Chapter Text
March 22nd, 1986, Saturday
“Saturday, March 22nd 1986. Lakehill High, Dallesnaw, New Jersey, 60062”
“Dear Mr. Vernon:
We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us... in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, an airhead, a princess, and a criminal. Correct? That's how we saw each other at seven o'clock this morning. We were brainwashed.”
Amy sat on the passenger seat of her dad’s fancy light blue BMW. She stared outside the window at her school, thinking it’s derogatory for her to be here today, she has never been in detention before.
“I can’t believe you can’t get me out of this” she nodded with a note of shame “I mean it’s so absurd I have to be here on a Saturday. It's not like I'm a defective or anything”
Amy turned around to her father
“I'll make it up to you” He looked at her and tilted his head “Honey, skipping classes doesn't make you a defective”
Amy sighed tiredly when he beamed her a smile
“Have a good day”
Amy rolled her eyes, got out of the car and walked up the school front steps
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Leia sat in a car with Padme, who was visibly angry, not only at her but also the fact that she was already late to work.
“Is this the first time or the last time we do this?” Padme held one hand on the stirring wheel
“…Last” Leia looked really upset and abashed, but she finally had the courage to look into her mother’s eyes for the first time this morning. Padme knew that Leia regretted her actions, nonetheless she had to face the consequences.
“Well… go there and use the time to your advantage” she lectured her
“Mom, we're not supposed to study; we just have to sit there and do nothing”
“Well miss, you figure out a way to study” Padme looked at her classy watch and rapidly opened the car door. “Well?” she nodded.
Leia tried so hard not to sigh, but the urge was stronger than her. She grabbed her backpack and got out the car, nearly slamming the door.
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Mara’s dad held her backpack as they stood together outside his truck.
“Hey, I screwed around...you screwed around, there's nothing wrong with that. Except you got caught, Sport.”
Mara nodded and fixed her school team red and white bomber jacket
“Yeah, mom already redeemed me” she was sick of hearing the same reprimands since Wednesday evening.
Mr. Jade was usually calm and collected, but now he had in mind how much his daughter’s sport career meant for her and it frustrated him that she started being so happy-go-lucky about it. Few days ago, on an important match Mara fouled one of her opponents by intentionally kicking her in the calf. Their coach decided that either she goes to detention or Mara won’t go to nationals this may.
“You wanna miss a match? You wanna blow your ride? Now no school’s gonna give you a scholarship to a discipline case” He rebuked her with a thick Floridian accent.
Mara tightened her jaw and primly hugged her father as a “goodbye”
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For Han, Saturday detention was a “once in a month thing”. He was walking nonchalantly through the school car park, a vehicle almost run him over , it slammed on its breaks, Han didn’t even flinch and continued walking.
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Luke as well decided to go on foot, not wanting to listen what Padme had wanted to lecture him about next. He might’ve felt a bit guilty for leaving Leia face to face with their mum, but his rebellious part won over rationalism. Obviously most of his private belongings such as his Walkman, TV, phone or even the radio, were taken so he had to fight with his thoughts during the 20 minute long walk to school. That was when he realised that from what he heard yesterday Mara was supposed to be in detention today as well, hopefully.
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As soon as Amy stepped into the school hall, an escape plan popped into her head, but sadly she decided to be obedient this one time, maybe someone cool will be there and she’ll have an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation. She confidently walked into the library and to her surprise a very familiar figure was sitting by the table in the middle.
“Leia?” Amy sputtered with shock on her face
Leia lifted her head up, looking as confused as her best friend
“Amy?”
She got up and ran into each other half-way through the way
“What are you doing here?”
“No miss, what are you doing here” Amy lifted her eyebrow eager to know the explanation. They both were always well behaved, but to be honest, it wasn’t that shocking that sooner or later Amy will eventually do something that she will have to face detention for. Unlike Leia, so with that in mind Amy couldn’t even imagine her friend doing anything remotely “detention worthy”, and if so, Leia was way too smart to get caught.
