Beneath Your Beautiful (H.S. AU)

Chapter 32

My feet felt heavier than normal, and my heart was galloping while I stood outside the chancellor's office. Being expelled was one thing but getting back here for further humiliation was another. I knew I was expelled already. There really wasn't a reason to make it official yet that's the only thing I could think of for my presence back here. The chancellor himself had called me in saying he needed to talk to me about something important, and of course I had agreed to come even if I didn't want to. I didn't want the school to have another reason to be displeased with me, yet the small action of raising my hand to knock on the door seemed too hard for me.

I took a deep breath trying to prepare myself for whatever was coming, but it wasn't working. I could only see the conversation going in one direction, and once the words had escaped his mouth it would be official. I would no longer be a student at Colombia. God I wished Harry was there in that moment. He needed to be there to calm my nerves but fortunately for him he was in class getting the education that I had fought hard for in years and had let slip away just because I was in love. He was worth it though I had to remind myself, or I would officially have a breakdown.

The door to the office opened all of a sudden, and I noticed Mrs. Donovan. She gave me a smile when she saw me, but I was too out of it to return the small gesture. "Ahh it's good to see you Miss Roberts. I knew you were covering for someone. Don't let your future go to waste over a boy," she said and was out of my sight before I could say anything in return. To say I was confused would be an understatement because honestly I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. What boy? And how could she know I was covering for someone? Had Harry finally come clean? All these thoughts ran through my head, and I figured the only way to have them answered, would be to talk to the chancellor even though I didn't like the thought of that one bit.

I slowly knocked on the door and was met by the secretary who told me to take a seat. "He'll be with you shortly." She smiled politely and I gulped. This whole thing was making me sick.
The chancellor's office was bigger than I expected. I had never been inside the office before and with good reason as I had never been in trouble before.

" Miss Roberts, amazing to finally see one of our best students in person." He sounded happy and my confusion grew by the second. Was I dreaming? There was no way he could be pleased to see me. As far as he knew I had brought drugs to school.

"Excuse me, sir but I believe I'm no longer a student here," I mumbled having a hard time finding my voice.

"Nonsense. Mrs. Donovan told me about the incident. Just like her, I didn't believe you would do such a thing, and I guess we were both right. He confessed you know. You are still a student here at Colombia that is of course if you want to come back here. It's up to you of course, but I think you do know what a great opportunity this is for you and how many people would love to take your place."

"I don't understand," I admitted. Why would Harry have confessed about the drugs without letting me know, and then why had he told the entire class it wasn't his in the first place.

"Niall Horan confessed this morning. Don't tell me this surprises you. After all you did decide to cover for him. I don't know why though. This is a really big chance. Don't go wasting your future," he explained sending me a disappointed look. "Life is too short for that."

Niall.

How could he do this? Why would he do this to help me? To help Harry? It didn't make sense.

"Now, I'll expect you not to lie about things like this in the future. This is a huge deal and can have big consequences for you if you continue with this, but I have a feeling it won't be a problem anymore. You are a bright girl and I'm sure you won't jeopardize your future, so I'll let this one time slip. You are free to go now, and I expect to have you back in class by tomorrow. Have a nice day." He gave me another smile, and I exited the room without a word. All of this had been happening too quickly and my head felt dizzy.