chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ronin's legs bounced with an anxious weight as the man he soon discovered was the principal sat in front of him, looking down at a paper. The room was silent only the clock could tell him what he'd done, as he had already blocked it out.

His fingers gripped each other as they urged for something to hold; he reached up on the table quickly, attempting to grab a pencil. The man's voice interrupted him, "Don't touch that." his eyes peeked up from his low glasses as he watched Ronin's hands slip back under the desk.

The door opened suddenly, spilling the air of the hallway into the suffocating room with a scrunched expression as he could read the space that lay in front of him "Mr?" The principal asked waiting to hear his full name, "Fraser" his voice was rough with an up-tight tone that rang deeper than his close eyebrows and narrow eyes.

"You can just call me John, Mr Johnson if you must," A smile spread across his face as he announced it.

While Fraser smirked at the authority, he didn't care to give his respect.

"Please have a seat," Mr Johnson suggested, watching as Fraser pulled the chair out gently, sitting purposely further from Ronin, who had remained silent with a red face, embarrassment painted itself across his shaking eyes, and hunched figure.

"You were called in today because Ronin was having some trouble in class" the man quickly responded with a blank "sure" while nodding his head as if he had an opinion over the subject.

"He also fought against the teachers rules, before then leaving the classroom without permission. " I know we have talked before about Ronin's," he said as if it were in between invisible parentheses.

"And I understand some situations can be difficult, but this behavior is unacceptable; he still has to listen to authorities," the man said, glaring at Ronin.

He glanced up at Fraser, watching as his face tucked into confusion.

"Ok, sure," he said shortly, leaning in to hear more. His arms rested on the desk, Ronin's eyes caught the man's thumb rubbing on the smooth table beneath it.

"So here's what's gonna happen: I'm gonna assign detention for the next week, as long as a day or two absence from the school.

As he interrupted the teacher, two then disobeyed her, three he deliberately attempted to exit the room, and once she began to scold him, he fought against her authority.

"We do not allow this behavior at this school." his voice grew sharp as his eyes glued to Ronin's hiding figure.

"We never put our hands on our teachers; we don't push, shove, hit, You're in high school. You should know this by now.

I never want to hear or see this in our school again, do you understand?"

His eyebrow perked up as he waited for Ronin to respond. "Do you understand-" his voice was cut as Frasers soon overpowered his, "what the hell is wrong with you, can you see he is uncomfortable"

He looked at Ronin, who avoided eye contact. His hands had meshed into each other under the table, and a shaking sweat fell down his temple.

"How can you sit here and yell at him? Do you know why he left the room? Did you even ask?" he growled at the principal with a grind in his teeth.

In some way, the room grew quieter as the man explained all the things Ronin never said; somehow, he knew every feeling he didn't express and wouldn't.

The principal glanced at Roni,n who had begun picking up the walls Fraser had broken.

Gathering them up he tried to rebuild it, somehow afraid they would hear it.

Fraser's voice grew large as he stood up from his seat with a tight fist and a scrunched expression. "What the hell is going on here" his voice growled, before the room erupted in an argument, the man attempted to state a reasoning that was quickly reflected by his probation officer "What the fuck is wrong with you people" his voice almost cracked as he turned to drag Ronin from his seat, they exited the room a anger that for once had been targeted around him rather than at him. To