4th July

To Monday!

How wonderful Monday is, it's so wonderful in fact, there's this orange cat designed specifically to hate Mondays. Hilarious if you ask me. I don't know why people hate Mondays so much, it's just like any other day of the week so what's the point. I exist, therefore I am.

How about a joke?

I noticed a little fun fact. You know the sound an owl makes right? It's 'Hoo Hoo', kinda sounds like 'Who'. But Santa Claus, good old Santa Clause loves saying 'Ho Ho Ho', doesn't he? Weird how one extra letter can change an entire sound.

I realise it isn't a joke, but I'll move along, eh?

Let's see what's on the itinerary today. Wake up, go to school, go to Kaster's so I can meet with Chloe. Quite a lot on my plate if I do say so myself.

I got off my bed with the softest groan I could manage. I fell off and lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling. Must I really go to school? Right… Candace! How could I forget a person so dear to my heart? I gotta go meet with her right away.

"Rise and Shine," I sang softly to myself as I headed to my bathroom. "Raise and Sin. Hm… Raisins?"

I stared myself in the mirror again, massaging my cheeks. My eyes were rather dull, black, empty, rather have something more exciting, huh? Lucky for me, I had recently purchased some contact lenses I had forgotten to wear the past few days.

Shower, done, school uniform, done.

This time though, I left my glasses by the bed. I stood in front of my mirror once again, staring directly into my own eyes. Green, like the colour of my hair, at least, the closest I could get to my hair colour. The contact lenses were slightly lighter than my hair, so that's that.

Time for school!

I stepped out of my bedroom and looked around, wondering what was going on in the morning. My dad was sitting down, sipping coffee and reading the morning newspaper again. Mom was nowhere to be seen. Fable sat at the dining table, just scrolling through his phone.

I poked Fable's head, asking him, "Whatcha doing up so early?"

"I accidentally set my alarm an hour early," He grumbled. "Now I'm just waiting for Mom to get ready so we can take the car."

"I'll be taking the bus today," I told him.

"Why?" Fable asked, still looking at his phone. "You'll reach school quicker if we take the car."

"I don't like cars," I explained to him, sitting across from him. "It feels so small, and I get sick almost every time I take the car."

Easy lie, Fable seemed to buy it though. Either that or Fable just couldn't be bothered to continue the conversation.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked my dad.

"We were planning on leaving as a family and grabbing a quick bite since we are still early," He told me, setting the paper down.

"No one told me about this," I said.

"Well, we didn't expect both you and Fable to wake up this early, so it was a rather rushed plan."

"I'm not going," I said simply, getting off my seat, still smiling. "Who knows what would happen if I'm late? Besides, there's someone I gotta talk to in school."

"---..." My dad called me. "How about we have a meal as a whole family? We haven't had the chance to do so in some time."

I turned back and shook my head. "No."

He did not try to stop me afterwards, surrendering. Fable did not look too interested in what was going on either. I slipped my shoes on before leaving, waving at them, "Well, Sayonara people!"

It's not like I hate my dad or anything, I just got something to attend to. Besides, there's no need for us to have a meal together. It's pointless.

Die…t.

Diets, god do I hate them. Why wouldn't you hate a word with 'Die' in it? Guess I'll go to school and see what the Cafeteria has. Afterwards, if dear Candace is around, I'll go have a little chat with her.

I'm on a bus.

Pretty crowded day, there were a bunch of people on the bus. So many people crowding around me, how dreadful. In the bleak mess of a crowd, I was the only one with any flare. Speaking of, there was someone standing beside me who had headphones. He bopped his head up and down constantly before he noticed I was looking at him.

He lifted one side, asking me, "What's your problem?"

"Oh, nothing," I told him, looking away.

Random thought, why do people name their kids after months? Like, May, June and April seem like pretty common names for girls. Why do people name their kids after months? Ain't it weird? I mean, imagine the child was born in December but was named June, that would be hilarious.

