11th July

My. Gosh.

Hasn't it been. So. Damn. Long?

Man, the last time Monday came about, I got suspended from school. But now, now is Monday again and therefore the end of my suspension. Time for my grand entrance back into school!

Getting out of bed, I felt about as refreshed as anybody else on a Monday morning.

So I crawled out of bed.

Wait, hold on. Am I skipping too many steps here? Pardon me, just too excited for my own good today!

Joke, let's crack a joke.

So an egg was placed inside a boiling pot and another egg was outside the pot. What did the egg in the pot tell the egg outside? 'Huh, looks like I'm in pretty hot water.'

Speaking of jokes, don't you just hate people who would listen to a joke and instantly question the feasibility of the joke? Or go like 'Oh no, poor egg!' Like the eggs had any feelings? It's a joke man, you're not supposed to discuss it. To those who think giving these types of comments is funny, what the hell is wrong with you?

Moving on with my day.

My routine of staring at myself in the mirror and washing up was over. Contact lenses were on for maximum greenness. Huh, actually didn't know greenness was spelt with two 'n's. That's fun.

The uniform is still drab and grey though, so that's a thing. Who cares? I'm just glad to be back in school. Before I left the room, I adjusted the skirt and the red tie.

"What a wonderful world…" I muttered to myself.

Stepping out, I was greeted with a familiar sight. My Mom was getting ready for work. Dad was reading the daily newspaper while sipping coffee. Fable also stepped out of his room, scratching his hair.

"Morning!" I greeted, closing the door behind me.

"Morning," My Mom replied.

"What's for breakfast today?" I asked.

"Made bacon with eggs," She told me.

My Mom was already dressed oddly early. I asked her, "Isn't it a little early for you to go to work?"

"There's an emergency at my workplace," My Mom sighed. "I'll have to go earlier today. Make sure you get to school safe, okay?"

She kissed me on the cheek. I gave her a cheeky smile. "Of course I will."

I sat down at the dining table across from Fable, who had his head resting on the table. My Mom told me on her way out, "Make sure you don't get expelled again!"

"I don't plan to," I laughed.

My Mom left.

"Wonder what's up at her workplace?" I wondered out loud.

Fable let out a loud groan. He lifted his body to rest his back on his seat. "How are you this energetic on a Monday morning?"

"Obviously cause I got friends at school."

Fable scoffed.

We had breakfast. I ate quickly and was soon out of there. After finishing, Fable started swiping through his phone. I left the house, telling them, "Well, I'll be on my way. Don't miss me too much!"

"What time will you be back?" Dad asked.

"Who knows?" I shrugged. "I got supplementary class, and I might pay Kaster's a visit later this evening."

"Will you be back for dinner?"

"No."

I'm off.

I waited for the elevator. Eventually, I thought it would be funny if I sent Catherine a text. I sent her 'I'm back in school!'

Waiting~

Ding.

I stepped into the elevator with a young man wearing a military uniform. He carried a backpack on his shoulders and a duffle bag between his legs. He looked up from his phone when I stepped in.

"You're serving the military, right?" I asked him. "Not just cosplay?"

"Yeah, I'm serving the mandatory military service," He told me.

"Three years?"

"Two and a half, but basically three years," He confirmed.

"Your family lives here?"

"Yeah, just my Mom," He nodded. "Which school do you go to?"

"Venti, or something like that," I shrugged. "I was suspended for a week, so I'm finally getting back in school."

Ding.

"Bye," I said, stepping out and brisk walking to the bus stop.

Oh, what a wonderful day~ To. Be. Alive!

SCHOOL.

I made my way to the classroom. I poked my head into the door of the classroom, getting a few looks in my direction. I grinned and stepped in with a large step. "Hello, fellow classmates! I'm back!"

I stood there, most of them confused by my presence. I put my hands on my hips, asking, "Really? No claps? Like, at all?"

One guy clapped.

I looked in his direction. "Stop acting like such a weirdo bro."

Laughing, I waved my comment aside and went back to my seat. There, my table was conveniently vandalised with several low-level insults. That's why I come to school early, you know. Just gotta swap my table with Candace's and I'm all set.

