Suddenly the exit door swung open, hitting Lani. Before she could move, Barbara suddenly appeared and nearly fell over her. David looked up at her.

“Hi Barb! Why didn’t the alarm go off?”

She looked confused. “What?”

David smiled at her. “Never mind.”

“Hey! Why’d you hit me with the door you idiot?” Lani yelled.

Barb looked down at her.

“Sorry, beautiful, ” she said. Then she grinned.

Lani looked up at her. “That’s ok, Bar-ba-ra!”

She said the name just like the robot in the Twilight Zone episode they watched two nights ago. She came over to the house, and they watched TV in David’s room. It was a cool episode about an old man who builds a robot to make his niece miserable after he dies. Lani was thrilled when she heard how the robot said “Bar-ba-ra!” She even practiced it several times.

Lani laughed. “Bar-ba-ra!” she repeated. “Hey you could play the old chick in the episode; you look just like her! I’d call you Barbie, but you’re not pretty like Barbie! Hah!”

Barb smiled. “I wish I had a Barbie right now so I could stick her up your…”

David cut in. “Come on guys!”

Lani laughed again. “Where’s your boyfriend, Bar-ba-ra? Oh that’s right; guys don’t like you!”

For a moment it looked like Barbara was going to hit Lani, and it occurred to David that he wouldn’t blame her if she did. In fact, he decided he wouldn’t stop her.

“Oh they don’t, huh?” Barbara asked.

Then she walked toward the fence. But not toward the gap; she walked off to the right. She began wading through the waist-high grass and weeds. David stood up.

“Hey Barb! What are you doing? Get out of there; there’s snakes!” he yelled after her.

“Ah bullshit! The only snake here is sitting next to you!”

She finally reached a leafy tree which grew up against the fence. She looked around for a moment, then she grabbed a branch and snapped it in half. Suddenly David and Lani noticed some large letters that were carved into the fence. Someone had colored them in with black permanent marker. Then she turned around.

“Hey Lani! Look!”

Then she pointed at the letters and read them out loud.

“Bar-ba-ra!” she hollered, and then laughed. Then she blew a kiss at David. Emerging from the weeds, she walked over and squeezed through the broken chain-link fence and the support post, and disappeared into the wooded area.

**************************

Mrs. Gerstner walked up to the blackboard, ordered the kids to turn to page 152 in their books and then began writing on the blackboard. Lani leaned over and tapped Trisha Dornmann on the shoulder. Trisha sat in the middle row, and she was all that separated Lani and Barbara.

“Psst…Trisha, tell Barbara I’m gonna kick her ass!”

Trisha leaned over and tapped Barbara on the shoulder.

“Hey Barb, Lani’s gonna kick your ass,” she whispered.

“Hey Trisha, tell Lani she’s a bitch!”

Trisha leaned over toward Lani.

“Hey Lani, Barb says you’re a…”

Lani glared at her. “I heard her!” she said a little too loud. Mrs. Gerstner turned around.

“Who’s talking?” she demanded. No one said anything, so she turned around and started writing on the blackboard again.

Lani leaned over and tapped Trisha on the arm. “Tell Barbara she’s a tramp!”

Trisha looked at Barbara. “Lani says you’re a…”

“I heard her!” Barbara whispered angrily. Then Lani smiled and gave her the finger. Suddenly an announcement came over the loudspeaker.

“Would Mrs. Gerstner please report to the administrative building?”

Mrs. Gerstner turned around and looked at the class.

“I’ll be right back; no talking! Everyone read the questions on page 153!”

Then Mrs. Gerstner left. Barbara slowly stood up and looked around. The other kids watched intently as she walked up to the front of the class. She grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote on the blackboard. Lani watched dumbfounded as Barbara wrote out in big letters: “Lani is a bitch and a tramp!” Then she underlined “bitch” and “tramp” for emphasis. The class laughed again. Lani jumped up and charged, grabbing a handful of Barbara’s hair. No surprise, Barbara grabbed a handful of Lani’s hair. It’s safe to assume that no one in the class expected such entertainment that day in Mrs. Gerstner’s boring English composition class. Lani and Barbara fell to the floor and began rolling around, both unleashing a flurry of obscenities. Mrs. Gerstner suddenly reappeared, and was finally able to pull them apart.

