How I See You

Chapter 25 - It's Will.

It’s Will.

So I thought my school was bad. I now realise that I could be, in a way, lucky. Because the girls’ school’s discipline is awful.

I’m sat in the headmistress of the girls’ school’s office, in between my parents.

Yeah. My parents.

This is what I mean. They’re going over the top. All it took was for Ms Billinge or whatever she’s called and the head of my school, Mr Naracott, to come together and discuss what had happened. Because not only did I walk out of a lecture, but I went up to the roof and ‘misled another student’. And because I’m already on report, and I’ve already been suspended twice, I am gonna get it three times as bad now.

“What I cannot understand, is why you do not learn from your mistakes!” Naracott is practically spitting at me, and he’s red in the face, his glasses steamed up. He keeps standing up and walking around Billinge’s office, picking up stuff and then putting it back down while he’s speaking. I think Billinge is getting pissed off, what with him rooting through her stuff, and my dad pacing back and forth, occasionally shouting at me.

My mum is just sat there, like the headmistress, staring at the floor, occasionally shaking her head.

“You were already on report, Will.” my dad glares at me, sitting back down. He sighs heavily. “It’s unacceptable. You’re throwing away your life here. You haven’t been studying hard enough for exams, you’re not doing your homework. And attitude is appalling. That was already bad enough. And now you have to drag someone else into it?”
I can’t really argue with him. I agree with all the things he has said I’ve done and I should never have made Alyssa get into trouble. Thank God, they didn’t call her parents in, but she’s got a detention and before my parents arrived, Ms Billinge was practically exploding in front of us for about an hour. And then when my parents arrived, they made her sit outside and wait. Then they’re gonna speak to her. They’re sending me home for the rest of the day.

“We are going to have to take serious action.” Naracott throws himself onto a chair opposite me, and fixes me with a stare, breathing heavily. “You obviously do not learn from detention, or suspension, or being on report.”

I just stare at him, tapping my foot on the ground discretely. I don’t care anymore. All I care about is that Alyssa doesn’t get into trouble.

“What are you going to do?” my mum asks calmly.

I don’t look away from Naracott. He huffs, and mutters, “I am going to have to give you personal detentions. In my office. Everyday, for the next month. And then if that doesn’t work, we will have to see.”

I try not to look bothered. I just look out the window casually.

“I see.” My mum nods, before my dad can say anything. “Well, thank you. I’m sorry for all the trouble he’s caused,” she adds, saying it for the hundredth time today.

Ms Billinge just grunts, and starts tapping on her laptop.

Naracott nods curtly, and then my mum stands up.

“Right, come on, Will.” She taps my shoulder lightly, and then I stand up. My dad huffs and nods at the teachers, before heading towards the door and opening it.

Outside, the corridor is packed with girls, running around and shouting and laughing. It’s lunchtime. I look at the bench next to the door and my eyes catch onto Alyssa’s bright green, scared ones. She blinks, and we look at each other for a minute.

My mum steers my dad down the corridor, giving me a pointed look, and I walk towards Alyssa.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, sighing.

She shakes her head and stands up. “It doesn’t matter. It’s both of our faults . . .”

She trips forward, bumping into me, as someone jostles past her. I grab her arms to steady her, and looking around, my eyes meet Myra’s.

As Alyssa stands up straight, stepping back, Myra smirks, walking past. “In trouble again, Will?” she asks in a sing song voice.

The two girls behind her smile creepily at me, and they continue down the corridor.

I look back at Alyssa, who sighs. Behind her I can see my mum further down the corridor tugging on my dad’s arm, because he keeps looking back at us.

“I’ll see you tonight,” I tell her, squeezing her hand.

She nods, and rakes a hand through her hair. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry,” I say again.

She shakes her head, and takes her hand away from mine. “Stop saying that.”

I sigh. “See you later.”

She nods, taking in a deep breath. She’s trying to be brave. “Okay. Bye, Will.”

-

“How do you think this makes us look?” my dad shouts.

I groan, and my mum says in a low voice, “Michael, you need to concentrate on the road.”
He ignores her, and from my seat in the back of the car, I see the speed monitor go up to sixty miles per hour.

“It makes us look like we don’t give a damn!” he exclaims, thumping his hand against the wheel. “And they’re going to call that girl’s parents. They’re our neighbours! What are they gonna think, as well?”

I try to zone out, staring out of the window, but his voice just echoes inside my head.

“Did her parents know what was going on with you two?” my mum asks me quietly, turning round to look at me.

I stare down at the ground, grinding my foot against the carpet. “No.”

She sighs. “Why?”
“Mum, it doesn’t matter to you. You don’t need to know-”

“Yes, I do!” she exclaims, but thankfully she’s not as loud as my dad. “Because if they come to us, what are we going to say? Will, you’ve lead their daughter into trouble! And they have a right to know-”

“They control every damn thing in her life,” I snarl, looking up at her. I can’t believe I’m talking about stuff like this to my parents. “We couldn’t tell them anything. She has to ask them to go out to places and everything . . .”

“This isn’t just about Alyssa,” my dad says, in a more controlled voice. “It’s about your behaviour. When are you going to start getting things right?”

I don’t reply, because I don’t know.

“You’re grounded,” I hear him say. “I’m taking your phone, Xbox, and you’re not watching any TV or going on the computer. You’re grounded for a month. You’re not seeing Alyssa, or Niall, any other friends, nothing. You’re gonna do your homework and start behaving.”

I huff, and stare at the back of his head.

“Leila is going to university in September,” he goes on. “And Oxford is a fine city to live in. You know, Will, there are a lot of opportunities there, come to think of it.”

God, he’s brought that up again.

“You know I am not going to let you do that,” I snarl, knowing what’s coming.

“I can do what I want, I’m in charge, here,” he says simply, turning the corner into our street. “You know we’ve been talking about this for a while, Will. I think it’s the only way to get you to start behaving. Because once you start college or sixth form, you really have to work hard.”

“I don’t want to move!” I exclaim exasperatedly. “You can’t do that!”

“I can do, if I think it’s what’s right,” he says casually. “And it may be the only choice I have left."