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“That’ll make him change his ways. I’m sure he’ll be quivering in his boots at the thought of being frowned at,” I scoffed.
Principal Wolf’s lips twitched as he shook his head. “You really are your mother’s daughter.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I saw him fight a smile. “Get to class. I’ll deal with Mr Williams.”
“Do I still need to apologise?”
Principal Wolf’s features turned serious, a frown marring his lips as he thought about it. Finally, he replied, “Yes, I think it would be for the best that you clear the air with him, and I’ll see to it that he apologises for his behaviour, too. The both of you were at fault.”
“He started it, though,” I muttered grouchily.
“And he will be appropriately reprimanded. Now, off to class with you.”
I shook my head and slipped from the office, saying goodbye to Chloe as I headed to class.
***
All day, the prospect of apologising to Mr Williams weighed heavy on my mind. I’d planned on doing it tomorrow, but I decided I should just get it over and done with. My final class was Weapons and Self-Defence, and I’d determined to find Mr Williams afterwards and tell him I was sorry, even though I really wasn’t.
Grace found me when I was on my way to the changing room.
“You’ll be happy to hear that I was in one of Rebecca’s classes just now, and I didn’t make a peep for the entire hour.”
“You were? How did she do?”
“The students tried to rattle her a little like they always do with new teachers, but she held her own.”
“That’s good to hear,” I said, relieved that my sister’s first day wasn’t going too disastrously.
“What about you?” Grace asked. “I heard you threw a tennis ball at Mr Williams’ head. Do we need to enrol you in some anger management classes? Better yet, we can go to one of those smash rooms in the city and fuck shit up. There’s nothing more satisfying than needlessly destroying things.”
I rubbed a hand down my face and groaned. “That won’t be necessary. I can’t believe I let my temper get the better of me. I’m not normally so hot-headed.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. By all accounts, it sounds like he was asking for it. Everyone’s saying Mr Williams was out of order.”
“Well, Principal Wolf is still making me go to him and apologise.”
“What?! That’s ridiculous,” Grace said just as we entered the changing room. A number of students were already changing into their burgundy polo shirts and grey shorts. “If anything, he should be apologising to you.”
“I think the plan is for us to apologise to each other,” I replied with a sigh as I dumped my bag down on a bench. “You know, clear the air.”
I sensed someone’s attention when I was retrieving my workout gear and turned my head to find Belinda Williams glaring at me from the other side of the changing room. I quickly threw on my polo shirt and shorts before fixing my ponytail in the mirror on the inside of my locker door.
“Someone’s mad that I attacked their precious uncle,” I muttered under my breath.
Grace glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. You could crush her with your baby finger.”
“I don’t want to crush her. I just want her to go back to ignoring I exist.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to happen,” Grace replied just as Belinda sauntered across the room towards us. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tied up in a bun, her lips pursed into a thin, unhappy line. She was flanked by Anna and Liz, and there were several other girls present from her crew of pals. I was severely outnumbered, but I could probably still take them, especially if Grace had my back. All of Belinda’s friends were witches, which meant they had magic on their side, but physically, they were only human.
Before she could reach me, I shoved my bag in my locker and headed out. I sensed her right behind me as I entered the practice area, though I walked at an even pace, refusing to let her intimidate me into rushing. Belinda was a few inches taller than me, but that wasn’t always an advantage. Our teacher for Weapons and Self-Defence, Mr Roe, was another friend of my parents, and I was his star pupil. I didn’t think Belinda would try anything in front of him, but I kept my wits about me just in case.
Grace appeared next to me on the mats, shooting me a supportive look to show she did indeed have my back. Perhaps to try and intimidate me further, Belinda took up position on the mat directly behind mine. I started to feel grouchy about the whole thing when I was distracted by Peter entering the room.
His broad shoulders and muscular legs filled my vision until I forced myself to look away. I wondered what he thought of me throwing the tennis ball at Mr Williams. He probably thought I was a loose cannon. Peter was a bastion of self-restraint. No matter how much shit people threw at him in this school, he never gave a reaction.
