Suspension isn't necessarily the first thing you want to hear your principle utter, but for me it was normal. I lost count of how many times I had visited this office over my high school years. It was almost like a second home to me, and not a welcoming one either.
"Two weeks, I'll call your mom and ask her to come pick you up," my principle, Mrs. Webb, spoke irritably before turning in her chair and digging out my mom's number. An exasperated sigh escaped my lips as they talked for a few moments before Mrs. Webb hung up and left me alone on the black, leather couch. I laid down on it, staring at the blank, white ceiling. I knew I was trouble, but I couldn't lie and say that I didn't like the chaos. It was a bitter feeling, one that happened to be favorite.
Personally, two weeks seemed unfair. I had done much worse than graffiti the lockers and steal some freshman's clothes after school hours. Nonetheless, I must have pushed my luck a little too far that time around.
About ten minutes later, I heard the office door open, my mother's voice filling the room as she signed some papers and made her way to me. Immediately, I sat up and gave her a small smirk. Her expression was blank as she stood monotone before latching onto my wrist. I let her pull me out of the school easily, a smile pressed on my lips as some of my friends stared me down from inside, knowing smirks on their lips.
When I was in the car, my mom didn't disappoint with a lecture. She wasn't as fast to yell as she usually was, though; this time she waited until the car was on.
"Would you care to explain why you needed to break into your school last night?" My mom questioned, raising her voice. All I did was shrug in response, avoiding her gaze. "Don't just shrug at me, answer the question."
"A couple guys were gonna give me some cash if I stole some clothes and graffitied," I finally replied, simplistic.
"And why did you need the money?"
"Just whatever," I lied, gritting my teeth. The truth was, I was going to spend the money on another pack of cigarettes, but unfortunately, my coach was working late and busted me when I had barely started. My mom's gaze faltered on me before a sigh escaped her lips, and I knew right away she was conflicted.
"Your dad is home from work, we're all going to talk-"
"He is not my dad," I objected, getting heated at the mere thought of him. My real dad had passed away when I was little, and I was the only one who seemed to care. Instead of mourning my dad, my mom remarried less than two years later to my step dad, Jared.
Out of all the people I had ever met and hated, Jared had to have captured the rightful place as my most hated human being. Something about him was wrong, and I knew that he was going to screw us over someday. Sure, he would let us live with him in his run down house for now, but I didn't have a doubt that their next argument would end with us on the streets.
I was also bitter with my mom, but I knew deep down that I did love her. I never let love get in the way of who I was and what I did, though, because love is unnecessary. Somehow, I managed to forgive her (Partially) over the course of a few years, yet I was still constantly biting my tongue to keep myself from lashing out on her and Jared, too.
When we arrived home, I didn't hesitate to jump out of the passenger seat, slinging my bag over my arm and hurrying through the front door. Without a blink of an eye, I flung my bag onto the kitchen counter and walked into the living room, meeting Jared's gaze. I clenched my jaw and moved past him into the hall where I was going to disappear into my room, but my mom's voice from behind me kept me in place.
"Kellin... Come sit down," she requested in a softer tone. With a fake smile, I walked back into the living room, taking a seat on the end of the couch as far away from Jared as I could get. I noticed in his hands were a couple of flyers.
"Over the past few months, your- Uh... Your temper has risen rapidly. The school can't keep track of you anymore, and I'm afraid we can't either," my mother explained slowly and quietly. I rolled my eyes at her serious expression.
"So what are you gonna do? I'll spare us the time: I'm sorry, it won't happen again," I lied before attempting to stand up, but soon I felt Jared's hand pushing me back down lightly. My skin crawled at his touch, and I didn't hesitate to slap his hand away from me. "Do not touch me," I warned.
"Jared and I have been discussing your behavior the past several weeks and I think we've finally come to the conclusion that it's not working when we punish you."
"No kidding," I muttered under my breath, but I don't think either of them noticed my snarky comment. "What's your point?" I questioned, crossing my legs.
"What your mom is trying to say is that we can't have you living here anymore," Jared responded, getting straight to the point. The look in his eyes was menacing, or at least it was to me. Somehow I always knew he was out to get me.
"Funny," I replied with a scoff.
"...He's not joking, Kellin," my mom chimed in, flicking her gaze over to Jared. "I found this nice boarding school out in California and-"
"Woah, woah... Wait," I interrupted hastily. "Boarding school?" I repeated. Jared and my mom nodded in sync. "You're joking. In California?"
"Yes, in California. We got you booked to leave in a couple of days for the rest of the school year."
"Two days? Wow, aren't you considerate," I muttered angrily before adding, "This is ridiculous."
