Chapter 1

My name is James Longfellow and I am the principal here at Franklin Heights Alternative School, an alternative school for troubled students who have had disciplinary or other issues in regular school programs. Some of these kids come from disadvantaged families, some made poor decisions. And others, well their stories run the gambit.

My job here at Franklin Heights is pretty rewarding, and I enjoy working with these young people, especially when I see a turnaround in one of my kids here. When one of them gets their life back on track and begins the road back to a successful, happy life, it makes it all worthwhile.

However, there are some kids that find the road back a bit harder than others. And a very few continue to break the rules and fight the system despite the consequences. This is the story of three of those “hard cases” – known here at Franklin Heights as “The Bad Girls Club”.

Holly Adams, Kimberly Henderson, and Heather McNichols make up this troublesome trio. All three girls are juniors in our high school program here however both Kimberly and Heather would have already graduated had they gone through the regular school program. But both girls flunked twice (each at separate times and different schools) before entering our school. So they are nineteen-year-old juniors. Being that old and still having two years of school left does not help their attitudes!

Holly is the youngest and newest of the Bad Girls. She has only flunked once and is now eighteen years old but also still has two years to go before she will be able to graduate – if things go well for her. But being the youngest, she is a follower and susceptible to the mischief that the other two girls get into.

I came to be principal at Franklin Heights last year after the principal at the time, Mrs. Kennedy, had a sudden heart attack and had to retire early. Normally in a school such as F.H., there would be a lengthy hiring process for a replacement for the job, but her sudden retirement put the school district in a bind and they needed a replacement right away. School was set to start in two weeks and there was no time for the regular procedure. Luckily for me, I was the only one at the time qualified (and willing) to take over. Franklin Heights is not an easy school to run and a lot of the applicants, when they heard where the job would be, declined the position.

Being a former Marine, I was used to taking and giving orders. I was in charge of my squad and if I could control eight rowdy Marines always looking for a fight, I figured I could run a school of high school kids – even if they were delinquents, outcasts, and hellions.

But I would soon learn that the same tactics I used to harness my Marine subordinates would not work on the youth of F.H. Most of the kids were pretty easy to curtail – they were respectful and just wanted to get their degree and get out of school in one piece. They appreciated this second chance at an education and didn’t want to mess it up.

But the Bad Girls were another matter. Being older than most of the other students and having disciplinary issues going way back, they pretty much figured they ran the school. All of the other girls gave them a wide berth and tried to avoid any kind of confrontation with them, which only seemed to empower them more. And they made a point of trying to tease and taunt as many of the boys (and male teachers) as they could. Yes, until now these three had established themselves as the “queen bees” of Franklin Heights. And no one dared challenge their preconceived authority. Until I came along at least.

I started at Franklin Heights just after the Christmas break the year before and between then and the end of that school year I had seen this trio on three different occasions. I was well aware of their “reputation” and their self-appointed ruling of the school. So the start of the following year I was more prepared to deal with their antics and shenanigans.

It didn’t take long for their rebellion and misconduct to begin either. About two weeks into the new school year I had three incorrigible young ladies waiting in my office.

“Good afternoon ladies,” I said as I walked into the school office and saw them sitting there. “Are you waiting to see me?” I knew full well they were, I just wanted to see what they would say.

“Yeah, Mrs. Cowbell sent us here.” The other two girls snickered at Heather’s joke.

“You mean Mrs. Campbell?”

“What-ev-er.” Heather said in her sarcastic, derisive manner as she crossed her arms and looked away from me with a bored, I-don’t-need-this-shit look. Obviously, Heather was the ringleader of this band of rogues.

“Well, it says here that you have been disruptive in class, not paying attention to the teacher and distracting the other students as well.”

“Hey, I can’t help it if the boys find me attractive!”

“And that wouldn’t have anything to do with the way you are dressed now would it?”

“I like to dress nice – is that a crime? I am a girl you know!”

“Oh, I know you are a girl, Heather. But there’s dressing nice and then there’s this.” I looked her up and down, surveying her less than conservative attire.

“And what’s wrong with what I’m wearing? I’m not showing anything!”

“No you aren’t technically showing anything, but your outfit is more than a little suggestive don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

“Heather, I have seen hookers that had more on than you do!” The open-mouthed look of shock on their faces wouldn’t have been so comical if I thought for an instant it was genuine. But I knew better.

