I felt myself nodding off as a stared at the clock just waiting to get past the next period. I looked at it and swore that it was just standing still. My head kept dropping as Mr. Bourgh’s voice droned off about some Roman battle that happened over a thousand years ago. And I cared about this why? Was what I kept thinking in my head. I started tapping a random beat on my desk with my pencil eraser, trying to stay awake. The night before had been so hectic I could barely keep my eyes open. And it was only third period. Concentrate on the tune was what I kept trying to think in my head. I caught the words ‘epic battle’ out of his droning monotone speech and thought about how I liked the fact that he used the word epic. I think that I was going delusional. I couldn’t even make coherent or logical sentences anymore.
I felt a piece of rolled up paper bounce off the back of my neck and bring me out of my trance. I shook my head a little and looked down to where it laid on the ground beside me. I rolled my eyes and reached down to pick it, Mr. Bourgh still going on about epic battles and such. I opened the crumpled piece of paper in my hands. It stunk horribly, I was trying to forget the smell that lingered in the room, and now it only became worse with the opening of the paper. I looked down and saw a pencil drawing of what I assumed was me being tossed up in the air by someone holding a stick. Of course this drawing was also moving across the page. That couldn’t happen right? I wish it couldn’t, but in the crazy world I lived in, this and more could happen. I shredded it up into six pieces with my hands. I let the pieces dropped slowly to the ground and felt the mad heat radiating from behind me without even looking back. That’s right I thought, you better be steaming. I tried to again pay attention when I felt a long stick poke me on the back of the neck. Normally you wouldn’t be scared of a stick right, well I chilled me down to the bone. I didn’t act like it though. It just wasn’t fair that they could pull their sticks out in school, and we couldn’t use our powers. It was a difference in moralities I knew.
I took a deep breath and swatted it off the back of my neck. I was scared as all get out, but I hid my anger by aggression. And I was aggravated. I heard a grumph behind me and turned around looking right into the face of Aaron. I drew my eyebrows together in not just annoyance but anger. The one person I hated most in the world sat right behind me in AP World History. It’s a beautiful world isn’t it? He looked at me with a crooked smile that made most of the girls in the school fall for him. Except for me of course, I knew what he really was. He grinned at me and I rolled my eyes turning back around in my chair and crossing my arms hard against my chest. He poked at my back again and I felt that dropping feeling in the pit of my stomach, I tried to ignore it. I heard him laughing.
“Come on Mel? Don’t want to play a little game?” He asked smoothly. I quickly turned around my face totally serious.
“Don’t call me that.” I said firmly then turned back around in my seat, scooting my chair up as much as possible. He just laughed at me.
“What? You’ve always liked when I’ve called you that. You didn’t have fun last night?” He laughed more and I just shook my head. Mr. Bourgh called his name and asked if there was a problem. Aaron just laughed and said, “No sir, no problem at all.”
The bell finally rung and I belted out of my seat heading towards the door. I felt a cold hand come down on my shoulder and breathed out heavily turning quickly around as we both walked out the door. “What do you want Aaron?” I asked angrily.
“Look I just want to let you know that whatever happened last night…” He smiled. “Let’s not put that between us ok?” He said with that crooked smile he put his hand against the wall I was leaning on and backed me into it like he would any girl. I not only hated it, but couldn’t stand the stench that he put off. It’s common fact that my people can’t even stand the smell of their people. I knocked his hand out of the way and moved behind him quicker than he could turn around.
“Not let it come between us? First of all wand boy if you touch me again, you’re dead. And you hurt half of my clan and you think that’s not going to come between us? Aren’t you optimistic? There has never been anything between us to begin with Aaron, and never will be.” I said.
He tried wiping my blond hair out of my face from where it fell, and I hit his hand away quickly. He just smiled. “It didn’t used to be like this hun. I sort of miss it.” He said his eyebrows raised smiling.
I shook my head, “It was never like that.” I said and suddenly I felt Jeb’s tall presence come up beside me. He put his arms around my shoulders.
“Is there a problem here ladies?” He said speaking more to Aaron than he was to me. With his 6’7’’ stature he had to look a little impressing. Especially to Aaron’s 5’11’’.
Aaron smiled warily and said, “Nope, no problem here, no problem at all.” He said his eyes glaring hard at Jeb as he left down the hallway.
“That guy is going to get a kick in the rear if he tries to do that to you again. I don’t see why we can’t use our powers in school.” He said his face long. His blue eyes looked angry with a mixture of depressed. “I hate when he does that to you, and the thing is, he can get away with it those frickin’ MG’s.”
I smiled at him, “Look I don’t care what kind of rules we have, even if I probably should, I don’t. If he tried to do anything to crazy to me, believe me I wouldn’t exactly sit there. I already sort of sped around the backside of him so he wouldn’t touch me.” I said my face in a smirk.
He laughed, “Oh you’re such a bad girl.” He said laughing. “You’re also a horrible leader and example for all the younger members, what are we going to do, you used your powers? Oh no.” He said going on about it. I rolled my eyes and started going down the hallway. He caught up to me and put his arms around my shoulder. “You crack me up Chief.” I rolled my eyes again. “What you don’t like that?” He said with a cute smile and a wink.
“I told you not to call me that.” I said with a smile.
“I’m your first in command I’m allowed to give you nicknames.” He said holding up his head proudly.
“Oh yea, I don’t remember reading that anywhere.” He said taking out a piece of paper like he was going to write it down. I started laughing as he started writing against my locker. I got a tap on the shoulder and turned around to see Billy one of the younger members of our group. Being only a freshman, he was one of the youngest. Billy and I were seniors, and basically had full responsibility over everyone in our clan, our odd mixed up little group. The only thing was, I was on top, I was responsible, I was in charge and took the blame if everything went wrong. And lately it had been going all wrong. I turned around and smiled at Billy and he just looked distressed. My face instantly turned dark and serious as Jeb was just rattling on behind me I asked, “What’s wrong.” My voice was stern, but I knew something was wrong, I could practically smell it, and well I could frankly.
“They tried to attack Joey in the hallway for accidently bumping into one of them or something. They waited till his off hour and then they jumped him. He’s ok, just hurt pretty bad. They said they were going to go to Baxton during lunch.” He said quickly.
I just shook my head angry, they knew the laws of the treaty, the magics didn’t break into our territory, we didn’t break into there’s. They had been pushing it way too far lately. This just pushed me over the edge of my already stressful day. “Well I’m going to check it out; I don’t want to take any chances. And no neither of you are coming with me.” I said before they could say anything.
“Are you kidding?” Jeb asked. “You’re not skipping school without me.” He said with a smile. “No way Jose.”
“I don’t care what you think about skipping school, you’re not going.” I said sternly.
“Whatever oh great and fearless leader I’m coming.” He said just as sternly back but with a huge smile on his face. He saw Billy about to speak up, but just shook his head at him and he closed his mouth. “Don’t even try kid.” He said with a smile. “So when are we leaving?” He asked.
I sighed I knew I couldn’t get him not to come. “Right now, get your stuff.”