I got off the bus with a majority of the people. The school isn't too far away from the bus stop. I was headed in that direction before someone started walking a friendship distance along with me. It was that guy I saw bobbing his head to the music. He walked alongside me, asking, "Hey, gotta ask, why's your hair green?"

"Cause I like the colour green," I answered as simply as I could.

"Nice," He nodded. "You go to Vahchi?"

Huh, the school was called Vahchi? I always thought it was called Venti, like the Starbucks thing.

"Yeah, you don't?" I asked.

"Oh, I go to the one down the street," He said, gesturing vaguely to the side. "Does your school allow you to have green hair? And eyes?"

"Hm… who knows?" I smiled at the school. "I'm here to test things out."

"What's your name?"

"--- ----. You?"

"Brandon."

We stopped right in front of the school, and the guy went his way. I walked into school. Can't believe someone already started talking to me even before I entered the school. Progress! I'm gonna be a popular gal now.

I laughed lightly to myself, drawing the attention of some other students around me.

In the cafeteria, I proceeded to search the cafeteria for anything I could eat. There were close to no people in the cafeteria, and only a couple of stalls were open so early. I approached one and ordered my food. "Hello~ I was wondering if I could get one of those bowls of noodles? I would like the mild stir fry, thank you."

Paid and I'm ready to eat.

I sat down and started eating when I noticed an unusual crowd of girls not too far away. That's odd, normally the girls would gang up only after the first period, not early this morning… Heh, I know why~

I glanced in the direction they were gesturing at. Mr Popular, Otter, or whatever his name was. He was walking around with his friends as usual and chatting up some of the girls. How distasteful, I would never want to do that.

…

That idiot sat across from me.

How vile.

To be honest, a year ago I would have been squirming and acting like one of his many fangirls, and guys, you never know if any guy's attracted to him. I probably would have asked for his autograph or snapped a selfie of him. But now? Nah. Get lost, out of my sight, never return again.

"I can't help but notice your hair colour," Mr Popular started talking.

I glanced back, just in case he was talking to someone else. Unfortunately for me, I seem to be the only person in the cafeteria other than him, his friends and his many fangirls. I looked back, trying my hardest to not make my smile look too forced.

"Can I help you?" I questioned.

"If you don't mind, could you let me sit here?" He continued blabbering. "I was thinking of eating at this table since it's pretty near the stall."

I could see his friends in the background. Goddamn, people are taking pictures and videos. What? Am I going to be a new Social Media trend now?

"Alright, I'll leave then," I told him, picking my bowl up. "Was thinking of going to a quieter place, y'know?"

"No, no need for that," He stopped me. "It's fine if you continue sitting here."

I sat back down and lowered my voice so that the people around us couldn't hear. "I'm sorry, what's your game here? Just so you know, I'm not like one of those fangirls of yours, and I sure as hell ain't attracted to you in any sense."

I crossed my arms, telling him frankly, "My type of guy is the quiet type. You, whatever your name is, are the complete opposite of my type. So no, I'm not inclined to stay here at this table because you asked me to."

After I finished talking, I left the table, relocating myself about five tables away. Let me just say, he did not look happy at all. Getting involved with someone like him was not in my best interest. Although… it would give me some attention…

Huh… maybe he could be useful after all.

First, though, I gotta make sure I know his game. From the corner of my eye, I could see his friends sitting at the table with him, and some of the girls in the group also joining them. Wait a minute…

My smile widened when I spotted a familiar face.

"Otto! My dear, how was your weekend?" Came an obnoxiously loud voice.

The main group of girls dispersed after hearing the banshee-like call. That banshee, ladies and gentlemen, is a girl by the name of Candace. My oh my, a girl like that never changes. I've always been meaning to find out what she held dear, and I think I've found the perfect target!

From where I was, I couldn't hear Otto or any of his pals, but Candace's voice definitely reached my ears. She yelled, "Sorry for coming so late today. I just came, and I see that you've waited for me?"

So sweet old Candace has a massive crush on Otto? Or are they already dating?

