When Worlds Collide

Chapter 16

Chloe made quick work extinguishing the flames between us at school, no one dared to speak a word of our feud. Now that we've made peace, the topic wasn't quite as entertaining as it used to be. Even Vera tried to mouth off about Chloe this morning, and I made sure to shut that down real quick. I was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and it showed through the voices chattering in my ear- they were definitely louder than normal today.

The office assistant, some scrawny kid with curly red hair named Henry James, waltzed right into my first period class and strode to the front, extending a small piece of paper to Mrs. Larrant. Henry left as soon as he appeared, scurrying off to deliver more notes as Mrs. Larrant read the note with her reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose.

"Ivan?" She looked directly at me, gesturing to the door with her head. "Office."

She turned her back to the class and resumed teaching as though she had never been interrupted, but suddenly all eyes were on me. Vera whipped her head around to look at me, but I tried acting unbothered as I packed my notebooks back into my backpack. Vera never ended up saying anything, and neither did I, much preferring to just get up and leave without a ruckus. Everyone likely knew what my summoning to the office was all about, given Chloe and I's near brawl in the cafeteria for all to witness.

The halls were dead quiet while classes were in session, not another soul in sight, which didn't help my nerves. It was a painful reminder that I was somewhere I shouldn't be, listening to people in my head that I shouldn't be.

Ivan...

They're bad, very bad

They can see you...

He's gonna get you!

Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep breath before entering the office. I knew I probably wasn't in serious trouble, but that didn't stop my pounding heart and clammy hands. The older lady at the front desk with a gray perm and cat eye glasses looked up from her computer, smiling gently at me even though I was here for causing trouble. She had a kind aura around her, and a gentle southern accent that had no business being up here in the Northwest.

"Well hiya darlin', what can I help ya with?" She drawled, leaning forward onto the counter.

"Um, I was called to the office?" I mumble, looking at the mess of papers scattered across the counter behind her.

"Oh, you must be Ivan?"

I nodded numbly. "Alright dear, I'll let Principal Hannighan know. You can go ahead and take a seat," she smiled, nodding to the cheap plastic chairs lined up against the wall. I absentmindedly picked at a loose thread on my maroon sweater, painfully aware of how long I had been sitting there. You'd think they'd only call a student once they're actually ready to see them, but why do that when I can be taken away from my education for even longer?

I noticed movement to my right, and I looked up to see Principal Hannighan emerging from the hallway. He wore black slacks and a white button up shirt, his tie had red and black stripes representing our school colors. He was quite young for a principal, his hair still a rich dark brown and only minor wrinkles around his mouth.

"Ivan Irlbeck?" He asked, even though I was the only one sitting there. I stood up, slinging my backpack over one shoulder as I followed him down the hall. "You havin' a good day so far?" He smiled, in an attempt to gain my trust and keep the atmosphere light.

"Guess so," I muttered, accidentally looking into an office window to see a young girl sobbing and another woman sitting at a desk with her hands folded. Principal Hannighan suddenly stopped by an open door and splayed a hand out, inviting me in. When I walked in and sat down, he closed the door behind us and sat at his desk, moving some papers around before placing a notepad and a pen in front of himself.