ᴀᴅ ᴍᴇʟɪᴏʀᴀ ~ ᴅᴘꜱ (ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴇᴇᴋꜱ)

9 - rocky beginnings

I make eye contact with Amy one final time before she trudges into Headmaster Coleman's office, closing the door with a gentle click behind her.

Part of me wants to run through the front office, bolting out the door, running as far as my legs can take me. Part of me wants to keep going and never look back for miles and miles and miles.

The other part of me knows that Amy would have waited for me out here had our lectures been switched. So, I opt to slump down onto the hard bench outside Coleman's office instead.

After our "little stunt" the night before, Mrs. Duvall sent us to bed with the promise of a one-on-one meeting with the Headmaster the following morning. Not only did she make good on her word, but the woman stood outside our door the entire night, I assume to prevent us from sneaking out again. That made for an awkward encounter when I got up around 3 am to use the bathroom.

I bury my head in my hands, avoiding the stares of the office staff around me.

I don't even have to hear Amy's punishment to know that mine was worse. She was right; Coleman wasn't too happy seeing two of her students bumming smokes off of a Welton Academy boy. The fact that it was Charlie Dalton was a nice cherry on top (apparently, his "legacy" carries over to the staff at Constantine as well. Go figure.)

Long story short: I can't go anywhere except classes, meals, and my dorm for the next week. You might be thinking, Ivy, that's already all you do. And you may be partially right, but still. Something about being told to sit still for a whole week irks me.

What if they tell my parents?

I try to avoid being on my parents' minds as much as possible, especially in a negative way. I don't know what they'd do. I doubt they'd pull me out of Constantine, but...

Coleman's door opens to reveal the headmaster and Amy. Amy looks pissed, and Coleman's hand is firmly gripped on the girl's shoulder.

"I assume that will keep you both out of trouble, at least for now." She releases Amy and looks in my direction. "I expect better from you, Miss Albrecht."

She glances back at Amy. "And you, Miss Drewitt. It's your final year. Don't poison another pupil to pass down your legacy."

Amy huffs.

"Yes, ma'am," we respond in unison.

Headmaster Coleman gives us a quick nod, adjusts the tight gray bun at the nape of her neck, and returns to her office.

The door closes and Amy flips it off with both hands.

-

"It's bullshit! An escort? Really?" Amy complains, hurling rocks into the pond in front of us. We came out here intending to skip stones, but Amy got lost in her anger quickly.

Ripples dance across the surface as she plunges rock after rock into the water. She goes to grab another stone from her hand before realizing she ran out. I reach down and grab a few, handing them to her cautiously.

"I thought mine was bad. I mean, at least you can still go out and do stuff." I shove my hands into the pockets of my jacket. It's too cold to be out here, especially in my uniform. Yet, if there's one thing I've learned this year, it's this: When Amy gets mad, it's best to just follow her quietly. That's how we ended up here.

She scoffs. "Yeah, because the stuff I'm doing in my free time definitely doesn't go against Constantine's rules. You think the teacher'll want a smoke with me?"

"So it sounds like you'll be in the dorm more. Me too! Ain't that a bite?" I sarcastically reply.

"You know what I think?" Amy asks. She doesn't give me time to respond before she continues. "I think Coleman used this as an out to punish me for everything she thinks I've done. I'm too smart for her. She never catches me, and the one time she does, she seizes the opportunity to make my life hell. Petty."