“Okay girls, here’s what we are going to do. School has just started this year and you all have two more years – this year and next – to get your acts together and pull your grades up to be able to graduate. I know it may not seem like a big deal to you now, but believe me when I tell you that out there, in reality, you are going to need every advantage you can get.

“I understand that until now you have been under the impression that you run Frankin Heights and that you can do as you please because no one is willing to stand up to you three. But there is a new sheriff in town and I am not impressed with your status or the hold you seem to have on everyone here.

“We will have the eight months together here roughly this school year, and we are going to learn to get along with each other. And by ‘get along’ I mean you girls will follow the school rules as well as my own. Unlike your teachers in the past, I will not suspend you or expel you for your bad behavior. Because I know that is what you want – to get out of school. Instead, I will make your life a living hell here. And if I deem it necessary, I will make it so you attend summer school as well so I will have you even longer. Won’t that be fun!”

All three girls whined in unison. “Summer school! You can’t do that!”

“I most certainly can and what’s more, I will. You see, as principal, I only get paid for the school year. During the summer, even I have to find a part-time job. However, if I am the principal of summer school, that means a steady paycheck for almost the entire year. So aside from the joy of seeing your lovely faces every day, I will be getting paid even more. I have an incentive to keep you girls in school. Do you have enough incentive to prevent that?”

You could have heard a pin drop in the room when they heard that. This was something they hadn’t counted on. I had their undivided attention now.

“Now that you know what I can do to you, why don’t we see what you can do for me? I want the three of you young ladies to go back to class and let’s see if the next time I see you is in the hallways between classes and not in my office, shall we?”

With that, I let the three girls go and think about what I had said. But I knew deep down this would not be the last time they graced my office!

Unfortunately, my instincts were dead-on, and about a week later I had all three of the girls waiting once again in my office.

“I see our little talk last week didn’t make much of an impression. That’s a shame. Well, it looks like I won’t be needing to find a part-time job this summer. That takes a little worry out of the budget. The extra money I make thanks to you girls will look very nice in my bank account! I do hope you didn’t have any major plans for this coming summer!”

Kim jumped up from her seat.”No! You can’t do that! You can’t make us go to school all year and then summertime too! Summertime is our time to relax! That’s not fair!”

“That’s right!” Heather added. “You are just a principal here, Mr. Longfellow, you don’t run the School Board. My father will have something to say about this! We were planning a trip to Hawaii this coming summer! So you can’t make me go to summer school!”

“Sit down both of you, and listen to me. When I took this job I told the school board that I would do things my way and I didn’t want any interference from them on my methodology. I assured them that everything I did would be legal and that the school board would not be implicated in any wrongdoing by me.

“But Franklin Heights is a school for students like yourself who have, for one reason or another, had difficulties with the regular education programs. Many like yourself have disciplinary issues and others just couldn’t understand what was required of them. Since there were no other applicants that wanted this job, the school board agreed – reluctantly, I will admit, but they agreed.

“So you see, telling Daddy and getting him to talk to the school board won’t do you any good. I have free reign here at Franklin Heights, and so long as I get you on stage at graduation, the school board – and your parents – won’t have any issues with you going to summer school.”

Finally, Holly, the youngest and quietest of the three, spoke up. She didn’t jump up in a confrontational manner like the other two but was, in fact, more meek and subdued, sitting in her chair as she spoke. “Please, Mr. Longfellow ... I can’t go through summer school! Please, there has to be something that you can do!”

“And why is it that you can’t go to summer school, Holly?”

She hung her head and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. “Because, Mr. Longfellow, I have to work during the summer so we can make our bills. You see, my father left Mom and me about a year after I was born and Mom needs me to work to bring in some extra money. My father pays child support until I graduate, but it’s not very much. She needs my help or we are really in financial trouble. And I can’t work if I am in school here.”

Now it was my turn to be taken aback. The thought never occurred to me that one of these girls might have family issues like this. I mean all three girls looked very well dressed – a little on the slutty side, maybe, with their high heels and knee socks and dresses that showed a little more than they should – but they all looked pretty well off.

“I see, Holly. I am sorry that your family has it so difficult. I know how important it is to have a father and a mother in the home and in this day and age, two incomes is about the only way a family can make the bills. I will have to think about your situation a bit.