peel the tape off the wall. Soon the paper was free. Sally stepped down from the top of the piano, back to the bench, then paused. She saw that whoever had taped up the banner had left the tape sitting on the piano. She grabbed that too.

“Thank you,” Christina said, huddling behind the desk. “Please give it to me.”

“I didn’t say I was bringing this to you! I’m not saying I won’t, but this is really too funny for words.”

“What? I can’t just run around the school like this! I told you this wasn’t by choice!”

“And I told you I didn’t believe you.”

“Oh my god, you heartless bitch!”

Sally’s mouth dropped open, faking taking offense. “Well I was going to help you, but if you’re going to start name calling then that’s off. Good luck getting your gym uniform.”

She turned and started walking towards the door, banner and roll of tape in hand.