Don't Call Me Angel

Angel 08

Lavender navigated the crowded hallway, heading to her next class, Geography. She could feel eyes on her, the whispers of her classmates floating around her like ghosts. Fire and Ice was a place full of troubled youth, but she wasn't here to make friends. She was here to avoid prison.

She entered the Geography classroom and spotted Celeste waving her over. Lavender took a seat next to her, trying to ignore the fact that Josh and Ambrose were also in the room. Josh sat at the back, his feet up on the desk, looking like he owned the place. Ambrose was in the opposite corner, his dark eyes watching everyone with a predatory gaze.

"Hey, how was math?" Celeste asked, leaning in.

Lavender shrugged. "Not bad. Managed to get through it."

Mr. Haines, a tall man with a mop of curly hair and an ever-present coffee mug, started the lesson. "Today, we're covering tectonic plates and their impact on geography. Who can tell me what a tectonic plate is?"

Josh's hand shot up. "Big pieces of the Earth's crust that float around and crash into each other."

Mr. Haines nodded. "Correct, Mr. Worthy. These interactions cause earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain formation. Now, let's look at a map of the tectonic plates."

As Mr. Haines droned on about the Pacific Ring of Fire and the San Andreas Fault, Lavender couldn't help but notice Ambrose's cold stare fixed on her. She glanced over at him, meeting his gaze head-on. He smirked, a dangerous glint in his eye.

After class, Lavender hurried to her next period, Advanced Literature. She slipped into a seat near the window, and a moment later, Josh plopped down next to her.

"Fancy seeing you here, White," he said, flashing his trademark grin.

"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" she retorted, but there was no heat in her words.

Ms. Kingsley, a petite woman with glasses perched on her nose, started the lesson. "Today, we're analyzing Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'. Let's discuss the theme of ambition. Who can give me an example from the text?"

Josh raised his hand. "Macbeth's ambition leads him to murder King Duncan. It's his ambition that drives him to his downfall."

"Very good, Mr. Worthy," Ms. Kingsley said. "Ambition can be both a driving force and a destructive one. Any other examples?"

Lavender hesitated, then spoke up. "Lady Macbeth. She pushes Macbeth to pursue his ambitions, but in the end, it destroys her too."

Ms. Kingsley smiled. "Excellent, Miss White. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth show how unchecked ambition can lead to tragic ends."

As the class continued, Lavender found herself enjoying the discussion, despite her initial reluctance. Josh's insights were sharp, and she was surprised at how much he seemed to know about literature.

After Advanced Literature, Lavender headed to her last class of the day, Creative Writing. She walked in and saw Ambrose sitting at a desk, his presence dominating the room. She took a seat as far away from him as possible.

Mr. Martinez, a young, enthusiastic teacher with a passion for storytelling, clapped his hands. "Alright, class! Today, we're going to do a character sketch. Create a character with depth, flaws, and motivations. You have twenty minutes. Go!"

Lavender stared at the blank page in front of her. She started scribbling, letting her thoughts flow. Her character was a young girl named Sarah, who had a tough exterior but a soft heart. As she wrote, she felt the words pouring out of her, a strange sense of release.