My voice echoed through the hall than I had intended.
The secretary’s head snapped up from her computer. Her eyes wide probably from my outburst.
I’m too fed up of life to feel sorry loves. I’m also trying to protect you!
She stared at me for a second. Then at Ms. Rachna.
“Ms. Rachna,” she said quietly. “Maybe you should give her some space.”
Ms. Rachna opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but just closed it.
She looked at me one more time before walking to the other side of the office.
I moved to the corner farthest from everyone and pressed my back against the wall.
Ava was still watching me, the fake concern still sitting pretty on her face.
A few minutes that felt like hours passed.
The door to Principal Elias’s office opened.
Mom and Dad walked out. Their faces were hard and
angry.
33
Ava immediately walked over to Mom. She leaned in close, whispering something in her ear.
Mom’s eyes snapped toward Ms. Rachna and I immediately clocked it. I knew she was going to snitch again. This girl needs a crown and a podcast.
Mom crossed the office in quick steps.
“I don’t know what kind of sick and twisted goal you have,” she said. Her voice was low and she sounded dangerous. “But you need to stay away from my daughter. Do you understand me?”
Ms. Rachna’s face went pale.
“Mrs. Flynn, I was only trying to….” She defended.
“Stay. Away. From. Her.” Mom said, enunciating each word with precision.
Mom turned around and grabbed my arm, her nail biting into my skin.
“We’re leaving. Now.”
Dad was already at the door with Ava following close behind.
Mom dragged me through the hallway. Out to the parking lot and straight to the car.
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Chapter 28
The ride home was completely silent.
Nobody spoke and nobody looked at anyone.
When we pulled into the driveway, Dad turned off the engine.
“Go to your room,” he said. His voice was flat and empty and he didn’t even look at me. Mom also kept her
eyes away.
I got out of the car and walked into the house and straight into my room.
I closed the door and sat on my bed.
Waiting.
Hours passed but nobody came to check on me. Nobody called me down for lunch. Or dinner.
My phone was gone, taken immediately we got into the car.
I sat in silence and stared at the walls.
The sun went down and the room got dark but I didn’t turn on the lights. I felt too tired and so I just sat there in the darkness.
Sleep didn’t come easy. But it came eventually.
The next morning I got up and got ready for school.
Downstairs mom was in the kitchen and dad was reading something on his tablet.
“I’m ready for school,” I said quietly.
Mom didn’t look up before responding. “You’re not going to school today.”
“What?” I heard myself ask.
“You heard me. You’re staying home.”
“But…” I tried to protest but thought against it.
“Go wait in your room until we call you.”
The morning dragged on. Nine o’clock. Ten o’clock. Eleven o’clock.
Finally, around noon, I heard footsteps on the stairs.
“Avery!” Dad’s voice called. “Let’s go!”
I grabbed my jacket and hurried downstairs.
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Chapter 28
Mom and Dad were already at the door. I followed them to the car.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Nobody answered.
We drove in silence. Back toward the school.
My stomach twisted. This couldn’t be good.
We pulled into the school parking lot. Dad parked and we all got out.
As we walked toward the main entrance, I saw other cars.
My heart started racing.
We entered the building and walked down the hallway to the main office.
And there they were.
Lily. Daniel. Arthur.
All sitting in the waiting room with their parents.
Lily’s mom looked worried. Daniel’s dad looked angry. Arthur sat between both his parents, his head down.
They all looked up when we walked in.
Lily’s eyes met mine and she looked scared.
I felt sick to my stomach.
This was my fault. All of it.
The secretary stood up from her desk.
“Principal Elias is ready for you now. Please follow me.”
We all filed down the hallway. Past classrooms. Past lockers.
To the conference room at the end of the hall.
The room was big. A long table in the center with chairs all around it.
Principal Elias stood at the head of the table.
“Please, everyone take a seat.”
The parents moved quickly. Claiming chairs and pulling their kids down next to them.
1 sat between Mom and Dad. Lily was across from me. Daniel and Arthur were further down.
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Chapter 28
Principal Elias remained standing.
“Thank you all for coming today. I know this is difficult for everyone.”
“Difficult?” Daniel’s dad spoke up. His voice was loud. Angry. “My son gets pulled out of class yesterday, Questioned like he’s some kind of criminal. And you call it difficult?”
“Mr. I understand your frustration…” The principal started but got cut off.
- 33.
“Do you? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re accusing innocent kids of something without any proof.”
“Nobody is accusing anyone of anything,” Principal Elias said calmly. “We’re simply trying to understand what happened.”
“What happened is that Avery’s parents can’t control their own daughter,” Lily’s mom said quietly. “So they’re blaming other children.”
“Excuse me?” Mom’s voice cut through the room. “My daughter was perfectly fine until she started spending time with your kids.”
“Your daughter wrote stories on her computer,” Arthur’s dad said. “That’s not anyone else’s fault. If anything, she might be sick.”
“She’s not sick, there must be someone encouraging her to write,” Dad shot back.
“That’s enough!” Principal Elias’s voice was firm. Sharp. “Everyone please calm down.”
The room went quiet and tense.
Principal Elias sat down.
“I called this meeting because I spoke with each of these students yesterday. Separately. And I think we need to hear what they have to say.”
“They already told you everything,” Daniel’s dad said.
“Yes. And now I want them to share it with their parents. With everyone here.”
He looked around the table.
“So that we can all understand what’s really going on.”
My heart was pounding so hard I thought everyone could hear it.
“I’m going to ask each of you to share what you told me yesterday. Honestly. Without fear of punishment.”
He looked at Lily first.
“Lily, why don’t you start?”
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Chapter 28
Lily’s hands were shaking. She glanced at her mom. Then at me.
“We talked on ClipTalk because…”
I felt my fist grabbing my skirt tightly and my cars twitched in anticipation of what she’s about to say.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
