ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱᴀᴡ ɪᴛ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ

Kite

My first thought about Dove West is that she's gorgeous.

My second thought is that she's as stubborn as the rest of her family. I was willing to accept that maybe she was different, but that was until she slapped me across the face.

I'm sat in the medical wing, an ice pack to my face. I can admit she's strong. But she's reckless.

What a great way to start my day back.

I move to the little rectangular mirror opposite the chair and remove the ice pack from my face. The left-side of my cheek is still a little red, but I look okay otherwise. My hair flops symmetrically on my forehead; every angle of my face on show.

I turn around and bin the ice pack. As I do this, Mr Wright comes in.

"Kite." He says wearily, rubbing his forehead. "Please, sit down."

I do as he says without speaking.

"I am terribly sorry that this is how you've been treated on your first day back. I understand that she may have been provoked-" She, as in, Dove. "But we do not accept assault or physical abuse in this school."

"I wouldn't call it physical abuse, sir." I say. I wasn't trying to back her. I could never imagine myself doing that. I was worried about her family, maybe a little scared, at what they could do. They got the police on me for something I did as a child. I understand what I did was wrong, but I was 7. Did I really have the self-control then that I have now?

"Are you implying she shouldn't be punished?" Mr Wright asks, confused, as he would be.

I lean back on my chair. "I'm just saying that giving her a punishment with my name involved in it will certainly cause more drama than there needs to be."

I watch as Mr Wright contemplates this. "I see where you're coming from, Kite. I understand. But I will need to speak to both of you in my office."

I sigh. "If it needs to be done." I shrug.

Mr Wright nods. "Are you willing to do this now?"

I nod. Better to get it over and done with.

"Alright then." Mr Wright speaks. "Follow me."

We walk out of the medical wing and into the corridor, eerily empty. Which was understandable, since it was lesson time. I think to myself, only first period and already I'd been slapped and taken out of lesson.

Up a flight of stairs, across another corridor. This school was a maze. I run a hand through my hair, something I always did when I was nervous. I really hoped Dove would agree that extra drama from both our families was unnecessary.

But I don't think she would. Why would she back me? The first thing I did when I saw her was give her dirty looks. And I could tell it had affected her. Hurt her, not in a way that she was offended that I had given her looks, but that the looks were back. She didn't owe me anything.

I sigh again, as we reach Mr Wright's classroom. She'd probably be as stubborn as I've already seen.

Mr Wright opens the door and walks in; I follow behind. I turn around, and already seated is Dove, sat at a desk 2 rows back, her right hand pretty red. I stare at the hand, then look at her to see she's smirking. She was happy to see that a mark of her strength had been left on my face.