Prep School

Chapter 45

I pack up my stuff and go outside to wait for my dad to pick me up.
I sit on the bench outside the library and breathe in the fresh air.
I pull out my phone and drift along the interwebs while I wait.
I see Dad's car pull up and I jump off the bench.
I hop into the car and kiss him on the cheek.
"Hey, Dad."
"Hey yourself."
We sit in silence for a few minutes. Then, Dad says,"How's life?"
I look at him. "How's life?"
"Hey, let it happen, ok?"
I roll my eyes. "Life's good."
"Good as in no school problems?"
"What do you mean by school problems?"
"Oh you know, fights, grades, teachers, the usual stuff."
I narrow my eyes. "Did Riel tell you?"
Dad glances at me. "He didn't need to. I've been in a couple fights myself, you know. I know fight marks when I see them."
I sigh.
"You wanna talk about it?"
"Not really. I mean it's already happened, talking about it isn't gonna change it."
"You sure?"
I sigh again. "No."
I quickly go over what happened and Dad listens quietly.
After I'm done, he sighs. "Aria, essentially you did the right thing.
You were defending yourself. But you were too close to having another.......incident."
"I know."
"This is a one-time deal. Got it?"
I blank at how alike he and Riel sound.
"Got it?"
"Got it."
We stay quiet for a bit. I turn towards him.
"How's it going with the traitor?"
"Not so good. We haven't got any leads, though we are checking for soul fragments and other evidence. I'm going to the facility tomorrow to help out with it."
He glances at me.
"Your friend Zane is a very clever boy."
I smile, warming up inside. "He'll be very happy to hear that."
"I'm sure he will. With a father like Richard, it's a wonder the boys haven't run away."
"Is he really that bad?"
"He's harsh. He's not one to be supportive. Or one to keep his hands to himself."
"He beats them? How do you know?"
Dad stays silent for a bit, his brow furrowed.
"None of us are sure. But there have been times where Zane has limped into meetings. Or when the younger one's arm was red."
I blank. Sure, I mean, if they deserve it, you can hit your kids. Hell, I've gotten slapped a couple times for being a smart- ass. But limping?!
I stare outside the window, still thinking.

After dinner, I crash into my chair and spin around. I finish up any last minute homework, and pull out a spiral notebook. I pull out a pen and bite on the end of it, thinking about what Mrs. Hucks said.
I flip open to a clean page, and scribble down a few sentences. I bite the end of my pen again and add some more. In a few minutes, I've got a rough outline of a story. I smile to myself and slip the notebook into my desk.
I plug my earbuds in and pull out my sketchbook. I hum along as I'm drawing.
"I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you....."
I sketch out a character, still humming.
He has dark purple hair and crimson eyes. He frowns at you, disapprovingly, like he's thinking Pathetic human. His cloak billows around him and a raven is perched on his shoulder.
I add a few details about him in the corner of the page.
I write a lyric at the top and smile at the drawing.
I close my sketchbook and pull out my earbuds.
I crash onto my bed and hum softly to myself.
"Look into my eyes..... It's where my demons hide....."