Greengate Academy

Chapter 16

At lunch, J.J. insisted he sit with me. He forced me to eat a grilled cheese sandwich and some soup. After not eating for a day, it was the best lunch I'd ever had. 

"There. Now, after homework and your lesson you are gonna fix yourself a cup of hot chocolate, slip into comfortable clothes, and go to bed." J.J. ordered. I rolled my eyes. 

"Kay, Mom," I snorted. J.J. smiled. 

"Don't worry. I'll handle the rest." J.J. said. I loooked up at him. 

"Why are you helping me?" I asked as he took a forkful of salad. 

"Because I know what it feels like to be outted by an entire group." J.J. answered. His tone sounded like he didn't want to continue talking about it, so we stayed quiet the entire rest of the time. 

At the end of lunch we went our separate ways. The rest of the day went by too quickly for me to tell. A few people said hi to me in the halls, and I felt bad I didn't even know their names. Honestly, I didn't want to be popular. I just wanted to be good at what I do. 

I was on autopilot the entire lesson. Luckily, it was a pretty simple flatwork lesson. Mr. Windsor caught me slacking off, and asked me to see him after. 

Sighing, I finished grooming Cole after our lesson. I heard bootsteps behind me, and I turned around to see Connor. 

"In History after lunch, J.J. told me about Friday...is it the truth?" He asked. I made a mental note to thank J.J. to his death, and sighed a breath of relief. 

"Yes, believe me it is. You really think I like Ethan?" I asked him. Connor shrugged. 

"I don't know exactly what you like, to be honest. It's just that he's a football player, and I don't know..." He shrugged again. 

I lightly elbowed him. "Come on, he's just a mindless high school boy. Kinda like you, but you're somehow more tolerable." That made him laugh. "We're cool, right?" 

He nodded. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, Collins." 

I smiled. I knew I could trust J.J.. Once I put Cole away, I went to Mr. Windsor's office. He was across the desk. 

"Take a seat, Ms. Collins." His voice seemed to radiate off the walls, making it that much more intimidating. I slid into the small seat across from him. "Now, I'm sure you know why I called you in here." 

I nod, then realize he was expecting a verbal answer from me. "I do." 

He chuckled. "You're pretty quiet, aren't you?" 

"When I'm in trouble, yeah." That made him laugh a little louder. 

"Smart girl. Now, what's going on? Why has your performance plummeted?" 

"There's a lot going on. Homework, school, and some personal problems. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep. I promise it won't happen again." I told him. 

He shook his head. "You can say that, but that doesn't ensure it happens. When I saw you yesterday, over the course...That was pretty good, I must say. It seems like you have two modes; to pour everything into your riding, or to give it nothing. I need you to give it something, or else this is going to turn into a much bigger problem." I nod. "You're dismissed." 

I quickly leave the office to get back to my room. I whipped off my riding boots and changed into a blue oversized sweater and grey leggings. I stayed in my room the entire rest of the afternoon, doing homework. I heard Maddie leave and then come back from dinner. 

"Claire! J.J. made me bring you dinner because you couldn't drag your sorry self out of your room to get it yourself!" I heard a slam in what I assumed to be our kitchenette. I heard Maddie retreat to her room and I quickly went and grabbed the food. After eating, I went back to my room, collapsed on my bed, and fell asleep before I could even stress myself out.