“Oh Ellie, why didn’t you come to us sooner?” Mrs Bradley sat in the seat next me, taking my hand and holding it comfortingly.
“He threatened to do worse things if I did.” I whispered, not realising I had been crying until now. “And I was alone. I felt like I had no one to turn to.”
A heavy silence settled in the small office as Principal Mathers digested everything I had just told him while I waited for him to say something. I was sure he would dismiss my allegations. This was Noah Winter’s we were talking about. He had a way of getting out of trouble. The rumours of his parents buying the silence of anyone trying to put Noah in hot water were commonplace in the school. The guy was practically untouchable.
“Thank you for telling us, Ellie. I can imagine that was very difficult for you.” Principal Mathers finally spoke. “Right now, I need to address the fight that happened in Mrs Bradley’s class but I will be looking into what you’ve told me. This is very serious and I want to assure you that I will make all efforts to get to the bottom of the matter.”
“Okay…so what do I do?” I asked.
“For now, head back to class.” Mathers replied simply. “We will talk more scon.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. I felt a sense of anticipation flutter through me like a moth
to a flame. Was this finally over? Was the school going to take my side on this and end this
nightmare? It didn’t seem real and yet, as I stood and left the principal’s office, I know longer had a weight on my shoulders or an invisible leash around my neck that only Noah had the power to yank. Even seeing Noah’s father sat next to him, no doubt planning how to get his son off the hook, could ruin this feeling for me.
I looked at Kyle who looked bored, his eyes lighting up when he saw me.
“Everything okay?” He asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded, glancing behind me to see the principal and teacher coming out of the office as well. “Let me know when you’re done here.”
It was all I could say before I was ushered from the office by Mrs Bradley. In truth, I wasn’t sure if everything was okay. My mind was scattered all over the place like marbles and I felt like too many thoughts and feelings were darting about. What would happen now? Would Noah be suspended? Would the police be involved? Should I tell the police about the photos? They hadn’t been able to find any clues about the night of the party so maybe this was a chance to finally put the nightmare behind me. Aiden…oh gosh, Aiden is probably going to be mad. I
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hope he doesn’t tell Liam. Liam might be far away but he’s so protective, he’ll probably try to ground me just to stop me going out. I hope Kyle’s foster parents aren’t too angry with him for getting into a fight…
And this is how my train of thought went for what felt like an eternity. I couldn’t focus in class. I chewed my thumb nails, the sound of other people like a dull droning sound in the background. An hour after I had left the principal’s office and I still hadn’t heard a peep from Kyle and my stomach was starting to twist into knots.
What if Noah managed to wriggle out of this? What if Kyle got suspended and Noah didn’t? No, I couldn’t think like this. It was going to be okay.
*Aiden: I just heard what happened. I’ll pick you up when classes finish.
Me: Wait how? Did Kyle tell you? Is he okay?
Aiden: Kyle’s foster mom contacted me. They’re in a meeting with the principal right n trying to prevent Kyle from being expelled.
Me: Expelled? But it was just a fight! I’ve seen people get less for worse!
Aiden: Maybe so but this isn’t Kyle’s first time in front of a principal for fighting. He’s practically on his last chance and now he’s fucked it up.
*
My heart sank into my stomach at that. I hadn’t realised Kyle was in hot water already. I never
asked because Kyle just didn’t seem the type to go around starting trouble for no reason. How could I have been so foolish? I might as well have signed his expulsion papers myself. What
had I done?
The hours dragged by painfully and still I heard nothing from Kyle. On the plus side, Noah was nowhere to be seen which I hoped meant that he had been sent home and that I wouldn’t be seeing him again for a while. Still, I worried over Kyle. He shouldn’t have hit Noah and yet every time I thought about the fight, a sense of embarrassment would burst within my chest as I remembered how Noah had set this all up and Kyle and I had walked straight into his trap.
By home time I was convinced Kyle had been expelled and I was close to a nervous breakdown. As I waited for Aiden to come and get me, I decided to try calling my friend, hoping he would pick up.
“El,” Kyle’s voice answered after the third ring, exhaustion evident in his tone. “You okay?”
“Am I okay? Are you okay?” I replied frantically. “Why did you message me? I thought something bad had happened.” D
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Kyle chuckled humorlessly. “Sorry, my parents spent all afternoon chewing me out. I’ve only just found some time for peace and quiet now.”
I sighed, closing my eyes as I felt guilt stab me in the gut. “This is my fault. I’m so sorry.”
“Ellie, don’t be silly.” Kyle sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I should have held my
temper.”
“What did principal Mathers say?” I asked, unable to hide the hesitation in my voice.
“I’ve been suspended.” Kyle replied. “But thankfully so has Noah.”
A/N: Thank you everyone for reading so far. Please let me know what you think, I do love hearing from you. Also don’t forget to check out my insta @zaydawattswrites and my ether stories Hellhound and Legion
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