Nobody tried to stop me. Obviously. Candace's group hasn't entered yet.

Sitting down, I just gotta say, I really miss this feeling.

The guy who clapped very awkwardly made his way to me. I waved at him with as friendly of a smile as I could manage. He came closer to me before saying softly, "Hey, sorry about last week. It was a majority vote thing."

"No problem," I said to him. "Last week was pretty fun, so getting suspended was better."

"Yeah…" He nodded, scratching the back of his head.

We were getting a few glances.

"Did you know teachers are really strict on coloured hair now?" He commented. "A bunch of people already faced detention."

"Meh."

As I said, something needs to happen before I do anything about it. But I'm not gonna tell anyone what it is.

"Jonathan! You're girlfriend's here," Someone shouted across the classroom.

I looked over at the entrance where a girl was waiting at. The guy talking to me awkwardly waved me off to go to his girlfriend. Well, that was pointless.

Waiting, I eventually saw my homeroom teacher walk in.

"Rather early," I commented when he started to approach me.

"Follow me to my office," He told me simply.

I picked my bag up and followed him. On my way out, I saw Candace walking towards the class with her gang. I waved and blew a kiss in her direction. Candace looked ready to attack me, but with the homeroom teacher there, she can't do anything.

"Don't aggravate her," Mr Dohl insisted.

"How am I aggravating her? I'm just showing my love," I joked.

On the way, Mr Dohl started talking. "You've returned from suspension. You had a week, so why didn't you dye your hair back?"

"What's wrong with my hair?" I asked before pointing at someone else. "Look, that person has red hair."

Mr Dohl sighed. "It's not about others, it's about you. You have to follow the rule, okay? Don't be negatively influenced by others."

"From how I see it, I am the influence," I chuckled lightly. "Besides, all that talk is pretty unfair, don't you think?"

"What would your parents say?"

"Nothing."

"Really? They will say nothing if you break the school rules?" Mr Dohl raised an eyebrow.

"Teach," I told him. "If my parents wanted to stop me, they would have stopped me, no? They won't say a thing about it for a couple of reasons."

"Okay, what are those reasons?"

"Well, my Mom used to dye her hair when she was younger, and she has no problem with it, even if it's against the school rules."

There was a moment of silence.

"And what's the other?" Mr Dohl finally asked.

"Secret~"

We reached his office. I entered and sat down at the seat across from him. Mr Dohl sat down with a long sigh. He took a deep breath before picking up some papers. He tapped the desk with a pen.

"So, the school welcomes you back after your suspension," Mr Dohl started. "There are a few things you need to take note of. In light of your numerous assault on your classmate Candace, you two will no longer be allowed near each other."

"Wait, the school put a restraining order on me?" I asked, holding my laughter back.

"Not really, but kinda," Mr Dohl shrugged.

While I was laughing, he continued, "Your classmates have been informed and are tasked to keep you two separated. Any teacher nearby will also be tasked to split you two apart. Your seating arrangement will be altered to distance both of you. You are also to not approach Candace unless mentioned otherwise. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"You will have to catch up to classes by yourself, and I will remind you that there are supplementary lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays," Mr Dohl continued. "Please attend the supplementary lessons, we don't want your grades to take a hit because of the suspension."

I nodded along with him.

"You are to attend club activities as per normal, your lessons are to resume as per usual. If another one of these fights breaks out, the school may place an even harsher punishment on you."

"I understand," I nodded.

He placed the piece of paper down and looked at me, looking slightly concerned. "You're… a lot calmer today."

"Really? You think so?" I asked, pinching my own cheek. "Well, I've been thinking more about how I should behave. Still haven't figured everything out, but I'm getting there. Also, what did you expect me to do?"

"I don't know, expected a lot of sass and comments about what I've said," Mr Dohl shrugged. "But you only joked about the restraining order, which is mostly true."

"Huh, really?" I scratched my head. "Swear I should have talked more. Whatever. I'm in school after a week, isn't this great? Lots of people here, love it! I'm really excited to be back! How about you? Are you excited to see me back?"

