5 Humble lessons: 05 Forgiveness

Humble lessons

Forgiveness

(Early that day in Shannon's class room Bethony eagerly stares at Shannon as he eats a meal prepared by her)

Bethony: ….So, what do you think?

Shannon: It's chewy, but still good.

Bethony: (Sigh) You could lie to me you know.

Shannon: Lying doesn't help you improve, besides what should I have said?

Bethony: "Oh Bethony, your cooking is amazing, you'll make the perfect wife one day".

Shannon: ….Uh-huh.

Bethony: (Chuckle) Or something like that.

(Bethony slightly turns her head away from Shannon lost in a momentary thought as she stares out at the window)

Shannon: ….Something wrong?

Bethony: ….Nothing, its nothing, I'm just having a stupid thought.

Shannon: What is it?

Bethony: ….

Shannon: Bethony.

Bethony: ….(Sigh) It's Jasmine, I haven't seen her in a few days, I was just wondering what she was planing.

Shannon: ….

(Bethony then gets up and begins pacing back and forth)

Bethony: Don't get me wrong, its not like I care about her, especially after what she did, but still I didn't think I beat her up that badly.

Shannon: ….

Bethony: Besides, after what she did to us, I could care less.

Shannon: …

Bethony: And besides the only reason I can't get her out of my head is because she just has this attitude that's so, so-

Shannon: Familiar.

Bethony: What?!

Shannon: When I first met her, she seemed lost and upset.

Bethony: (Sarcastic chuckle) And your saying that, somehow reminded you of me, give me a break, next thing you'll be saying is that I should just let this whole thing go and try and be friends with her.

Shannon: What you do with this situation is on you, I'm just going to watch.

Bethony: (Grunt) I don't think I like you doing that.

(Shannon simply shrugs his shoulder with a faint smile, a moment of silence passes between them then Bethony begins approaching Shannon as a sinister expression grows across her face)

Bethony: You know, I don't think we've fully reconciled our little "spat".

(Just then Bethony swerves Shannon chair towards her and slowly brings her face closer to his)

Shannon: (Slightly nervous) W-well I thought-

Bethony: (Lite chuckle) Thought what, that the little kiss was an "I forgive you" kiss, uh-uh buster, that was just me re-establishing my…. "territory", you still need to make it up to me.

Shannon: (Slight nervous) What did you have in mind?

(Bethony soon brings her lips to Shannon's ear)

Bethony: D-a-t-e.

Shannon: I-

(Just before Shannon can respond Bethony suddenly bites down on his exposed neck)

Shannon: Ow!

(Bethony then quickly rushes towards the door)

Bethony: It'd be in your best interest to give it some thought. See ya later♪

(With Bethony suddenly gone Shannon rubs on his bite mark)

Shannon: A date, huh?

(Later that day, Bethony and Alison are in an empty classroom enjoying there lunch as they look over there books, while reading Bethony begins to look out the window, thinking back on her match with Jasmine)

Bethony: ….

Alison: Hey Bethony, what are you thinking about?

Bethony: Jasmine.

Alison: Jasmine, you mean the knew girl, yeah I haven't seen her for a few days now, I heard she wound-up in the clinic but after that, nothing.

Bethony: Hmm, (under breath) what to do.

Alison: (slightly nervous) Umm, Bethony....

Bethony: What's up?

Alison: (Nervous) C-could I ask you something?

Bethony: (Lite chuckle) Sure I don't see why not.

Alison: (Slightly nervous) Could you forgive me if I did something really bad to someone?

Bethony: ….What did you do?

Alison: (Nervous) W-well, a little while ago, my older brother got hurt pretty badly and the person that did it got away with it.

Bethony: That's horrible.

Alison: He was so embarrassed about what happened that he transferred schools, when I found out who did it, I started trying to figure out what I could do to get back at them for my brother.

Bethony: ….Oh.....

Alison: I finally decided that I should gather up enough money and have other people do what I knew couldn't, (re-assurance) b-but then I bumped into that person by accident.

