The moment I stepped into the office, I was hit with the pungent smell of an assortment of different flowers and fragrances. A smell so thick I could feel as my eyes began to actually water. As I looked around, I noticed the room itself was much grander than anything I would have expected. A grand mahogany desk sat almost centre in the room, claiming much of the small amount of space available. On top it held a mountain of paperwork and folders, splayed across in a chaotic mess that made even myself cringe internally; Not a single photo or desk toy could be seen in sight.
A multitude of certificates and awards spanned every inch of the walls to my sides, packed so tight it was difficult to even see the colour of the wall that lay behind them. The awards were so plentiful that they appeared to be encroaching onto both the ceiling and floor. A beam of golden sunlight streamed into the office through an arched window on the far end wall. A window that seemed more in place within a cathedral than a school with its stained glass design.
"Mr. Collins. Please have a seat."
Upon hearing the voice, my eyes that had been scanning along the office turned back towards the desk. Or, more specifically, the woman seated behind it. The headmistress looked to be in her mid-thirties, with long blonde hair placed in a meticulous tight bun and with not a single hair out of place. Her face was long and bland without a single sign of makeup, her only striking feature being her pair of chilling blue eyes that were staring daggers towards me. She seemed of middling height, yet with her ramrod straight back and perfect posture, as well as the intimidating presence she wore like a mantle, she appeared much larger. It was as if she was looming over both Mr. Lycee and me even while staying seated.
After having a good look at the office, I quickly moved to one of the few chairs placed to the side of the right-hand wall. Cheap plastic chairs that heavily contrasted against the beautiful black leather chair she herself was seated on. However, in the state I was in, I couldn't have cared less, dropping down in one of the chairs and immediately letting out a sigh of relief as my legs slowly started to receive blood once more. I turned my body to face her, noticing the look of disgust she tried to hide as my blood-soaked hands and clothing made contact with the chair. Regardless of the fact it had entirely dried during the long wait I was subjected to.
"Now, Adam is it? Apologise for the wait. We had a lot to talk about, as I'm sure you're aware. Just as I'm sure you're aware that fighting is strictly prohibited at this school?" she said with a piercing gaze.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Yet you have been involved in not just one but two fights this past week alone. Do you really think that's appropriate behaviour for school?" Her voice dripped with condescension as she all but sneered in my direction.
"It wasn't me who started it! Matthew was the one who came to me both times!" I proclaimed loudly, my frustration evident at the unfair criticism I was receiving.
"Do not raise your voice, boy!" Mr. Lycee shouted, far louder than I had. "It's clear, Miss Hilton, that not only is the boy an absolute menace, he also has absolutely no sense of remorse for his brutal actions against a fellow student. I say we just expel him and be done with this! The school will be a better place without students like this around."
A sense of indignation rose within me, but before I was able to offer a retort, a sigh was heard coming from the headmistress, Miss Hilton. "Calm down now Mr. Lycee," she said before turning towards me. "While you might be correct, as I told you before, we will wait until both parents have arrived before discussing possible punishments."
Immediately, I wanted to let loose a string of curses. For some reason, I hadn't considered the idea that my dad would be called. I didn't know why it upset me so much to know my dad would be involved, but all I knew was that I didn't want him to know what had happened.
"You called my dad?" I asked quietly, praying I had somehow misheard.
"Yes I have. This is a very serious situation. You should have thought about this before deciding to start fights whenever you wanted." Miss Hilton replied with not an ounce of compassion. Instead busying herself by looking through a few of the pages of paper scattered along her desk.
"But I didn't even start the fights! Both times it was Matthew who confronted me first! Why am I being punished?" I shouted, my temper coming back at full force at the indignation.
"That may be so, but a fight needs two people to take place. At any time you could have ignored him and walked away. Yet you didn't." A scoff found its way upon my lips at the complete lack of understanding she possessed. I had walked away from every confrontation for the past few years yet what did that lead to? It just led to Matthew taking it further and further with every future interaction.
Unaware of my thoughts, Miss Hilton continued, "And you are not the only one being punished. Matthew has already received three days' worth of detention from the previous fight between you. Detentions, may I add that were never given to you." She paused as if waiting for me to thank her, a notion I swiftly denied her.
"Oh, wow. I'm so thankful." I sarcastically replied, rolling my eyes heavily in front of the both of them. "How kind of you to not give me any detentions after being fucking sent to the hospital!"
Mr. Lycee once again looked ready to explode at the language and apparent disrespect I was showing. Thankfully, Miss Hilton was able to respond first, saving my ears from one of his thunderous tantrums.
"I will not have such language in my office, Adam. Either you will speak with respect, or you will not be present for talks of your punishment." Miss Hilton coldly replied. "And regarding your own hospitalisation, I have just been informed by the nurse that Matthew is about to be sent to the nearby hospital for a broken nose and potential concussion. Injuries much worse than the ones you sustained, making your anger wholly unjustified, in my opinion."
Upon hearing about Matthew, I tried to formulate another snarky comeback to say. Yet when I tried, I found myself unable, forced to begrudgingly accept that what she was saying was true. That the damage I dealt to Matthew was substantially more than I received in our last fight.
Seeing I had no response, Miss. Hilton continued, "Now, before you entered, I just had word that both of Mathew's parents, Mr. and Mrs Dormer, had arrived and are now waiting in the nurse's office with their son. Meaning we are just now waiting for your father to arrive."
And with that said, five minutes quickly passed of awkward silence as we waited. Until, a phone, hidden from sight underneath the blanket of paperwork sprawled on the desk, began to let out a muffled ring. Miss. Hilton answered it promptly, saying little more than a few words before placing the phone back in its hidden burrow.
"That was the front desk. Your father has just arrived and is on his way here now with Matthew's parents." She stated simply, either oblivious to the rising tension I was feeling or not caring enough to acknowledge it.
Before I was able to work myself into too much of a panic, a heavy knock could be heard coming from outside the door. Without even giving Miss Hilton enough time to respond, the door was barged open, and two adults dressed in gaudy and expensive formal wear, who I assumed were Matthew's parents, stormed inside.