The following morning an hour or so before school was due to open. Two women, both wearing skirted business suits stood around the fountain. Both wore slightly amused looks on their faces as they peered toward the plastic fish that floated around the bottom of the fountain. The first one to speak was the tallest one she wore her strawberry blonde hair in a high bun.

“Really, plastic fish in the school’s fountain. I’ve seen it all know.” She said, shaking her head.

“Yep. Plastic fish. And they belong to this one.” She looked down and read the name on the small plastic card she held in her hand. “Jamie Sarah Potter.” She said as she handed the card to the women with strawberry blonde hair.

The women peered toward the picture of the card before she slipped the card into the breast pocket of her coat. She then turned toward the other women and in a very casual tone of voice said.

“Jamie Sarah Potter. Correct me if I’m wrong, but is she the special girl. The one that played the hostage in this year's homecoming. The one that had to rush from school to King’s Daughters and from there to Jackson. The one that for a few months caused quite a stir in school.” She said smiling as she folded her hands behind her back.

“That her alright. Use to be a boy, then during homecoming, a switch somehow got flipped. Our former science teacher. Mr. Henderson kind of flipped out on her. The former headmaster tried to shut her down, it was a mess. That whole meeting was a mess. Finally ended with one of the girls knocking her out. She was a big country girl too, knocked her down.” The other woman said.

“I see, still rules are rules. Once the morning role is taken. Have Ms. Potter come see me in the office. She and I need to have a little talk, women to women.” And with that, she turned around and started to walk toward the school. She got halfway down the stone paved walkway when she paused and turned around and said. “And leave the fish too. Ms. Potter can collect her toys at the end of the day.”

***

The cafeteria of Benton Academy was filled with the morning rush of people. The normal morning fare of watery grits, stale cheese toast, greasy sausage patties, warm milk, and soggy cereal was being choked down by students who were glad to get something to eat before the final round of exams where to start in a half hour. Sitting by herself was in a far corner of the room. Far away from the hustle and bustle of the center was Jamie Sarah Potter. Jamie had chosen a bowl of Fruity Loops this morning. The rings of color cereal tasted a little better than the sauce patties that slid off the foam plates and the watery grits that soaked through the cheap plastic bowls.

“So, did you hear about it?” Another girl sitting to her left said. “Like somebody totally snuck into school last night and like placed some kind of fish models in the school fountain. Kind of a dumb prank really, I mean really, plastic fish. They could have at least tried to fork the common or something.” She said as she settled down to her morning meal.

“I guess, maybe it was one of the eighth graders. Some kid trying to be cool and hip and get a name. I bet he’s bragging to his friends right now.” Another girl said as she took a sip of her milk. “Like, I bet he expects to get a reward or something for the most original prank.”

“Like the only reward he’s going to get is a trip over the headmaster's desk. You know, people Mrs. Cartwright is really big on the whole ‘Whoever spares the rod hate their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.’ and ‘It takes a whole village to rear a child.’ or some kind like that.” Another girl said pushing her plastic bowl of sugary cereal away from her and tossed the plastic spoon down upon the table.

“Shit, no amount of sugar in the world could make this stuff taste good.” She said as she placed her head down upon the table and sighed. “One more day of this. Then its the weekend and next week they're going to be throwing that stupid Summer Carnival, God even that would be better than another day of this.”

Then over the intercom system a voice belonging to young women. The voice was polite and formal. And had something of a Canton twang to it. Hitting that the women came from the new upper-middle class that was forming in the townships of Canton, Ridgeland, and Madison, and Terry, those four were the fastest growing townships in Mississippi.

“Would Jamie Sarah Potter, please report to the headmaster's office. Would Jamie Sarah Potter, please report to the headmaster's office.” The voice echoed up and down the hallway.

Jamie blinks and blinked again as the whole room turned around and peered toward her. A loud rumble ran through the gathered crowds. For a minute, Jamie stood there stunned into silence. She could feel her cheeks started to burn with color as she noticed that everybody’s attention seemed to focus in on her. She reached down and started to adjust her skirt and blouse as she collected herself. Once she felt collected, she started to move toward the door.

“I bet they're going to give her a reward for stellar grades.” One student said as she passed by. Another student answered in turn by saying. “Right, she has been on the honor roll all freaking year. Totally a Ms. Smarty pants.”

“Maybe they're finally going to kick the freak out.” Another voice said. “Dude, remember she was like a boy before. Like, remember that nerd James, the blonde hair freak that use to hang around fishers. I heard, somebody raped him and he decided to become like a girl. Just another freak in the freak kingdom if you ask me.”

Another student answered that with.

