OCEAN EYES ☾ { TROY BOLTON }

4~ 𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 & 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜

𝐻𝐴𝑌𝐷𝐸𝑁'𝑆 hands vigorously rubbed themselves up and down her arms as a hurried attempt to warm them. Her flannel offering her little to no protection against the crisp air streaming down from the vent above her, causing her to once again shiver in irritation as she just couldn't get warm.

She wondered if every school's principal office was deliberately designed to be cold. She hadn't once been in one that was warm or at the very least, not cause her to shudder from the coolness swarming about.

East High's principal, Mr. Matsui, hadn't seemed to be bothered by the temperature as he briskly removed his jacket upon entering the office and turned on the mini fan that resided by a small rubber basketball on his desk. Hayden assumed that the man must have suffered from extreme cases of hot flashes because there was no way any sane person could be hot in a room as cold as the one they were in.

Her presence in the office had been from the fault of a scheduling mistake in her class itinerary. The schedule displayed that she chose Introduction to Robotics when in fact, it was Introduction to Culinary Arts that had been selected.

Hayden seemingly remembered being in the office a few days earlier with her mom and Jimmie—when the temperature was actually warm—and smiling brightly when the choice of Culinary arts was advertised. Mr. Matusi was out that day, leaving the vice-principal, who Hayden had already forgotten the name of, to register herself and Jimmie into their classes.

Evidently, the woman made a mistake and chose the wrong class, leaving the quivering female in the predicament of her teeth just about chattering if she were to stay in the office a moment longer. Adding, the pressure in her bladder she'd chosen to ignore with the rush of getting out of the house that morning, had begun to increase, insinuating her crucial need for a bathroom.

She made sure to answer Mr. Matusi's questions as quickly as possible in fear of accidentally ruining the unblemished, white carpet underneath her converse.

" . . . and lastly, I just need to ask you why you wish to join our Culinary Arts program. We have new members on our school board, and they have asked us to carefully evaluate every students' reasoning as to why they'd like to join an elected class," Mr. Matusi sighed and brought his index finger to the rim of his thin glasses, straightening them. "It's foolish but mandatory."

Hayden nodded, quickly getting her thoughts in order before she cleared her throat. "Okay, um, I'd like to join East High's Culinary arts program because I've always had some kind of pull towards cooking. Ever since I was little, I dreamed of mastering the arts of Culinary and possibly even one day owning either my own bakery or restaurant. I feel that by allowing me to join your program, it could potentially put me on a path to start learning the knowledge I need to fulfill my lifetime wish." She ended with an artless grin just as another aim of persuasion crossed her thoughts. "That, and when I do own my restaurant, I promise to give the school free chicken tenders once a month for getting me where I am, granted, you all allow me in the course."

Mr. Matusi laughed, the crow's feet by his eyes making a vast appearance. Hayden crossed her fingers at the sight, hoping her statement was good enough because it was the whole-hearted truth. She really did want to own her own place someday. She didn't know what theme she wanted it to be, but she did know she wanted it to be hers—a place with her creation and her vision.

She just had to get on the right track to be able to accomplish the goal, starting with the approval of the man before her.

"Well, I'm not much of a meat guy myself being I'm vegan, but I'm sure the school would be very gracious of your offer. That said, your Culinary class will start after homeroom period, which it appears you have with Ms. Darbus."