Nate
The first day back after a suspension feels strangely ordinary.
I hate that.
I almost expected a giant banner hanging over the school entrance: *WELCOME BACK, PSYCHO.* Or at least a collective flinch from the front office staff. Instead, the world just keeps turning, entirely indifferent to the fact that I spent two weeks locked in my room losing my mind.
Downstairs, the kitchen smells like old coffee and hypocrisy.
Dad is already dressed for the parish when I walk into the kitchen. His black clerical shirt is crisply ironed, the white plastic collar sitting stiff against his throat. The holy man, ready to save souls.
Ana is sitting at the island, talking with her mouth full of toast. "...and then Mr. Ron seriously tells the class the homework wasn’t that hard."
"It wasn’t," Da