Who cares?

Candace, Candace, Candace, we're going to have so much fun!

Otto got up and started to leave. Candace got up too and tried to get close to him. Otto kept his distance, gently pushing her away from him before leaving Candace all alone at the table he had practically stolen from me. What a sweet look on dear Candace's face, what I would pay for to have it immortalised.

Candace left soon after.

Status check. It seems Candace is having an extreme one-sided love for Otto. That's rather pitiful of her. Besides, having that information is good enough. Actually, that's all I really need to know. Also, for some reason, that idiot Otto seems to be trying to get closer to me. No, I know that look anywhere in the world.

He's trying to play me.

How fun~

This opens up a lot of opportunities, and I mean a lot.

Unfortunately, it seems that my dear old friend Candace has failed to notice me. What's not to notice? I'm literally the only bright thing in this drab school.

Right, y'all haven't met Candace, have you? She is a big girl, pretty tall. Just a little taller than me, that's all. She's… not slim, but I wouldn't say that she's fat either. She's rather average, really. Well, besides that, she has blonde hair so thick with hair dye I wonder how she doesn't feel disgusted by it. And besides that, the amount of makeup she uses, eww.

Candace is pretty popular because of how outgoing she has been with the guys, or at least, that's what I heard.

The meal's over, there are many more interesting things I gotta do.

On the way to class, I spotted one guy that just about matched one of the guys in Otto's friend group. I said as I passed by, "Hello there, you mind helping me apologise to Otto for that whole thing? I just don't like it when too many people are around me, that's all."

He gave me a quick glance before nodding, not even bothering to give a reply.

If Otto wants to play me, go right ahead, I'm curious to see what he would try to do.

Did I mention how much I love this school? It's so bad that the only reason I'm here is that I insisted on being. Also, the school fee is low. Also, also, it's plenty of fun in here. I'll tell you why.

Despite my homeroom teacher's scolding last Friday, this school isn't as strict as it seems, or so it seems.

Upon entering my class, I could tell several people already bracing themselves for the storm that was approaching. In the middle of the class, sitting on the desk rather unashamedly, was Candace in all her artificial glory. She held a phone in one hand and crossed her other arm. She had a jacket tied around her waist. I have to say, her skirt just seems way too short.

"I heard you've been talking shit about me," Candace said, looking away from her phone to glare at me.

I shrugged and told her, "I didn't."

Candace got off the table and walked up to me. I glanced over at the table and pointed at it. Just for fun, I told her, "Is that a sweat patch?"

Candace's face flushed red as she turned around to check. When she saw nothing, she turned back to face me, pointing her finger really close to my face. She continued, "I heard from several people that you've been talking shit about me last Friday. What the fuck is your problem, huh? What? Sick of getting owned? Why don't you try saying it to my face?"

"Oh god, please no," I moved away. "I wouldn't say anything to that face, nothing would enter that non-existent brain of yours. Besides…"

I smirked. "Your breath smells."

She reached out and grabbed my uniform, pulling me close. I pinched my nose, just to see how she would react. Time check. Still got a little bit of time.

"You bitch!" Candace snarled. "You think just because you dyed your hair you're some kind of big shot now, huh? I don't come to school and you think it's alright for you to open your mouth, huh?"

I reached out and rubbed her cheek, smiling widely. I showed her my finger, saying, "Wow, that's a rather thick layer, don't you think?"

She raised a hand and slapped me, her eyes wide with rage. I rubbed the reddening part of my cheeks, still smiling at her. I laughed, telling her, "Please, even if you slap me, you won't reveal any makeup. I'm all natural, babe."

Well, her girl buddies are here too, what a snore. Honestly, they've done this for way too long to still be interested in this bullshit.

"Right, so before you hit me again, I gotta ask," I started talking, putting my hand up. "How's it going with you and Otto?"

"What?"

"Well, I think the two of you are a perfect fit!" I continued. "He's someone that pretends like he can handle popularity, and you're someone who pretends to be popular."