"I'm not answering that question," Mr Dohl shook his head.

"C'mon, I feel like we've been bonding with our talks in this office," I continued joking around. "We're friends now, right?"

"I'm your teacher, not your friend," He stated.

"Well, teachers can be friends too," I said. "I'm trying to get more friends. Right now, I got two. Problem is, neither of them is from this school, so that's a shame. I'm trying to get a friend or two from this school, then I'll be set."

I smiled at him. "Could you be my friend?"

When he took too long to reply, I added, "Asking for a friend."

Mr Dohl just sat there while I laughed at my own joke. He pointed at the exit of his office before saying, "Go back to class. Remember what I said and don't cause any trouble. I will be calling your parents later regarding this situation and about your hair."

"Sure, sure," I got up.

I stepped out, waving him off. That was mildly interesting. How am I gonna joke around with Candace now? I mean, if I'm not allowed to get close to her, most of my jokes don't exactly land right.

Off in the distance, I could see a group of girls moving together.

A restraining order, aye? If Candace can't come near me… What if I'm standing where she wants to go?

This will be great~

Upon entering the class, the first-period teacher was already there. Candace was seated all the way in front while my seat remained the same. I waved toward my seat while humming. I walked by the guy who probably had his seat swapped with Candace, so his desk had those writings on them.

"Sorry for your loss," I told him.

The lesson went on without a hitch. I just relaxed at the back, still surrounded by Candace's gang though. Who cares? With enough willpower, anything is possible.

Break just started and I'm surrounded.

"What's popping?" I asked the girls that surrounded me. "Y'all here to hit on me? Yeah, sorry, not interested."

One of them shoved the desk toward me, hitting my gut.

"Here to hit me," I laughed. "See what you did there."

I glanced behind them and made eye contact with Candace. I grinned before asking the girls surrounding me, "Hey, did you guys know Candace kissed me?"

"What?"

Confusion spread throughout the classroom.

"I did not!" Candace shouted, her face red with rage.

I shouted back, "Tough love. I like it!"

Candace took a step in my direction, but one of the girls stopped her and started whispering to her. They had a soft discussion, which made Candace look kinda pissed. The other two girls just stood around.

"You know, this restraining order's kinda a pain, isn't it?" I asked the girl to my left. "I mean, it's stopping us from spending quality time with each other in school."

"Are you two…" The girl on the left said, looking between the two of us.

"There's no way it's true," The girl on the right scoffed.

"I think you might be able to see a recording of it online," I added on. "We met at the fair and we made out in front of a crowd."

"Impossible!" The girl on the right exclaimed.

"Candace!" I called out, getting her attention. "Is it alright if I show these two girls the video of us making out in public?"

"What the fuck is your problem?" Candace demanded.

I chuckled before telling the girl on the left, "She's just bashful about it."

"So are the two of you, like, secretly dating or something?" The girl on the left asked.

"Think about it, Candace bullies her all the time, how can it be true?" The girl on the right insisted.

"Does she bully anyone else?" I countered.

"Not consistently…?" The girl on the right replied.

"You see, Candace is really shy about these things," I joked. "She doesn't like telling people about the two of us, you know? Candace is such a tease since she enjoys doing it. What a sadist, huh?"

Candace was literally being held back by the girl in front of her.

"I mean, I got no problem with it," I shrugged. "She is who she is, and I accept her for it."

"Motherfucker!" Candace shouted.

"Being away for a week has taught me that I can't hide it any longer," I smiled widely.

The class exploded in chatter. It got so loud that a teacher had to step in and spend ten minutes trying to settle us down. The female teacher sighed, putting her hands on her waist before asking us, "Can someone please tell me the cause of this noise?"

"--- and Candace are gay for each other?" One of the students told her.

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Is this true?"

"No!" Candace exclaimed.

"Yes~" I added. "She's just shy."

The teacher threw her hands in the air. She pointed at me, then pointed at Candace. "You two, figure it out. The rest of you go for your break."

"But we're on a restraining order," I commented.

