That One Year

Chapter 7

{A/N: I would highly, highly suggest going back and reading at least a chapter back, seeing as it's been a few months since I've last updated. :D)

I silently scuffle behind the gruff man through the empty hallways, my head down in embarrassment. I was being led down to his office, on the other side of the school from where the chemistry room was.

The Headmaster’s loud steps vibrate against the rows of lockers and he grunts every few seconds to clear his dry throat. A lone student walks by and the man’s stone cold eyes snaps over and glares at her until she passes.

My hands are at my side, fiercely gripping the seams of my skirt, and all my worries rise and fall in me, like fierce waves crashing against the beach.

Does he know about the fight? Will he expel me on the very first day I’m here? Or even worse, will he ridicule me in front of the whole school?

Well, so maybe I was exaggerating a little bit, but wouldn’t anybody in my situation?

I follow him into his spacious office, and politely take a seat in front of his desk. The room, like him, had a greyish hue and was incredibly dark; large curtains shut out the natural light, therefore a desk lamp dimly lit the room.

The Headmaster clumsily collapsed in his chair, making it clear that he was plagued by back problems. Once settled, he pulled out a file with my name on it.

He had a daunting look in his eyes as they locked on mine, and my bones shivered. 

Mom once told me when I was 8 that guilt creates an open gate to your soul, leaving it vulnerable for any person to come in and twist it all around to make you feel worse.

“That’s why you always have to tell the truth,” She would say, ruffling my hair and giving me a kiss on the nose.

I would then jump on her, in 8-year-old fashion, begging her to play dolls with me, immediately forgetting the conversation.

But suddenly I felt pressured under his gaze to admit every lie I’ve ever told.

“I didn’t do anything!” I blurted out. A few seconds passed of awkward silence, and I began to think that this wasn’t the best way to get acquainted with this man.

Embarrassed by my outburst, my eyes flicked to his huge library of old books lining the walls, and I focused on a marble statue of Geoffrey Chaucer in order to avoid his reaction.

“I missed you this morning.” He blatantly said, picking up a pen and twirling it with his hand.

“Yeah, uh-“ I ran through my mind to remember what Finn had told me to say- “I just had a lot of nerves, and um, needed to rest it off.” I say apologetically, a weak smile on my face. “I was in the nurses office.”

His eyes scanned my face with a disapproving look. “Miss, I understand that you might be feeling a little nervous, but missing classes because of it…” He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “That’s not acceptable.”

I found my words choked in the back of my throat, as I tried to defend myself.  I placed a hand to stop my bouncing knee.

“My dear, no need to say anything more. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He narrowed his eyes, and then turned away from me. He ran his hands through his gray, balding hair, and sighed as he accidentally pulled out a few stands. He closed his tired eyes for a moment, and in a flash I felt pity for the man.

He had obviously worked at this place for far too long, and I could tell that he put his heart and soul into it. He had diplomas and awards on shelves that weren’t occupied by books, and the senior class (er, grade 12) photo from the previous year hung over his desk, a reminder of his accomplishments.