Mischief Managed | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 45

Jenna and the other three girls stiffed up, glaring at their direction. "What the hell do you want?"

    "Look, can't we just leave the past behind?" said Avery, and Jenna was surprised to hear actual remorse in his voice. "I know we didn't get off the right start, and I feel really bad about it. But it's not too late to change that."

    Jenna hesitated at first, glancing at him curiously as though trying to read his thoughts through his expression. But the boy seemed to be genuine with his words.

    Jenna pursed her lips together, throwing a quick glance back at her friends, though they didn't seem too reassured either.

     "So... do you think you can accept my apology?" Avery asked, cracking a smile.

    "I guess," Jenna mumbled, trying to find the forgiveness in her heart. Maybe he really did feel sorry. Everyone was capable of change after all.

     "Great!" Avery smiled, and then raised his hand for Jenna to shake. "Friends?"

     Jenna glanced down at his hand for long seconds as Lily, Alice, and Marlene gaped at her in silence. She still didn't like the boy, but she hoped that he could find his way to the good side if there was someone to believe in him to change.

     So with that, Jenna warily raised her hand and shook Avery's hand. But right at that moment, Avery quickly dug into his robe's pocket with his free hand and took a fistful of white powder out. And then, before Jenna could react, he raised his hand up and blew the powder into Jenna's face.

     Alice, Lily, Marlene gasped and rushed forward as Jenna let out a squeal and backed away with her eyes closed, meanwhile Avery and Mulciber laughed.

    "Jen? Jenna, are you all right?" Lily asked briskly, all of them checking to see how she was feeling.

    Breathing heavily in both anger and horror, Jenna slowly blinked her eyes open. She had expected that the white powder was meant to make her eyes burn, but she felt fine. Nothing felt different.

     But then Jenna's attention was caught when Lily screamed and Alice clapped a hand to her mouth.

    "What? What is it?" Jenna asked quickly in horror while Mulciber and Avery were howling with laughter.

    "Y-your — your hair," Marlene pointed a shaky hand at Jenna's head.

     She didn't understand what Marlene meant at first, so Jenna reached out to grab onto her own hair to see what was wrong, but she let out a scream in horror when a large chunk of her hair was pulled down easily.

    Avery had blown a balding powder into her face, causing all her hair to fall down gradually in large quantities once at a time. Her hair turned brown the moment it was disconnected from her head.

     Jenna kept on screaming in terror, and everyone started gathering around them to see what was going on. Some were sniggering around them, and some murmured in disgust. Jenna even caught sight of James and his friends running into the entrance hall to see what was happening as Avery and Mulciber kept on laughing.

     Jenna felt tears of humiliation fill up her eyes, and so she ran out of the hall, climbing up the marble staircase before she could go completely hairless in front of the whole school.

    "That's what you deserve, freak!" Avery yelled after her, but Jenna didn't stop running.

     She didn't even turn around to see the way Marlene tried to jump on Avery to punch him, she didn't see how James and Sirius drew out their wands, or how the Professors rushed into the hall moments later to see what was going on.