She punched me this time, right in the gut. No worries, I learnt how to keep the food in my stomach, so no vomiting happened. I laughed and looked her directly in the eyes. "Why so angry? Is it true?"

Before she could hit me again, we heard someone yell, "STOP!"

Things were just getting interesting. The Homeroom teacher walked in, looking mighty pissed. He demanded, "What's going on here?"

"Aren't you a little early, teach?" I chuckled.

Candace clasped her cheek and pretended to be hurting. She pointed a finger at me, saying, "This crazy bitch attacked me."

"Really?" I asked, looking back at her.

The Homeroom teacher sighed and told us, "I'll have to bring you two in for questioning. Scuffles like these have happened too many times between the both of you."

I was guided to his office first, having been accused by Candace. On my way out, I saw her smirk and point her middle finger at me. In return, I blew a kiss in her direction before giving her a finger-waggle goodbye.

In my Homeroom teacher's office, I sat in the swivel chair again.

"---, I know it's been a difficult time for you, but this time, you have to be honest," He told me. "This has happened before, and according to your classmates, you've been the one to attack Candace."

Yes, cause no one else in the class would want to take my place as the scapegoat.

"You know what? I'll admit to it," I told him, tapping my knee in excitement. "I get to write the draft of what happened, right?"

"Wait, so you're admitting that you hit Candace?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

I tapped my chin, shrugging. "Oh, I don't know, maybe cause you never seem to believe me. Oh, and that you always seem to be on Candace's side in things, just like every other person in school. So I thought what's the point, you know? Just get this over with, and if I can make it funny, I will."

"This is a serious matter," The Homeroom teacher demanded.

"But I'm not taken seriously before, what's gonna change?"

I waited for him to give me the piece of paper where I wrote down what happened. I smiled to myself as I wrote. I asked him, "Teach, the class can only agree or disagree, right? They aren't allowed to change anything, right?"

"Yes," He replied. "It is to stop anyone from fabricating the situation."

"Oh, what fun!"

When I was done, I handed the slip of paper back to him to read. His expression became more concerned the more he read into it. I smiled at him as he read, trying to see his expression.

"Is this true…?" He asked uncertainly.

"Why of course, what's there to lie about if I'm going to be punished anyway?" I told him. "Pull out a lie detector if you want, I don't mind."

"We'll go back to class now."

You see, the disciplinary sector of this school is downright bad. But, but but but! I could make this more fun for everyone, including myself. If I admit, Candace won't have a chance to write anything at all.

We back in class now.

I winked at Candace, who was looking cocky as all hell. The Homeroom teacher told the class, "I simply want you all to raise your hand if you disagree with what was written down, okay? She has admitted to having attacked Candace, so we will only be doing this based on her writing."

My, even Candace looks surprised.

"Wait-" Candace stood up.

I smiled at her, asking, "Well, I already confessed to having attacked you, there's nothing to hide, is there?"

This is going to be so much fun~

I looked back at my Homeroom teacher, my hands behind my back. I told him, "Mr Dohl, you can start with the presentation now."

Even Mr Dohl looked uncertain as he read the words I had written down. Of course, I know my limits, I know that there are certain phrases you simply can't say to a teacher. He cleared his throat, starting, "It is written that — 'walked into the classroom this morning and waved at the class. However, Candace, who was crouching on the tabletop and exposing her-'."

Mr Dohl cleared his throat as a small chuckle spread throughout the classroom. I followed up by saying, "Ass."

Candace was giving me the death glare, but what could she do?

"Mind your language, please," Mr Dohl warned me before continuing. "Continuing… — 'tried to get her…"

"Dumptruck," I added.

"'Off the desk. When negotiations failed to reach commonplace, —, and I quote, 'Bitch slapped her to Ohio'.'"

He looked at me, whispering, "Why did you write down 'and I quote'?"

I shrugged. "It's funny."

He shook his head and continued. "Moving on… 'Candace fell off the table and provided an…'."

