Aether

Chapter Four

On the weekend, I get my car fixed, still waiting for a call from the police about compensation from Britney.

On Monday, Stacey texts me to say that she won't be coming to school, but she'll come tomorrow. I meet up at my locker with the other girls who were at her house, and they all hug me and call me a hero.

Classes go by much the same as usual, and at lunch there's a lot of whispering happening, particularly coming from Britney and Joseph's table. On the plus side, it means they don't bother me. Halfway through lunch, something unexpected happens.

"Stacey Miller, please report to Mr Kent's office."

When the announcement comes on, I realise with all of the commotion Stacey's parents must have forgotten to call the school.

"Hey, guys, I'm going to go talk to Mr Kent," I tell them, and they murmur in response.

"Want me to come?" Naomi asks.

I think about Stacey's relationship with the principal, and wonder how he'll take the news. Probably not as calmly as any other teacher.

"No, I should be fine," I promise her.

I pick up my things and head up to Mr Kent's office, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" he calls, and I open the door. He looks up at me with a grin, but his face falls the moment he realises I'm not Stacey.

"Sorry, Stacey isn't here," I say, sitting down across from him.

His eyebrows furrow in concern. "Is she ditching?" The word 'ditching' sounds far too casual to be coming from the mouth of my school principal, but I don't comment.

"Firstly, I just want to say that I know about the relationship you two have. I'm the only one Stacey told." He blushes a little but doesn't deny it. After all, he isn't breaking any laws. "Stacey drowned on Friday night at her house," I tell him, deciding it's best to be blunt.

"What?" he shouts, jumping to his feet. "Is she-"

"She's fine," I promise, realising I probably should have started with that. "She's just taking another day off to recover. I pulled her out of the pool and did CPR, and then she went to hospital, but she is fine."

"You saved her?" he asks in awe. I nod. Then the strangest thing happens - my principal hugs me. Like, a real, proper, tight hug. "If you ever need anything, you tell me," he advises. "I will forever be in your debt."

"That's not necessary." I wave him off. "I should be getting to class," I add, glancing at the time - there's five minutes until my last class of the day.

"Alright, off you go."

Just before I pull the door open, he mutters something so that no one outside the room can hear.

"By the way, I know Britney Andrews is a lying skank."

I smirk, but don't look at him as I leave the room. Perhaps Mr Kent isn't as irritating as I first thought.

When I get home, I message Stacey and tell her about my conversation with her beau, including what he said as I left, and she simply replies with a laughing emoji. I throw my phone onto my bed and decide I need to change, seeing as even though it's not insanely hot, I can feel the sweat sticking my skin to my dress. I pull the dress over my head, and there's a knock at my door.

"Sweetie?" Mum says through the door.

"Come in!" I call as I reach down to pick up a big t-shirt I can wear around the house.

"I was just wondering if- Angelina Moore, is that a tattoo?!"

I turn around, frowning. "I don't have a tattoo," I retort with a smirk, wondering what she thought was ink.