Why Me?

Halley smiled when she walked into her classroom, people were saying hi to her and she made sure she returned the greeting with their individual names. She was the student council president after all. She wasn't the most popular girl in school but everyone knew her name. She has been number 1 in every class since the 5th grade. Not only did she study hard, she found the time to volunteer as a tutor for others. Her whole life was planned out for her in a binder she kept in her possession at all times. She knew she wanted to go to Harvard Law to become a lawyer, then a judge, then a senator, then the first female president. She had big plans for her future and that is why she worked hard on building bridges with everyone. You never know who someone will become. Something her father was always telling her when she watched him put on his 3 piece suit everyday for work in a call center. She had a certain ambition in her belly that made her want to be the best of the best. That is why she dressed for success at all times, never will you catch her unprepared. If there was a way she can help, you better believe she was helping. She organized fundraisers and clean up crews and blood drives. She was in charge of the yearbook committee and handled all the school dances preparations. She worked hard and enjoyed every moment of it. There was a certain hopefulness she got when she helped another. She loved it. Loved being useful.

After saying her hellos to the student body she finally headed to her desk to take a seat. She was putting her books down when she noticed the small package sitting almost delicately on her chair. Blinking, she picked it up before sitting down, the brown wrapping was dirty and grease stained. A part of her didn't want to open it, fearing a prank was being pulled on her on another's behalf. The jocks in this school can be cruel, they even gave her a hard time in certain situations. But curiosity won the battle without much of a fight. She opened the bag and glanced inside. It looked like a note and an apple were the only contents. Blinking again, she looked around for a moment, wondering who would leave this on her desk. Everyone looked busy, talking among themselves and enjoying the free moments before the teacher arrived. Filled with confusion, she reached into the bag, pulling out the apple first. It looked to be freshly picked and smelled delicious. She smiled at the thought, maybe she had a secret admirer that knew she loved apples. Reaching into the bag again, she took out the note, it was made of plain notebook paper and didn't say anything on the outside. Wasn't really original but still a sweet gesture she thought, using her thumb to flip it open. A sudden feeling of dread crept over her. Her heart sank to her stomach and the air left her lungs. Her mouth opened then closed, resembling a desperate fish gasping for life. Her mind shocked itself into a short circuit and slowly shut down as she tried to process what she was seeing. So many factors played through her head like an epiphany scene from a movie. A realization that should have been recognized sooner but was ignored due to carelessness or selfishness. A fear to speak and a fear to stay silent held her motionless. The simple paper had two sentences on it, written crudely in black ink.

You were always nice to me. Don't come to school tomorrow.