𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Well?" Mrs. Stolly asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I slowly got back on both legs, tucking the bobby pins in the back pocket of my jeans. "I'm...well..."

She didn't show any emotion on her face as she beckoned me to follow her, and I hung my head as I did. I wasn't regretting what I was attempting to do-oh, no. I just regretted getting caught before I could get my hands on anything useful.

The walk to her office was silent and very awkward. I knew she was going to punish me for this, but I just hoped it wasn't going to be too severe. I never really got the feeling Mrs. Stolly particularly liked me that much, so I was probably hoping for a miracle.

"Please take a seat, Ms. Alcarez." She gestured to the room with a hand, letting me step in before she closed the door behind her.

She walked around her desk and took her seat, sitting back. "Twice in one day."

I looked at my fingers as I fumbled with the hem of my shirt in my lap. I wish she would just get to the point so I could go back to the dorms. Though, I knew she wasn't going to let me go without at least scolding me.

"What were you hoping to find in Professor Davis' office?"

I shifted my gaze to her, expecting to see her furious, but instead, she had that same neutral expression on her face as earlier that day. I couldn't read her and it made me nervous.

"Nothing." I swallowed.

She pulled up a brow, the first time she showed me a little of what she was thinking. "If my eyes weren't deceiving me-which I knew they weren't-you were breaking into Mr. Davis' office."

I had nothing to say to that. I could make a joke or a sarcastic remark, but something was telling me she wouldn't really appreciate it. So I kept my mouth shut.

She studied my face as silence overtook the room, the only sounds filling it was the rain against the window and the ticking of her clock.

I shifted in my seat under her gaze, wondering what kind of punishment she was coming up with in her head. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long to find out.

"You're hereby suspended for the next two weeks. You'll get the official warning in the morning through email."

My mouth dropped open. "What? But..."

She gathered the papers that littered her desk and didn't give me another word as she stood. As she continued to pack her bag as if nothing happened, I hesitantly rose from my seat. I guess that was the end of this conversation. Another thing I wasn't going to tell my parents. They would take it as the perfect excuse to get me home.

"I...my apologies," I mumbled as I straightened out my jacket. It wasn't exactly going to change her mind but maybe it would ease mine-even though I wasn't sory in the slightest.

Mrs. Stolly hummed a reply, flicking off the little light on her desk.

And for the second time that day, I bolted from the room. This time with a suspension hanging over my head.

The worst part of this night was that I didn't find what I was looking for. I had no way to help Aiyden and it hurt.

-

"Suspended?" Felicity exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air out of frustration. She was definitely taking it worse than I did. Penny scrolled through the email I had gotten that morning, her brows furrowed as she seemed to search for something.

"I had to try, Fel," I bit back, angrier with myself than anyone else. Or angry with the world maybe.

"It was a stupid idea." She made sure to get every syllable of the word 'stupid,' pointing at my chest to emphasize her words.