#Schooled

Chapter 4

The students filed into Romara's classroom silently, taking their places and setting their backpacks on the floor at their feet. Jack tossed his carelessly in the space between two desks, slouching in his seat, staring up at the ceiling.

Romara got up from her desk. The front row of students averted their eyes, turning their gazes to the homework they had in the corner of their desks.

"Bring your completed homework to the front of the room where I can collect it," said the teacher, her voice cold as ever, "And heaven help you if you didn't get it done."

The students, one by one, got out of their seats. One girl choked back a sob and a boy handed over his homework with shaking hands. Everyone else was silent. The only person who didn't get out of their seat was yours truly, Jack Frost.

"I have everyone's work but one," said Romara, her eyes narrowing, "Care to explain, Frost?"

All eyes were on him.

Jack stretched, rolling his neck and shoulders to work out the knots. Then he said, "Well, I didn't do it, ma'am."

"Why is that?"

"I had better things to do. And frankly, I don't care." He said with a shrug.

There was a collective gasp from around the room. The people around him stared at Jack with wide, shocked eyes. One kid who Jack recognized as one of Han's friends narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't care?" Romara asked lightly, "Well, if you can't take time out of your day for homework, I'm assuming you don't have much time for leisure activities. One hour detention after school, Frost. I hope you like scraping gum off of the cafeteria tables."

The mood changed, and Jack felt his heart sink. "I made plans today. I can't stay after school."

"What kinds of plans?" Ms. Romara raised an eyebrow.

"A friend thing."

"Oh, little boy, I daresay you can miss out on this 'friend thing,' " She said, doing air quotes, "perhaps just this once."

Jack sat back in his seat, fuming. Another point to the teacher, and she knew it. Ms. Romara directed the class's attention back to the board and began to teach, but he didn't pay attention.

The one time he might have possibly made friends, and he was going to spend it locked in the cafeteria scraping gum off of tables. It wasn't fair. Didn't she know how hard this was for him? Jack wasn't like a regular kid! The fact that anyone talked to him at all was astonishing. Magic... Well, it repelled people.

He let out a sigh and the class dragged on.

***

"You did what?" Eugene cried, shocked.

"I didn't do my homework, and now I've got detention." Jack said bitterly, resting his chin in his hands. He had to talk kind of loudly over the buzzing voices in the cafeteria, but he didn't mind.

"You could have just done your homework," said Elsa reproachfully.

"And let her win?" Jack asked, "No way."

Rapunzel shrugged, twirling a piece of stringy spaghetti around her fork. "Well, with Romara, sometimes it's best to let her win. She's different from other teachers. Sometimes she's worse that the students, even worse than Hans."

"I find it hard to believe that anyone could be worse than Hans." Merida said, casting a glare over at the table where Hans and his friends were sitting.