Safety Protocol

Oh, Amanda. Ever oblivious, always the good girl, every teacher's pet, Amanda. Bless her heart, she saw me in trouble and she instantly flashed back to the lab safety sheet we'd been given at the beginning of the year. She was probably the only one to read it, which meant she was the only one who did what was called for of her in this situation. Y'know, I have to admire her dedication, and she really was looking out for my safety.

"Ms. Martinez!" Amanda called, "There's been a spill!"

I just wish, for a minute, she might have been a bit quieter about it.

"Oh my god!" Ms. Martinez looked up from her papers to see a fizzing stain spreading across the tabletop and over the back of my shorts. "Bethany, take those off and under the chemical shower, now!"

"Wh- But- What about--"

"Just the outer layer! Please, before you get hurt! I'll make sure everyone looks away. Amanda, Becky, please help her." Ms. Martinez's voice broke on a hint of desperation, and she quickly set about turning her students heads away.

"Alright, you heard her Beth!" Becky said, dragging me over to the emergency shower and eyewash station.

"You've got to be joking if you think I'm doing this! I'm not taking these off while I don't-" I caught myself, lowering my voice to talk just to my friends before I started shouting about how I was going commando.

"Beth, please!" Amanda begged, "if you're not going to take anything off at least get under the shower!" I didn't really feel like listening to either of those two at the moment, considering whose fault this was, but the tingling I could feel from the liquid meant I was getting under that shower. But was I really going to strip in the middle of this class room?