Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Chapter 6: A Carbonara Scrape

When Kat caught up with the boys, the chase was pretty much over.
There was a small cauldron lying on its side on the ground. Ace had somehow acquired a large net, like a butterfly catcher's, and Deuce was holding Grim to the ground.

"I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't WANNAAAAA!" The little creature was wailing, thrashing around like a toddler having a tantrum.
"I'm DONE with all these stupid, borin' classes-- I don't WANNA! I ain't goin' back- you can't MAKE me!"

Pulling her schoolbag a little higher onto her shoulder, Kat speedwalked over.

"You are MAKING. A SCENE," she hissed in a low voice, face stony and threatening. "Knock it off right now-- are you a toddler? An actual baby?!"

"DAMMIT!" Grim shrieked, squirming around in Deuce's grip.
"Man, how come you're so bossy today?!"

"Because I have had. ENOUGH!" She snapped, raising her voice to just under a shout.
"Listen to me."

Bumping Deuce out of the way, she grabbed Grim instead, one hand on his chest and pinning him to the ground.

"I am the only reason you are still here. I stuck up for you to the Headmaster. Apparently I must have overestimated you, though. I did that on the assumption that you understood the terms of this arrangement. Here I was, thinking we had an understanding-- possibly even a connection! But obviously--"

She gritted her teeth, pushing down a little firmer as he tried to wriggle away.
"I was mistaken. You do not have the intelligence or maturity needed to realize that for now, we're stuck together. What I do affects you, and what you do affects me. I figured that you understood that, at least."

Grim squirmed and thrashed a little more, growling and spitting.
"Listen, you--" he began.

She pushed down a little harder.
"NO." She said firmly.
"YOU listen. Shut up and LISTEN to me. If you don't, then that means I really WAS wrong about you."

"But I--" He tried again.

"And BECAUSE I was wrong, I'll gladly own up to my mistake. I'll admit to Crowley that you're just not capable of being a student here."

Grim froze, eyes going wide and ears flattening.

"I can always go back to being a janitor again," she continued.
"I've already been to high school. I've graduated. The only reason I'm still here isn't for your benefit-- it's to learn more about magic and find a way home."

She looked down at him pointedly.
"I don't necessarily need to be a student here to do that. It'll be harder, sure, but I don't NEED to. And Professor Trein seems like he'd be willing to help me, too. If you make things harder for me more than you're helping, I would be more than happy to go it alone. Do you understand?"

Grim stared back at her, shell-shocked. After a moment, he nodded silently.

"Good," she said, nodding back.
"I'm going to let you up in a second. If you try to make a break for it once I do, I will catch you again and use my sweatshirt to wrap you up in a purrito. Then I will march straight up to the Headmaster's office, drop you on the desk and respectfully rescind my enrollment. Okay?"

He nodded again.

She sighed, lifting her hand and standing up.
Grim lay there for a second as she brushed the dirt off her knees and adjusted her jacket and tie.

Ace and Deuce were staring at her blankly, jaws hanging open.

"...What?" She asked, looking around.