“Dude, I remember that. Like I thought that rumor of the boy being the hostage at this years homecoming was just like a rumor. You know something people made up. But it totally makes sense now. No wonder there was that big fight a few weeks later.”

“Man, you must be slow or something! That was no rumor. Remember Mr. Henderson balled that bitch out in front of the whole class. That before he flipped his collective shit and started railing off. Then that nut job down at the Episcopal church support the transformation. Rev. Brown. And then they promoted the dude and we got another nut down there named Rev. Bell. Dude is all his rocker too, he comes from some rich delta, planter family down Vicksburg way.”

“Man,” The other boy said, shaking his head. “Dad was right, this whole town is going to shits man. I’m glad this is my last year in this place. This place used to be a pretty good place. Like, Mr. Henderson understood the struggle of us football players. Like no home-work for us on game night, allowed us to skip class for extra practice and the dude was cool. The old headmaster always saw we got our respect.”

“Right, this whole school going to shit. The new science teacher from up north. She one of those damn New England Liberals. Like I tried to explain, how things work down here to her. Cause you know, we gotta a system in place. She totally flipped out and flew off the handle. Like wrote me up and shit. The coach was pissed like a bulldog. Flipped out on me and me.”

Everybody at the table had stopped there chewing and were now hanging on every word of the story being told to them. Even though everybody knew the outcome, nobody got tired of hearing it rehashed. For the jocks, what had followed had been a soul-crushing defeat. The start of the removal of the privileges they had enjoyed since the school was started. For others, it was the first bright rays of hope.

“And that women, just stood there, sitting behind her desk at and at first I thought coach done pulled a rabbit out of his hat because she was all nodding her head. So I’m standing there on the sidelines cheering him on, cause he going all big brass balls. Telling how many times he’s brought home the championship ring and how to like how I was his best player and the hope we had if we were ever going to beat them Yazoo bastards in the next game. And she nodding her head like she really doing some thinking. And I’m sure she going to cancel my detention and then she going to haul that New England liberal into her office and tear her a new asshole cause, you know she might be from Canton but she still one of us. And then once the coach is done, she stands up and says she stands behind the teacher and says the detention stands. Next day, the coach is gone something about him having some kind of anger issue or something.” The boy shakes her head. “I’m telling you, man, this school is going down the drain faster than shit at Taco Bell.”

Jamie just stood there. She had been enthralled with the tale. It was clear to reminder to her that there were still elements of the school that hated her. The football coach, Mr. Butters, had been one of those silent few who had on the low tried to get her removed from school on the low. Unlike the direct tactics of Mr. Henderson and former headmaster, who attacked her directly he had employed a low handed ploy. The bastard had chosen to instead of going after her and her sister directly to vent his ire on her boyfriend Ben. She had later learned from Ben’s big sister Joan that after his little display of passion at the hospital last year, he had tried to force him to quit, by making him run laps after laps around the football field because had chosen to skip practice to be with her. The rumor was he had to run upward to four hundred laps. Over a period of several days.

Again the voice over the intercom system called out.

“Would Jamie Sarah Potter, please come to the headmaster's office. Would Jamie Sarah Potter, please come to the headmaster's office.” It seemed the women had deemed the seven or so minutes that had passed more than enough time for Jamie to report to the office and had deemed it fit to call her again. The two boys who had been talking among themselves paused and peered toward Jamie. The look that gave her, suggested the two were peering toward an old hound dog that had just walked in.

“What you looking at? You tranny freak. Go on, go the headmaster and grit you reward or something. You the reason everything going the way it is. Thought something good had finally come our way when they hauled you off in the sick folk's wagon. Seeing you all ranting and raving about some kind of shadow being, really made us think you finally snapped.”

“Thought they finally took you to the crazy farm. Any boy going around calling himself a girl needs to be given a vacation down there in South Jackson where they keep them loons and cartoons and them kind of folk. Fit them with one of the special kinds of jackets, you know the ones with the straps, brass buckles, and the straps.” The other boy chimed in.

Jamie took a deep breath and started to count backward starting at twenty and working her way down. As soon as she reached sixteen though, she felt somebody tapping her on the shoulder. Standing beside her was a teacher. She nodded toward the door and in a firm, commanding tone of voice she said.

“Okay, Jamie go see the headmaster.” She then shifted her eyes toward the two boys. “You two gentleman. Please see me once the bell rings. I’ve been listening to the whole exchange. And I’m sure the headmaster will enjoy hearing it too.” The women then turned toward Jamie.

“Ms. Potter, I think it will be wise if you go see the headmaster. I don’t think she’ll call again. Next time she might come looking for you. And if that is the case, then you’ll be in a world of trouble.”

Jamie still blushing only nodded her head and started toward the door.