And then he stopped. Shane leaned his forehead against mine, breathing heavily, our eyes still closed, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Astra," he mumbled against my lips. "Please don't hurt yourself."
And all at once, his body fell l...
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C H A P T E R F O U R
Sh a n e ༶ ｡◕
I wasn't new to the principal's office. I was here so often, sitting slouched in the blue velvet seat in front of the secretary's desk that it was actually more of a home to me than my real one would ever be.
I stepped into the office, not bothering to hold the door open for the person trying to come in behind me. I threw a glance his way, miming a sorry. The cool air of the hallway was replaced by the stifling heat of the office and the smell of coffee. I calmly made my way over to the secretary's desk, a smirk upon my face.
"Wow, Ms. Alvarez," I said, leaning over the desk to smile at the secretary. "Are those new glasses? They really bring out your eyes."
"Oh, go sit down, you big flirt." She waved me away without even looking up from her computer.
"Honestly, I was kind of hoping you'd be here," I continued. "I wanted to ask you about something. It's really important." A grave look settled upon my face.
She sighed and reluctantly tore her eyes away from her screen. She looked at me through her new thick black cat-eye glasses. "What?"
I let out a big grin. "I wanted to ask if you think this color suits me." I held up a bit of my loose shirt, stretching it out for her to see. "I'm not sure if green's my color."
She glared and stabbed a long red nail at the chairs. "Sit." She turned her attention to the guy waiting behind me.
"Yeah," I muttered, slinking away. "I didn't think so either."
I slumped into the seat next to the principal's office and listened as Ms. Alvarez printed a schedule out for the seemingly new student, letting my legs take up most of the other chairs. Principal Ainsley was busy on the phone with someone, the words just out of ear's reach.
Yawning, I looked up at the giant analog clock displayed in a stupid trophy case. Like, why would we care about it? What was so important about a stupid clock that it had to be in a trophy case of all things? Someone should steal it just to see their reaction. Or better yet - make a big mural right in the centre of the hallway about how school is a waste of time. And then you could, like, use the analog clock as a centrepiece.
The door opened and the principal's blonde head popped out behind Dusty Meyers - one of the most annoying people I've ever had the unpleasant pleasure of meeting.
We passed each other, glaring, and then I was in the office and his annoying face was gone.
"What was that all about?" Principal Ainsley said, her face amused.
"He's an annoying poop," I muttered, sliding into the seat in front of her desk. I propped my feet up on it and she gave me a look. I slowly lowered them back down.
She sighed, sitting down. "So what was it that got you sent here this time, Shay?"
"My artistic skills blinded Ms. Peters. She was so shocked she sent me to the office because she wants a plaque with my name on it to put in the trophy case."
Principal Ainsley hummed thoughtfully. "You know, Ms. Peters wants you to get a plaque for a lot of things recently." I nodded. "Maybe I should ask her about writing a letter of recommendation for your college."
I stopped nodding.
Sighing, Principal Ainsley set her folded hands on the desk. "Shay, I know you're a good student. I know these past few months have been hard for you and your family. But I can't have you causing a disruption in class, even if it's all fun and games. I hope you understand."
I did. More than she would ever know. But I also hoped that I would get off scotch-free without having to clean up in the cafeteria after lunch. People littering was just really annoying and I had to fight my temper each time I was forced to clean up after getting sent here multiple times in the past week.
But nope, that was not possible. As nice as Principal Ainsley was, she was the principal. She had her duties, and part of them was discipline.
"I'm not going to make you clean up anymore, not after last time," she said, referring to when I had dumped a full trash bag on Dusty Meyers's head after he dropped an apple core and a carton of milk right next to me. "Instead I asked Mrs. Smith if she needed any help for her upcoming field trip to Central Park and she said that she would be glad to have someone hold all the bags and count the heads of the students and everything!"
"So, basically," I said flatly, "I'm a caddie."
"This isn't golf, but I guess so. It's punishment, but you also get to go on a field trip!"
"As a caddie."
She sighed and opened a desk drawer, passing me some papers. "Get these signed as soon as you can. The trip is in two days and if you don't get that signature, it's clean-up duty as usual." She stood and opened the door, clearly dismissing me. "And you know the drill, you have to spend lunch in the library."
A sad look sat on my face as I looked up at her as I passed by. "Shane," she sighed. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't have even been allowed to go on the trip."
"I understand," I muttered.
"Try and enjoy your time as a... caddie, okay? Maybe make some new friends." I rolled my eyes.
I left with the papers crinkled in my fist, stuffing it into the darkest, murkiest corner of my bag. Passing Ms. Alvarez, I couldn't resist teasing her. "See ya later, hotshot!"
Principal Ainsley groaned.
*** I just realised how extra I am with revision. I've been sitting here for 3 hours making an A3 aesthetic mindmap for A UNIT TEST. I have so much work to do but all I can do is scroll on my phone aagh.
