Off to Neverland

Off to Neverland (2)

"So... how was school?" I asked Simon as we both waited for Henry and Terra to meet us in front of the mall. "How's Amanda?"

Amanda was the girl whose hair I had pulled, the whole reason I was suspended. Even though she totally deserved it for what she was saying...

"She doesn't look as good with short hair," Simon announced with a smirk, leaning against the wall as I continued to sit on the bench next to him. "She kind of looks like a boy with her short hair. I'd watch your back when you get back to school."

"I didn't mean to pull that hard," I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You didn't mean to, but you did," Simon smirked, pushing himself off the wall and plopping down next to me on the bench. "But she really looks like a boy. It's funny; one of the guys in first period asked if we had a new student when he saw her."

I chuckled. "That is funny."

"It's too bad you missed it. School's boring without you," Simon sighed, elbowing me in the side slightly. "I really can't wait until you come back."

"Well, I might not," I replied truthfully with a frown, glowering at the ground when I thought of Claudia. If she really thought she'd be able to send me to some boot camp military school thing, she was insane. I wouldn't go even if my dad did agree to send me...

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing at me in confusion. "You didn't get expelled or anything, did you?"

Before I could tell him that I hadn't been expelled, arms were being wrapped around my shoulders, squeezing me so tightly that I couldn't breathe for a second.

I looked over at the person who I assumed was trying to kill me to see that it was Henry, Terra looking over his shoulder at me in amusement.

"So why am I hearing that you might not come back to school?" Terra asked, her hands on her hips once Henry finally pulled away from me. "Did they take away your suspension and just expel you? That isn't fair! This was only your second fight!"

"That you didn't even start," Henry reminded us as Simon and I got off the bench and followed them into the mall. "They can't expel you for that!"

"I haven't been expelled," I told them before they could speak again and cut me off. "It's just Claudia being evil again. Nothing new."

"What's she up to this time?" Terra asked, a perfectly plucked eyebrow raising. "Why would she stop you from going to school."

"She wants to send me to boot camp," I answered grumpily, glaring at the rack of shoes that we were passing by.

"Boot camp? Is she serious? That's hilarious!" Terra laughed, so loud that she had to clutch onto her stomach in pain. "I can so see you in boot camp!"

"I prefer the term military school," I informed her sourly, walking around racks of tasteless clothing that Terra seemed to like so very much. "And I'm not going."

"How can you be so sure?" Henry asked, checking out a pink polo shirt to my right. "From what you've told us, she's pretty evil. How do you know she won't be able to convince your dad that you're all trouble and get you sent away to some boot camp?"

"Military school," I corrected sharply.

"No difference, Ives," Simon said with a shrug, looking bored out of his mind. I couldn't really blame him; I was pretty bored, too. But I was glad that I was with my friends and not stuck back at my house with Claudia and Cassidy while they practically decided my fate.

"My dad's not going to send me anywhere," I thought out loud, but I didn't know if I was assuring them or myself. I hadn't really seen my dad for a while now, and I wondered what he would really do to make Claudia happy. Would he sell out his only daughter just to make the wicked witch happy?