I could tell he was one hundred and ten per cent done with my bullshit, but please, not as if he can stop anyways. I continued for him, "An upskirt for them thirsty boys."

"Right… 'Candace then got up and tried her best to impersonate the karate kid, though failing miserably and hitting nothing but air. When she failed, she cried…'."

"Like a baby on diet."

"'Around that time,' I walked in and dragged her off," Mr Dohl finished off.

He looked around the class. There were a few trying to hold in their laughter, and others were trying to keep as straight a face as possible. Mr Dohl himself probably doubted his own eyesight after having to read the garbage I wrote.

"Remember, you can only accept or deny what was written down," Mr Dohl reminded them. "To accept is to agree that — has done what was mentioned in the report and that all details were correctly mentioned. To deny is to agree that — is not in the wrong, and that the events did not play out as mentioned in the report, and that Candace will be held responsible for the scuffle."

What did I say? There's a huge problem with the disciplinary sector of this school.

"C'mon, don't be shy," I encouraged them. "Tell him the 'truth'."

Candace herself was fuming, her face red like a cherry. No amount of makeup's going to help get rid of that ugly look on her face. I sighed exaggeratedly, still smiling though while saying, "God, I hope word of this doesn't get out to the rest of the school. It would just be horrible!"

"Those who agree, raise your hand," Mr Dohl called.

Most of the class raised their hands, some of them hesitating initially before joining in. Candace herself hesitantly raised her hand, continuing to glare at me. I gave her a mock kiss, which certainly did make her madder. I saw her mouth the words, 'You're dead.'

"Mr Dohl, I think Candace has something to say," I told him.

"What is it, Candace?" He asked.

All eyes were on her. She shook her head, saying with a strained voice, "Nothing, it was nothing."

Mr Dohl walked away, signalling for me to follow along. Lucky me, I had my stuff on me. Who knows what Candace would do if my stuff was still in class. On the way to the office, Mr Dohl said to me, "I know you exaggerated the events of the scuffle. Candace doesn't seem like the kind of girl to do what you mentioned."

"Oh, really?" I laughed. "What's she like in your eyes, hm? A princess, perhaps?"

"She's a good student going through some mental issues," Mr Dohl told me.

"Mental issues? What, like mental retardation?" I asked. "And no, I don't mean it in an offensive way. Why would I ever call someone a retard? So, like, she depressed?"

"Something like that."

"Sure she is."

Mr Dohl sighed. "It's just… please stop getting into these scuffles with your classmates. The next time this happens, I will have to call your parents."

"No, no, why wait for next time?" I laughed, trying to encourage him. "Do it today, and make sure to read out the whole report to them too. I'm sure my Mom would find it as hilarious as I do. We have the same humour."

Mr Dohl, at that point, was really fed up with me.

My punishment? I'm apparently banned from all supplementary lessons and face potential suspension. However, according to Mr Dohl, a suspension was unlikely. Hold on, might have heard him wrong. Right, he actually said that suspension was inevitable. That's more like it!

Candace here thinks she can cheat the system. Go right ahead, I can do the same.

"Adios, Teach," I waved Mr Dohl off at the Main Gate. "And do tell Candace I'll miss her dearly. I've been blowing kisses and winking at her all day, well, the one hour I've been in school, really. She hasn't responded well to any of them."

"I got the final word from the school," Mr Dohl confirmed. "A one-week suspension. I'll see you next Monday."

"Alright, bye then."

What an eventful Monday, it's almost as if my time at school passed by so quickly. Oh wait, it really did. You should have seen the look on Candace's face! Ha.

It's July, the weather's rather hot, huh? What even is the temperature? Well, whatever, I'm somewhat fine in this heat.

Speaking of, I've seen cartoons and clips of it, but if the weather is hot enough, can someone actually try frying an egg on the sidewalk? I don't know, just a random thought. Oooh, maybe I can try it myself.

Actually, never mind. Doubt my parents would ever think it a good idea.