She looked at us both before letting out a long sigh. She rubbed her temple, saying, "So you two were the ones. How about you guys figure things out from a distance, just don't make too much noise this time, okay?"

She left the classroom.

"Never knew they were that way."

"Didn't expect it at all."

"Now that you mention it, I can kinda see it."

"That's hot."

Marvellous! Except for the last one. You freaking weirdo.

Candace stormed off, followed by her usual group as well as a few other classmates looking to ask her more questions.

"So…" I said, looking around the class while tapping my desk with an index finger. "Anyone wanna watch the video? I found it online and downloaded it."

When there wasn't much of a response, I chuckled, telling them, "Those interested should gather around my desk."

A few of them gather, a few girls and a couple of guys. I pulled my phone out and opened up the video.

I'm pretty sure the video was taken because some busybody wanted to film a public fight. Luckily for me, whoever filmed it only started filming about ten seconds before I kissed her. They leaned in closer to get a better look at my phone screen.

Recap on what happened.

The film started when Candace reached out and grabbed my collar. She then pulled me closer to her face and threatened me softly. The film didn't pick up what she said, but it picked up what I said.

My eyes widened, and I said, "You…"

Candace smirks.

I then say "Are adorable!" right before I kissed her. Candace was probably shocked or something, so the kiss lasted oddly long. It lasted approximately two seconds. Oh right, I also wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

It ends with Candace pushing me away.

"Isn't she adorable?" I asked the people gathered around me.

"It's true."

"Still can't believe it."

"But there's evidence."

"So they really are…"

This is fun.

Thanks to that restraining order, Candace can only try to talk her way out of this situation. Honestly, good luck with that.

"Doesn't Candace have a thing with Otto?" Someone brought it up.

There was some discussion.

"Yeah, we're working out our differences," I said. "Candace has been sleeping with a few guys despite us being together."

Real tragic, ain't it. Would be hilarious to see Candace trying to talk her way out of this one.

Eventually, people drifted away from me. They ended up talking with each other instead of talking to me. I sat there, looking around. I may not have eaten anything during this break, but it has been really fun.

I hope this rumour spreads.

School's gonna be so much fun.

Unfortunately for me, Candace must have intimidated several other classmates into keeping quiet. It just resulted in one of the weirdest atmospheres in the classroom. So much so that when Mr Dohl walked in, he looked around the classroom and said, "This… feels weirder than usual."

Let's skip ahead a little to when all my lessons are over.

I got a break before my supplementary lessons begin, so the only logical way to spend it was to eat something. My classmates all decided to put all the questioning on hold. Instead, started looking at their phones. Who knows? Maybe they're looking at the video again, or maybe texting their friends.

I should be left alone, for now. I mean, Candace is going to clear up this rumour eventually, it's only a matter of time. Meanwhile, I can enjoy my temporary freedom…

Hey.

While seated by myself, I noticed another group seating at a table not too far from mine. Problem is, they weren't eating. They were watching. Not me, of course. Mr Popular, Otto, was sitting a table away with his pals. As a result, several other girls sat down around my table.

It's noisy, could you guys move?

"Hey, you're that girl Otto approached last week," One girl commented.

She wasn't too loud, so not too many people turned their heads to look at me. I looked up at the girl before shrugging. There was some chattering, but it died down when Otto started laughing with his pals.

"You guys must be smitten with him," I said.

"I mean, who wouldn't?" One girl replied.

"Rich, good personality and he's hot," Another girl added.

"Have anyone confessed to him yet?" I asked.

There was a moment of silence. One girl stuttered, saying, "W-Well, someone like Otto has to be observed from afar, right?"

There were some murmurs of agreement.

"Are y'all scared of rejection?"

Silence, the girls at my table looking at me.

"Makes sense, I know that feeling," I continued. "If you don't confess, there might still be a chance that he could like you. But if you confess and get rejected, that's game over. If that isn't the case…"

I smirked. "Are y'all scared of getting bullied if you date him? That makes sense, considering how crazy your fan group is. If every single one of you thinks that, who would actually come out on top in this situation?"