"It's not-" Jared began.
"Don't you dare fucking talk," I yelled at him aggressively, my blood beginning to boil.
"Language," my mom warned, raising her voice. A sigh escaped my lips. I should have known this day was coming.
"So you're giving me two days to say goodbye?" I questioned in a quieter voice. The tension died down a little after that brief moment.
"You're allowed to stay until you've straightened out. Usually it's anywhere from one to two years," my mom explained. I clenched my jaw, gritting my teeth together to keep my mouth shut.
"...Fine," was all I replied with, unable to think of what else to say. I really had no will in this situation.
"A couple mornings from now we'll rent you a taxi. They will escort you to the airport where a guide will direct you to your flight. Once you've landed, a staff member from the school will meet you there and take you to the academy. It'd mean a whole bunch if you'd be on your best behavior upon arrival," my mom explained. Part of me wanted to take the opportunity to go and run away, and another part of me was curious to see how much this school would tolerate. That knowing smirk appeared on my lips immediately.
There wasn't going to be any funny business upon my arrival, but there sure as hell was going to be after.
- -
Two days later I had said goodbye to most of everyone I actually liked and explained where I was going. Most of everyone was supportive and let the situation run smoothly, which undoubtedly surprised me a little. I was expecting a full blow out, and that everyone was going to be pissed that I dug the hole this deep. Nonetheless, no issues held me up, and I found our goodbye's very short and simple. I also didn't fail to make a possible false promise to keep in touch with them all.
By the morning I had to leave, I had managed to pack everything I needed. I'm not gonna lie, I hadn't done so much work in a long, long time. Even my mom praised me for working so hard, but I was really only working hard because I was excited to get out of this town; out of their lives. A change up was desperately needed.
In all honesty, I know this academy has no idea what they just got themselves into. Sure, any kid can be bad ass, but it takes a lot to go beyond that. Call me cocky, but I know I'm worse than bad ass.
When the taxi pulled into our drive that morning, realization started to hit me. I stood in the kitchen, my fingers clutching my suitcase handles as my mom cried and hugged me. Gently, I wrapped my arms around her. I hated emotions, and I hated crying. I had learned how to not cry over things, so I kept my expressions monotone as we pulled away. My gaze flicked to Jared, who looked almost a little apologetic, but I knew it was fake. He'd love having me gone.
"Bye..." I whispered, picking up another one of my bags before hurrying to the door, not even bother to look back at them. Once I was out the door, I knew this was actually happening. I was leaving this town, this state, and I was moving into an entirely new world it seemed.
"Kellin?" The taxi driver questioned as I opened up one of the back doors. Slowly, I placed some of my bags up front and pushed them to the opposite side of my seat.
"That would be me." I answered, slamming the door before he popped the trunk for me and I tossed another couple of suitcases into the back, slamming the trunk shut when I was done. With a huff, I got into the backseat and sat back in the seat, watching the driver. He looked back at me curiously.
"Would you like to buckle your seat belt?" He asked me. I could tell he meant it as more of an order, but me being me decided I could play it off innocently.
"Um... Nah," I began, shaking my head. "Seat belts make me uncomfortable, I feel constrained." I explained.
"Yeah... Constrained that way if we wreck you might live. Buckle up or no go." The driver finally ordered. I wasn't going to argue again or I was screwed, so without another word I buckled my seatbelt. An accomplished smile wandered onto the mans face, and part of me really wanted to unbuckle just to wipe it off his face, but I constrained myself.
Once I was at the airport, I handed the cabby his money and kept quiet as I unloaded my bags and made my way into the airport. It was packed, but I knew that was coming. My mom had said there was a guide who would help me, but I had a hell of a time finding her. She was sitting by a kiosk with a sign with my name, but she was also over by the food court, whereas I expected her to be over by the other flight attendants.
The lady wasn't very friendly, but not a lot of workers at airports were, so I didn't mind. All I had to do was tell her I was Kellin and we were off. She led me through crowds of people of all ages until I was in line. When I reached the counter, a few workers greeted me before weighing my bags. Fortunately, nothing was over limits and I soon found them taking my luggage away.
Once I was finished there, the lady led me to security where I was patted down. I almost kept my pocket knife in my pocket, but I knew that they would find it. I made sure to take everything out of my pockets before stepping inside. Everything ran along smoothly, and finally I was taken to the waiting area. The lady and I parted ways after that.
I must've sat there on my phone for a good forty minutes before my flight was called and I got in a line, handing the assistant my ticket before boarding the plane. No one took the seat next to me, which was a huge relief. I had been fretting over getting seated next to some chatty person. All I wanted to do was sleep and listen to music, and that did not disappoint. I didn't have to socialize with anyone but the flight attendants every now and then.
