World of Demi-Humans: Freshmen Orientation(w/audiobook)

Class 09J16 - Priest, Adrian [Just A Bad Day]

"Five enemies of peace inhabit with us - avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace."

-Petrarch of Italy

Just A Bad Day

"Adrian!" my mom called from downstairs. The day hadn't even started and she was on my case. She started banging on my door calling my name. I was hoping that if I pretended to be in deep sleep she would just back off, but no. She just busted on in, "Adrian, wake up right now! The school just called me again."

"Oh, Christ. Mom. It's nothing." I rolled over and sat up on my bed, "They're just blowing hot air."

"It's not nothing." Mom lowered her voice but took her 'I am your mother' stance, "What are you going to do if they expel you?"

"Go live with Dad?" I answered.

"What! Do you think that's funny?" She was back to yelling.

"Hilarious." I stood up. I was over a head taller than my mom and twice as wide from the bulk my demon blood gave me. I started to head to the bathroom as I called back, "Because neither are ever going to happen."

The bathroom door was between us, but Mom talked on through it, "They told me you keep disrupting class and that you're bullying other students. These are the things that students are expelled over, and I'm just worried about you. I want what's best for you."

She hit me with the old mother's love jab. I could only sigh as I finished washing my hands and looked at myself in the mirror. I could see the fire in my eyes. Literal fire that caused my eyes to glow in the dark. My father's eyes. I grabbed one of my dozen pairs of shades and hid my eyes behind them before opening the door. My mom was hunched over weighted down by worthless worry. I set my hands on her shoulder. "Mama. It's not a big deal. This isn't some sissy mundane school. They can handle me just fine. And those other students I fight are tough enough. They're not going to expel me. They would arrest me before that."

"That doesn't help to calm me." Mom didn't laugh.

"Alright, mama." I went back to my room to dress for the day. Checking the clock it was six thirty, "Just next time they call, ask them about my discipline record. It's probably a mile long already."

Actually, I didn't know if they recorded every time they smacked me around. I knew they had my detentions on record, but that Stonefist guy had leveled me a lot in the few weeks I've been going to that school. I didn't mind it at all. That bastard father of mine always said that losing made you stronger and that every hit you took was just another lesson on how to take a hit. Pop did know a lot about fighting, and he did care about us. I knew that much, but that still didn't help in the long run.

"Adrian." A small voice called from my door. It was Ambrose. My little brother. By seven years to the day.

"Hey bro. What's up?" I greeted him with a wave in. "Want to skip school and head to the arcade?"

"No, but can we go after school?"

"Hell yeah. See if any of those losers beat our high scores."

Ambrose stood there and looked at the floor, "Mom's mad at you."

I sighed. Grown ups were easy to deal with. Tell them to fuck off and they either did so or punched my face in. Mom was just trying to look out for me at the end of the day, so I couldn't be mad with her. I could only tell her the score and hope that she accepted it and accept that. Ambrose was different. He was my little brother, and big brothers took care of their little brothers. Which means I couldn't let him go around thinking I was in trouble. I handled trouble. "Nah, she mad that those wusses at school can't take a punch."