The girls glanced back, a few of them splitting.

Otto was walking in the direction of my bench. Why is he coming in my direction? No no, get back there, I was having a really nice conversation. He came closer and told me, "I would appreciate it if you didn't talk that way to these girls."

"Oh shit, you could hear me," I said before laughing.

I picked up my plate and stood up, making eye contact with Otto. "Sorry about that. I'll just take my leave."

When I walked by him, he whispered in a way that only I could hear. "I want to speak with you privately. Tomorrow evening, the cafe."

I glanced back at him, sticking out my tongue before I went on my way.

How demanding.

Alrighty then, on my way to my supplementary lessons. Usually, supplementary lessons are for people who do badly in any subjects or for those with poor attendance. My grades weren't bad as of the most recent test, but my attendance has been quite horrid as of late. So unsurprisingly, I need to attend these supplementary lessons.

Surprisingly though, was that Mr Dohl was the teacher.

"Teach! Didn't know you actually taught subjects," I commented when I entered the classroom.

There were five other students, none of them from my class.

Mr Dohl faced the rest of the class before gesturing to me. "This is --- Sullivan, she'll be joining this class from now on."

"Sup'," I greeted.

"Okay, now sit down," Mr Dohl instructed me. "You're free to sit anywhere you want to."

"Aye," I said, heading toward the back.

I sat behind a girl and beside a guy. It seems like most of them liked sitting at the back. I mean, we gotta get as far away from the teacher as possible, right? Mr Dohl ran a few things by us. "We'll be starting with Math today. As all of you are aware, your Finals aren't too far away, so this is the last push to get you over the line. By now, the syllabus should already be completed, so all that's left is revision."

As he droned on, the guy on my right asked me, "Sorry, what was your name again?"

"--- ----," I replied.

The girl in front of me turned around, asking, "Wait, wasn't your last name 'Sullivan'?"

"It's complicated."

"Those at the back, please keep it down, this is important," Mr Dohl called out.

I signalled a thumbs-up, so he continued.

We just did a paper and went through the answers. Quite boring, but I guess that's how the education system is at this point. Meh, I'm used to it.

With those lessons over, there was just one more thing I needed to do before I returned home.

From school, l I took a different bus, one that would bring me all the way to Kaster's.

I thought it'd be funny if I barged in and announced myself loudly, but I was informed of some unfortunate news. The guy at the receptionist's table informed me, "The kids might be asleep. You might not want to disturb them too much."

"That's sad," I said, putting my hands on my hips. "When will she be up?"

"I don't know, tomorrow morning?" The receptionist shrugged.

"Huh."

I folded my arms before asking, "Then could I leave a present or something in her room instead?"

"Feel free."

"Aight, I gotta lend this tabletop for a bit, gotta write a note for her."

I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing using the pen at the receptionist's table. The guy just sighed and continued reading his book. When I was done, I pulled out a storybook I had kidnapped from my own collection.

"If you'll excuse me," I said to the receptionist.

I opened the door of Chloe's room slowly, making sure not to make any noise as I did so. I snuck towards her bed and dropped off the book and note. Chloe was sleeping soundly, hugging the avocado plushie I had gotten her.

After I left, I was met with a familiar face.

"Good evening Ms Granger," I greeted with a wide smile. "What a pleasure it is to meet you at this hour."

"You're here rather late," She commented.

"Unfortunately, I have this thing called school now," I sarcastically sighed. "With supplementary lessons and all that, I just don't have the time to spend with my little pal here. It's a tragedy, really."

We walked towards the exit as we talked.

"Are you heading home too?" I asked Ms Granger.

"Yes, it's already eight, so the kids should be asleep by now," She told me. "My employees will stay here and watch out for the kids, but I have other matters to attend to tonight."

I nodded along.

"You should go back home immediately," Ms Granger told me.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I said. "I just came by to drop something off for Chloe. I'm heading home right now."

Ms Granger nodded. We were already at the exit. She stopped and faced me. I laughed lightly, asking her, "What's the matter? Thinking of staying back instead?"