"Live like you were dying," I hummed to myself while getting on the bus.

On the bus, there weren't many people. Well, considering what time it was, I somehow doubt anyone would be out and about. But for me? I'm not like other girls, I let myself get framed and now I got one week off school. Ain't that just neat?

Well, one thing I will have to worry about would be my Mom finding out and confronting me. It'll be a pain to explain myself, but whatever happens, happens. I stood around on the bus until it stopped where I wanted it to stop.

Home sweet home.

Got a change of clothes quick. I put on a random shirt I had and a pair of pants. I don't quite like dresses, they feel weird. Besides, I don't want to pull a fictional Candace and reveal too much.

I got some stuff I thought I needed to bring and instantly headed out again. This time, to Kaster's Foster Home. It isn't too far away from where I currently live. It's about three or four stops away. I've been there a few times, most of the time just visiting or helping out for volunteer work.

I'm at Kaster's now. Dang was the ride there boring.

Bored out of my mind, I sat down on a seat on the bus, mostly thinking about one single fact; I didn't get my ice cream yesterday…

Well, whatever, I can always get it another day.

"Hello," I said to the receptionist. "Hi, I'm a friend of the girl that was supposedly checked in yesterday. Her name's Chloe, and I promised to visit her today."

"Are you a student?" The receptionist asked, barely giving me any attention.

"Yes, why?"

"Shouldn't you be at school now?"

I laughed and waved his question aside, telling him, "Due to certain circumstances, I can't exactly go to school right now. So now I'm here."

He shrugged and handed me a piece of paper to fill in. "Name, proof of ID, time of the visit and what time you plan to leave."

I filled in the required fields. He checked it over before handing me a pass, 'Visitor', I hung around my neck. He guided me to the room she was in. Walking into Kaster's, there were the same old rooms and workers. Not many of them would recognise me, it seems.

"She checked in yesterday with the police," The receptionist explained to me. "They say she's a missing child, and that the police are trying to find her parents. This happens all the time. Parents abandon their children at the strangest of times."

"Don't say that," I told him, making sure my smile was still intact. "You never know."

He scoffed before leading me into a room. Inside, Chloe was sitting on the ground, staring at the Rubix Cube in front of her. I raised an eyebrow, asking the receptionist, "Y'all gave a Rubix Cube to a seven-year-old child?"

"Well… we didn't have anything else," He shrugged.

Right, I forgot just how low of a budget Kaster's ran on. I waved him off, at that point in time, Chloe had already noticed me. She got up and ran, hugging me. Woah, was not expecting that.

She cried, "It's scary here!"

"Sure, there are bugs, but it isn't that scary," I told her, guiding her to her bed so we could sit down. "Better than the streets, at least."

"You came…" Chloe said, obviously trying to hold back tears.

"I made a promise," I patted her back as she continued to hug me. "I would never break a promise."

We sat down and Chloe managed to calm down a little. Thank God, I didn't know what to do if she continued crying. At best it would be boring and at worst I might cry too.

"Cloe, I brought you a little gift," I said to her, pulling a book out of my backpack.

"Gift?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, showing her the book. "I read this when I was around your age. Good old Tom Sawyers will teach you a lesson or two."

"Is it scary?" Chloe asked, holding the book in her hands.

"Maybe, I don't know," I shrugged, laughing to myself. "Kinda forgot most of it already."

Chloe hugged the book for a bit before asking, "Can you play with me? Nobody here talks to me…"

"I will, I will," I assured her.

She placed the book on her bed before getting on her feet. She told me, "You pretend to be the monster, and I pretend to be a hero! Mommy and I used to play this all the time!"

"A little bit of nostalgia, I like it!" I stood up, hands on my hips. "Well, I do have to warn you, I'm a really good actor."

"You're an actress?" Chloe asked, her eyes shining. "Are you in movies?"

"Not yet."

"If you get famous, will you still visit me?"

I laughed, crouching on the ground and looking her straight in the eyes. "Maybe."