When the flight was over, I made my way into the airport and picked up all of my luggage. Slowly, I made my way outside, and what I saw was like nothing I had ever imagined. Tall buildings scraped across the sky. Tons of highways took up the ground, and what seemed to be thousands of cars drove along the streets. The outside was congested, and it took me several minutes to find someone with my name.
The lady looked to be in her late twenties. She had long black hair, which was tied up and she was wearing a somewhat fancy top and skirt. I eyed her nervously, but nonetheless made my way to her hurriedly.
"Kellin Quinn?" She questioned, to which I nodded in reply. She smiled at me quickly. "Great, follow me." The lady added on in a little more friendly tone. In silence, I followed her off of the airport's property to a black car. I couldn't tell what kind of car she had, but it was fancy for sure.
This time, I got to sit up front and I actually buckled without a lecture. All I wanted was for this to go well, and then go wrong. I love playing tricks like this on people.
"So, are you excited?" The lady asked me in a teasing tone as she made her way down the street. I eyed her for a few seconds before shrugging.
"I don't know." I finally spoke once noting she couldn't really look at me. Both she and I kept quiet for a while before she spoke again.
"Maybe you will be when we get closer." She said almost reassuringly, like she was concerned as to why I wasn't excited. "Anyway, my name is Juliet Dobrev, I'm the assistant of your dean." Juliet introduced herself, giving me a small smile. I said nothing in reply, and the rest of the ride was completely silent.
It took a good hour before her pace slowed down and I opened my eyes to see my new home. The academy was much bigger than I expected it to be. There was a fountain out front, and around it were steps which led to the large gray brick building. It towered several feet into the air, with large and small windows covering most of the space. Two large doors were prominent in the center, while smaller doors were found on other sides of the building.
"Welcome to Ambler Academy." Juliet spoke with a smile before getting out of the car. Ambler Academy? I never knew the name, all I knew was that it was for troubled teens.
I followed her lead and got out of the car, grabbing some of my bags as she did the same. We made our way up the stairs into the academy. Immediately, my mouth gaped open. The halls were vastly extended. The floor was wooden, and everything looked so fancy and pristine. This was such a difference coming from my house.
I saw multiple kids around my age eye me almost nervously, which boosted my confidence level by a ton. I could definitely rule this academy by the end of the week.
As we made our way down the long hall, more and more attenders kept their eyes on me. I had a feeling of accomplishment as I moved past them all, not even giving them a second look. But suddenly, all that pride and confidence plummeted as I caught the gaze of a boy who was surrounded by a few others. He seemed like the top boss, which wasn't surprising.
I watched in a trance almost as I made my way towards him. He had long brown hair along with piercing brown eyes that stared straight into mine. A smirk was plastered on his lips, and I could tell he wasn't intimidated by me one bit. If there was one person to beat, it'd be whoever he is.
I bit on my lip as I moved closer, almost at the office and almost right next to him. I noted that he was moving forward a little, that stupid smirk still written on his lips. I wanted so hard to wipe that away immediately, but I kept myself together and tried my best to not look weak.
"Welcome, guppy." The boy spoke in a teasing and unfriendly tone before laughing along with his group. I clenched my jaw and watched as they made their way out into the lobby where the others were. What a fucking asshole. But then again, I probably would've done the exact same thing.
Once I was in the office, Juliet said goodbye and I was faced with a much older lady. She spun around in her chair to face me. Her face was monotone as was mine. Both of us were silent for a few seconds before she spoke up.
"Hello Kellin." She greeted. "I'm Mrs. Abram, your dean."
"Nice to meet you." I replied, faking a small smile, one that she didn't return.
"...Listen, I'm not going to lie to you, when we accepted you into the academy I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I still don't. I don't know how things worked back home, but I do know that here, nothing is tolerated. There is a consequence for anything you do, and as long as you're on your best behavior, this should be a short visit." Mrs. Abram got straight to the point.
"Of course." Was all I could say. She watched me for a moment, before grabbing a stack of papers which were stapled together. I jumped as she tossed them in front of me, a loud thud coming from the impact. "What's this?"
"The rules, you didn't think we wouldn't tell you what you're allowed to do, did you?" She questioned in an almost accusing manner. All I could really tell was that she was not friendly whatsoever. I shook my head in response. "Your first assignment is that you read all of these rules thoroughly. Memorize them, know them. Sign at the bottom and return them within the next three days. Think you can handle that?"
"Definitely."