"No," She sighed. "I have something I need to ask you regarding Chloe."

"Shoot."

"We're thinking of sending her to school," Ms Granger told me. "Kids her age should be at school, and I'm afraid that if she stays here too long, she might fall behind."

"Sure, send her to school, it'll be a good experience," I supported.

"Alright then, we'll see what we can do for her," Ms Granger told me.

I shrugged and took a step forward, walking away from Kaster's. I waved Ms Gragner off, saying, "Well, bye-bye."

"---," Ms Granger called out.

"Hm?" I turned back to face her.

"Thank you for taking care of Chloe," She told me.

I nodded and continued with my day. A wide smile, happy times. Night time. Dang do Supplementary classes end late. I mean, the supplementary classes don't end that late, but if you consider the time it takes to travel from school to Kaster's, it really eats up a lot of time. Now, I gotta go home.

Right, I told dad I wasn't going to have dinner at home.

Now, what the heck do I do?

Dinner. By myself.

Whatever. Let's get this show on the road!

So I went to where any logical teenager would go at night by herself to have dinner. I went to Subway. Eat fresh. Don't question me, it just happened to be the closest establishment opened near Kaster's.

After dinner, I went back home.

You know, there's something about having meals yourself. There are people who can eat a meal in a restaurant by themselves while there are others who just can't physically or mentally bring themselves to do that.

Anyways, back home.

It was rather late. There were a bunch of people walking outside the apartment building and several others leaving and entering. I waited with a few others, perhaps families who just finished dinner. I mention this because this is probably the latest I've been home in a while.

"I'm home!" I announced upon my entrance.

"Where have you been?" My Mom asked me calmly.

She sat on the couch, watching the tele. Fable was in his room. I knew that because I could hear his obnoxiously loud keyboard from where I was standing.

"Went to Kaster's," I told her, closing the door behind me. "By the way, did you know the Director of Kaster's hasn't changed?"

"Really? Granger's still there?" My Mom asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "How long has that old lady been there anyway?"

"I don't know, twenty years or so?" My Mom shrugged. "She was the new Director when I was there."

I chuckled and set my stuff down.

"Have you had dinner?" My Mom asked.

"Yep," I nodded.

My Mom patted the couch beside her, so I sat down. I could pretty much guess what was coming. I'm perceptive like that.

"We need to talk…" My Mom told me gently. "The school contacted me. They want you to dye your hair black."

"But black's a boring colour," I joked.

"---," She said, not breaking eye contact. "This is serious, okay?"

"I know I've told you I had no problems with colouring your hair, but after thinking things through, I don't think this is the best for you."

…

"I've chatted with your dad about this. I need to be strong on this matter, okay?" She continued. "Don't get into any more trouble in school. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. Live a normal life, okay?"

"Sure, this school might not be treating you well. How about University? You can always look to make a fresh start at University. You can make more friends there and you can colour your hair anything. For now, let's just listen to the school rules and get you through Highschool, okay?"

Facing my silence, she added, "Listen, we just want what's best for you. I want you to live a normal life, can you do that for me?"

"I don't think you've given me a normal life growing up."

What even is considered normal anymore?

"---..." My Mom said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I can't apologise enough for what I've done to you."

"Why apologise?" I asked, smiling.

"I understand why you did all that. You were going through some stuff of your own, I can't get mad at that."

I stood up and picked my bag up, giving her a light laugh. "You sound way too tense! You'll develop wrinkles if you continue."

"---..." She said calmly.

"It's getting tired, I got homework to do," I told her. "There's school tomorrow, how busy could I be? Anyways, just a heads up, I'll be eating out tomorrow night with someone, so there's no need to prepare dinner for me."

"Okay…" My Mom sighed.

She stood up as well. I slipped into my room, hearing my Mom call out, "---, let's talk about this next time, okay?"

I closed the door.

How bothersome. I told Mr Dohl that I would gladly dye my hair back once something was done, has he done nothing to figure it out? Besides, why am I the one being targeted the most? What about the other posers trying to act like me?

You know what? Screw this.