Barbara Michaels

Barbara is the daughter of Nick and Lizzy Michaels, who move to Westbridge from New York in her 10th grade year. She becomes a friend of David's before he meets Lani. Although she is never officially David's girlfriend, they still have a special connection to each other. Barbara takes several photography classes at Westbridge High, including Advanced Woodlands Photography 201, Local Landscape Photography-Honors, and Emotive Portrait Photography, a class taught at State College. She is also an ardent sketch artist. Shortly before David meets Lani, she takes several pictures of her friends. She also does a sketch of David that she uses many years later.  Barbara appears throughout the story as one of Lani's most enthusiastic opponents. An epic confrontation between them occurs during Mrs. Gerstner's English Class. Second School's Counselor Mrs. Lowery keeps a file that documents the numerous clashes between Barbara and Lani; well, the ones she knows about. Barbara is the only one who refuses to call Lani by her nick-name, preferring to call her by her proper first name...Lana...because of its association with Lana Turner, an actress that Barbara regards as "ole-timey." She also derisively refers to Lani as "Beautiful", saying it in a way that makes it clear that the intent is to insult. But, Lani eventually found a way to get her back.

One  evening David and Lani are watching an episode of Twilight Zone. Lani is delighted when the robot in the story refers to it creator's niece as Bar-ba-ra, enunciating each syllable in a robotic monotone. Lani instantly begins calling her nemesis "Bar-ba-ra," imitating the robot's voice, and even telling Barbara that she looks just like the dowty actress in the show. Not to be outdone, Barbara shows Lani a portion of the wooden fence that separates Paul Vogel's garden and the end of the school's property, where someone has carved her name into the wood. 

Following graduation, Barbara continues to live in Westbridge, teaching photography classes at State College and publishing several books that feature her photos and sketches. 

******************************************

It was minutes away from the bell ringing for third hour. Lani had English composition, a class she very much hated. A few minutes before, she had been standing outside the back of the English building smoking a cigarette. She wasn’t in a hurry. Not until she remembered that Mrs. Gerstner had given her an official warning about being tardy. “One more time,” she told her, “it’s a certain disciplinary notice and a meeting with Mrs. Lowery.” Entering the building, she ran to class. As she approached, she looked at her watch.

“Oh shit,” she growled to herself.

And she was about to make it. Then she saw a girl standing just outside the door to the classroom.

“Get out of the way!” Lani hollered at her.

Barbara turned around. She had a pair of sunglasses on her head, and was digging around in her purse. She smiled when she saw Lani.

“Hi beautiful, what’s the rush?”

“Get out of my way asshole!”

“Asshole? That’s not very nice,” Barbara said, as she began digging around in her purse again.

Lani tried to go around her to the left. Barbara stepped in the way. Then she tried going around her to the right. Barbara stepped in the way again. Lani jumped up and down.

“Oh…why won’t you move?” she yelled.

“I can’t find my sunglasses,” Barbara said, smiling at her.

“They’re on your head, idiot!”

Barbara reached up and grabbed her sunglasses. “Oh, so they are.”

Then she stepped into the classroom seconds before the bell rang. Technically, she was on time. Lani was not. Mrs. Gerstner was sitting at her desk. She stood up when Lani walked in.

“Miss Kincaid! You were given a final warning!”

Lani sat down at her desk. There were three rows of desks. Barbara sat directly across from Lani, on the other side of the middle row.

“It’s not my fault! It’s Barbara’s!” Then the kids in the class laughed.

“Lana! What have I told you about blaming others for your transgressions?” The class laughed again, Barbara laughing the loudest.

Mrs. Gerstner promptly filled out a disciplinary notice, placing a big black X in the box marked “Tardy- multiple incidents.” 

Normally, Mrs. Lowery did not want tardy students sent to her unless they were repeatedly tardy. She required the teachers to give a couple of warnings first, and then an official “final warning.” Lani had received hers on Monday.

“After class you will report to Mrs. Lowery’s office.”

Barbara looked over and smiled at her. “That’s a real drag, Lana!”