(Bethony begins to look away with shame as she continues listening to Alison's story)

Alison: And, although it was a small interaction, she was nice, she wasn't the monster I had made her out to be, she even helped me pick up my things, though I still thought that she was the same person who had hurt my brother, but then …. when I went to go warn her about what I had done she had already "handled" it, I knew what would happen to me if the police got involved but when I advised her to call the authorities she said something so unexpected, "its a bit more complicated then "they where looking for trouble"", you where willing to take the punishment for what you had done because you had changed.

Bethony: (Sigh) I wouldn't exactly calling it "taking punishment".

Alison: The fact of the matter is that you had excepted responsibility for what you did and because of that I can forgive you, I know I don't even deserve to ask this but ….do you forgive me?

(Alison looks down from Bethony in shame)

Bethony: (Sigh) Damnit, I gotta go.

(Bethony suddenly gets out of her chair and rushes towards the door and just before leaving out the room she turns back towards Alison)

Bethony: Oh and that whole gang hit thing, water under the bridge, see ya tomorrow!

Alison: ….But it's still the middle of the school day!

(Later that day as Jasmine is lying in bed she suddenly hears tapping on her bedroom window, walking towards the source of the noise she see Bethony outside stareing at her, moments later Jasmine walks outside to confront her)

Jasmine: What do you want, came to rub salt in the open wound?

Bethony: ….

Jasmine: Or maybe you're here to make sure your little secrete doesn't get out.

Bethony: ….

Jasmine: ….Well if its that your worried about, don't worry my lips are sealed, don't really see any point on blabbing about what's essentially two consenting adults doing whatever is they do.

Bethony: Rematch.

Jasmine: What?!

Bethony: You heard me.

Jasmine: What's the point, you've already beaten me.

Bethony: Because, this will actually be a friendly sparring match.

Jasmine: ?

Bethony: I've ….been where you are.

Jasmine: What?

Bethony: The loneliness, I get it, its not a great feeling, and oddly enough fighting feels like the only connection yo-I can make with people, its a messed-up way of thinking but that doesn't stop me from feeling that way….

(Bethony leaps back into her fighting stance)

Bethony: So what do you say?

Jasmine: Is this a joke, after what I did.

Bethony: A) Don't do it again, B) Cast ye the first stone, sure I may have never done something like what you did but still I've done my fair share of bad, so who am I to judge you so harshly, besides someone forgave me for something horrible that I did and now there my friend, so.

(A moment passes between the two)

Jasmine: (Sigh) Like I said before you've already beaten me, so what's the point?

Bethony: Well I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking another run at me, so who better to teach you then me.

(Another moment of silence passes between them, then suddenly Jasmine leaps back into her stance)

Jasmine: Alright, lets see what kinda teacher you are.

(The two girls lunge at each other both throwing out a kick to counter the other, now within range the two begin exchanging a mirage of blows eventually pushing away from one another, taking a moment to asses each other Jasmine makes the first move leaping into the air, twirling into a downward kick as Bethony preforms a similar maneuver from the ground, later back at the school as the day is coming to an end principle Lewis walks past Shannon's room to see him sitting at his desk)

Principle Lewis: Oh, Mr. Alderman, I didn't know you where still here.

Shannon: Yeah, last minute paper work, I want to make sure that I have nothing to do when I get home except hit the hay.

Principle Lewis: Not a bad idea, but unfortunately the misses would throw a bit of a fit if I didn't get home for dinner, I-

(Just then principle Lewis notice the bite mark on Shannon neck)

Principle Lewis: When did that happen?!

Shannon: (Nervous chuckle) O-oh right, the darnedest thing happened on my way to school today a little dog came out of nowhere and bit me, can you believe it, b-but don't worry I already called the pound and they already have the dog, a-and don't worry about me I already got myself checked, healthy as an ox.

Principle Lewis: Right, t-try to be more careful.

Shannon: (Nervous chuckle) I will, good-night principle Lewis.

(Shannon quickly puts himself back into his paper work and as Principle Lewis is walking out of the room he soon notice the whole in the doorway)

Principle Lewis: Wha-

Shannon: Tripped, put my hand right through right through it.

Principle Lewis: (Deep sigh) Good-night Mr. Alderman, (under breath) first a locker now a door, I need a vacation then again the school fair is....

(Principle Lewis leaves Shannon's class, and with him gone Shannon lets out a sigh of relief and leans back into his chair as he rub his bite mark)

Shannon: ….A date, huh.

Dismissed