I reached out and tackled her, tickling her sides while saying, "Rawr, I'm the monster of the land and I'm here to eat you, Hero Chloe!"

Chloe laughed as she squirmed out of my grasp.

This went on for a bit. Always fun to put my acting skills to use. We had to stop when Chloe got tired and I ran out of time. I picked up my stuff, hugging Chloe one more time. She asked me, "Are you visiting me again?"

I looked into her eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul or something along those lines. For children, it is especially easy to read their emotions. She seemed genuinely sad that I was leaving. She's afraid. I can tell why, it is all too relatable.

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Promise?" Chloe stuck out a pinky.

I hooked pinkies with her, saying, "Promise."

Outside, there were a couple of familiar faces, or at least, familiar uniforms. The police were there. I walked up to them, asking, "Hello, are y'all here to meet Chloe too?"

"No, actually, we're here to talk to you," One of the police officers told me.

"Oh, sounds serious," I commented.

"Well, you are the one who found Chloe, and the one friend she seems to have, so we were hoping to get an opinion on this," The police officer continued. "We tried texting and calling you earlier, but there was no response, so we came here just in case. Luckily, you were here."

"Sorry about that, was busy being Godzilla for Chloe," I joked.

The police officer cleared her throat, looking around before looking at me. My, she's uncertain? She told me, "We've looked into the White family, and we found out that her parents had gone through a divorce whereby her mother was left to care for Chloe alone. We still have not located Chloe's mother. We were… we were wondering if you think sharing this piece of information or anything else with Chloe is alright for her? I mean, since you've gotten to know her, do you think she can deal with heavy topics at her age?"

"No," I gave a firm answer, this time serious. "None of this should reach Chloe's ears, eyes or touch. A girl that young shouldn't have to deal with her parents divorcing. If her mother did truly abandon her, don't tell her either."

"If you think that's right, we'll be happy to oblige," The police officer said. "You can be on your way now."

"Thanks for all your hard work."

And off I go. Kids are fun, don't you think? Either that statement is correct or it's just Chloe. On the way back, I had to fan myself a little. Let me just say, being a monster is not easy, but at least it looked like Chloe had some fun.

Tick Tick Tick.

"I'm home!" I announced after entering the house.

I looked around to see my mother standing there, her arms crossed. She was giving that look of contempt. I smiled at her. "So… I'm guessing the school told you about my suspension?"

"Yes," She confirmed. "And the fight you got into with your classmate… again."

I placed my bag down, asking, "Hold on, did they tell you about the report I wrote after admitting to having attacked my classmate?"

"They did," My Mom nodded. "I heard it was rude, so I asked them to read it to me."

"Funny, innit?"

"Hilarious," My Mom cracked a smile. "Why didn't you say that you didn't do it? Why come up with a ridiculous story?"

"Please, even if I say I didn't do it, the school wouldn't believe it," I sighed, sitting down on the couch. "I'm already surprised that you're even on my side in this."

"Well, ever since young you were never one to fight, or even fight back," My Mom shrugged. "I doubt you would engage in a slap-fest."

"It's funnier this way," I told my Mom.

My Mom sighed, walking over to my side. She placed a hand on my shoulder, telling me, "It's dangerous."

"I know."

"Then?"

I smiled widely at my Mom. "It's more fun this way."

She rubbed my head before walking off. I said after her, "I know you can't stay mad at me!"

She waved me off and disappeared into her room. I chuckled to myself, but that chuckling slowly died down as I stared at the ground. I fidgetted with my fingers a little before getting up and rushing to my room.

So much to do, so many things to think about! Who has time for thoughts?

The world is bright even when it's dark!

Guess since I can't exactly attend lessons, I'm gonna have to self-study for now. But how exactly do I do that? I've seen people study in groups, but all they do is do their own work and not talk? Well, whatever.

If only there was someone out there that knows how to study effectively, someone older and with much more experience.

I know just the perfect person.

Shower, Dinner, textbook reading, whatever, not important.

See you tomorrow~