“Don’t even, a long story. I would’ve told you, but my phone was taken yesterday after I came home”
“Nah, same” Amy sat to the table next to Leia’s
In that exact moment, Luke walked into the library, Mara laughing in his embrace
Amy looked at them in disbelief and then shifted her gaze to Leia
“They’re here too?”
“Well Luke was sent here yesterday too, imagine what kind of hell we’ve had at home yesterday”
Amy felt sorry for them but couldn’t help to chuckle imagining Mrs Skywalker absolutely raging out that both of her perfect kids turned into dodgy “space cadets”.
“But I had no idea that Mara is gonna be here too”
“Luke must be in heaven right now”
“Pff, don’t even, not only has he left me to face mom alone, but now he is on a crazy private 5-hour library date”
“Lucky-ass. But hey, stop complaining we’re here together”
“Thankfully”
Luke and Mara sat suspiciously close to each other, so obviously when Mr. Vernon showed up seven minutes past 6, they got immediately reprimanded and had to sit separately.
“Well, here we are! I want to congratulate you all for being on time…”
Before the man got the chance to finish his sentence someone walked right next to him, and making a loud noise, sat on a chair in the back.
“Han?” Leia’s jaw was on the floor. Well, after few seconds it was truly the most expected thing to see him here today.
He waved nonchalantly to her, lifting his eyebrow, like he was trying to read her mind looking her straight in the eye.
“So, I guess I’m third-wheeling today” Amy whispered in a theatrical tone
Leia wanted to answer, but the look on Mr. Vernon’s face and also the current state of affairs made her want to laugh out loud, so she just looked at her thinning her lips, in case she wasn’t able to control herself anymore.
“It is now seven oh six. You have exactly eight hours and fifty four minutes to think about why you're here. To ponder the error of your ways.
In this exact moment Han glued his gum to the desk, and the love birds shared a knowing look.
Mr. Vernon just looked at them, raised his hand and pointing his finger he continued
“..and you may not talk. You will not move from these seats.”
Amy rolled her eyes and leaned onto the chair she was sitting on
“And you will not sleep. Alright people, we're gonna try something a little different today. We are going to write an essay of no less than a thousand words describing to me who you think you are.”
Leia took a deep breath in disbelief, after all an essay was what got her into being here today, but thankfully she not only enjoyed writing them, but she mastered them a long time ago being able to create some academic-like papers.
Han on the other hand, wasn’t quite “the writer type”
“Is this a test?”
Mr. Vernon passed out paper and pencils and took absolutely no notice of Han
“And when I say essay, I mean essay. I do not mean a single word repeated a thousand times. Is that clear Mr. Solo?” indicating Han has done such a thing before, maybe even more than once.
He looked up at the Principal and nodded “Crystal”
“Good. Maybe you'll learn a little something about yourself. Maybe you'll even decide whether or not you care to return.”
Luke raised his hand and immediately stood up
“You know, I can answer that right now sir, that'd be "No", no for me ‘cause…”
“Sit down Skywalker”
“Thank you, sir”
Mara slapped his shoulder and gave him a well-aimed glance as soon as he sat up
“What?” he whispered
“My office” Mr. Vernon continued and pointed to the hall “Is right across that hall. Any monkey business is ill-advised.” He looked around them “Any questions?”
The room was quiet for a second, and as Mr. Vernon almost turned around and walked away Han decided to piss him off even more
“Yeah, I’ve got a question”
“Yes Solo?” He looked at him suspiciously
“Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?”
“I'll give you the answer to that question, Mr. Solo, next Saturday. Don't mess with the bull young man, you'll get the horns.” Mr. Vernon was almost red as a beet so in order not to curse the youngster he just turned on the sole of his freshly patent shoes and left the room.
“That man…is a brownie hound” Han grumbled