2 | Defiance Discipline Dream Repeat

98 You Can Only Be Too Young - Oliver's POV

We are in detention, or as our beloved evil creature teacher calls it: a serious afternoon meeting. Being bored out of my mind, as Zander would say, I imagine the situation from Holling's POV.

He ranges his eyes over us, first at Bella, who's toying with Aiden's loose tie, whilst Aiden slumps in his chair, eyelids drooping tiredly. Jasper slouches alongside Aiden, wiping his glasses with his untucked shirt - more out of boredom rather than there being a need to clean his glasses. Holling's gaze arrives on Wesley and me, Wesley being half-asleep on my shoulder. I smile at him absentmindedly before his eyes pass over to Sophia. She's been twirling a lock of hair around her finger over and over again since this meeting started, and she's not happy to be here. Her facial expression is all you need to figure that out. Her scowl is almost as fierce as Zander's. Zander sits at the right end of the half-circle, knees splayed apart and arms folded across his chest, with a look that would scare away anyone who doesn't know him.

Holling clears his throat, only to gain; a scanty amount of our weary attention. ''...I have been informed that each one of you didn't attend school last week at all.''

Jasper is first out to speak up, ''You should understand, sir,'' and we all utter an agreeing hum. ''There wasn't much of a point for us coming here.''

''You were meant to go to school, and that's it,'' Holling declares. ''I will make it short and simple for you as I have made up my mind about; how to deal with this neglectful behaviour. Three weeks of detention for all of you.''

Sophia scoffs, ''Come again?'' she asks in disbelief, fluttering her eyelids.

''All of you,'' he looks frowningly at each of us as he articulates the words slowly, continuing, ''Will attend detention for three weeks, starting tomorrow afternoon.''

''Do you really want all of us in detention, sir?'' Zander groans.

''No, not at all,'' he remarks.

''Can we try to compromise something we all won't suffer from too much, sir?'' Wesley asks.

Holling turns to Wesley, and his face is enough to tell us that he's not going to compromise this time, either. ''No, it's not up for discussion,'' he declares. ''Sit up straight, please.''

The weight of Wesley's head on my shoulder goes as he grunts and presses himself upright. ''Sir, do you know what happened when my dad took my Nintendo DS?'' I ask.

''No, and what does that have to do with this?''

''I obviously got frightfully bored without my games, so I decided to annoy Dad, making him suffer until he returned it. I'm going to annoy you and make you regret giving me this much detention until you revoke it, sir,'' I tell him.

''He didn't give it back to you. I had to nick it back for you because you're a pussy and wouldn't do it yourself. Like 10 minutes later, he caught you playing on it because you're an idiot, so he took it again, and you never saw that fucking Nintendo again,'' Zander snickers.

''That's beside the point,'' I whisper snappishly, sending him a fleeting glare.

''You will not leave this room ever again if you try that on me,'' Holling enunciates, his tone and gaze deadly.

''Well...'' I stall for a moment, shaking off the unease his voice evoked. ''Dad said he was going to ship me off to boarding school where they would cane me if I didn't stop my mission to annoy him until he gave the Nintendo back, but that never happened, and I knew it wasn't true because Alexander had told me how happy he was about all schools abolishing the cane by the time he started school.''

''The cane is not abolished in this classroom,'' he states, glancing at the yet-closed cupboard.

''I'm aware, but I think it's terribly old-fashioned and unintelligent - contrary to your progressive, eccentric lifestyle, sir. I think you should consider banishing it," I say.

Wesley murmurs, ''Shut up,'' and nudges me.

''Everyone except Oliver can get ready to go home now. I will see you all tomorrow when your three weeks detention starts,'' Holling announces, gesturing to them to rise and walk out.

''No, sir, I'm going home with Wesley, and he doesn't want to wait for me!'' I protest whiningly. ''Seriously, I'm an engaged man. I think I am way too old and mature for detention, canings and discipline and shit like that.''

''I think you can only be too young,'' he asserts.

''I think it's inappropriate at all ages, sir,'' I counter smartly.

''Yet you put yourself in situations appropriately dealt with a caning."

''According to you–''

He gives me a forbidding stare, ''And whose rules do you abide by?'' he cuts in.

''Don't be a prickly prick!'' Sophia pipes up, making me chuckle internally.

The forbidding stare of Holling flashes for her now. ''Sophia, you will stay as well,'' he snarls.

''You can't cane me or anything,'' she argues. ''You know that.''

''Other resources are waiting for you,'' he says. ''Sit back down.''

Indignantly, she groans and stomps back to the chair beside me, plonking down in it. Our mates hasten their pace, probably to avoid getting sent back to their chairs, too. Holling locks the door once everyone is out, and Wesley's sympathetic smile has reached me.

In contrast to Wesley, Holling faces us with an inimical look when seated behind his desk again. ''Oliver, there's a story I want you to share with me.''

''A story, sir?'' I query, surprised. ''I've got plenty of them! Which one?''

''George said you'd be delighted to tell me about the time Alexander was publicly humiliated and thought his life was ruined after he had been a continually bad influence on you and bullied you,'' he cues.

The memories of this occurrence pop up in my head instantly, and it prompts my lips to curl into a smug smile. ''I will be delighted to tell you, indeed. But on one condition.''

''What?''

''If you want to hear the story, you must not punish Ladybug or me in any way this afternoon, sir...''