BEL AND THE FOUR OF HEARTS

Three

Ten months. For ten months I had been gone from Haykes Academy. But there I was, standing in the hallway on my first day back. It seemed like everyone had forgotten about me during my absence; no one even noticed when I first walked through the gates of school that morning.

But soon, with second looks at my face, it didn't take time for them to recognise the hot redhead with shiny shoulder-length wavy hair and sparkling grey eyes as the same old Belinda.

I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the stares of surprise as people realized who it was that had just entered the building. Although I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It felt like all eyes were on me I walked past students and teachers alike, their gaze heavy with curiosity and judgment. But I kept my head up and walked up the floors.

As I held tightly onto the straps of my backpack and walked into the elevator, a glimpse of how confused dad's face must have been while reading the post-it on the kitchen refrigerator came to my head and I smirked.

No, I didn't tell him I had walked back into Haykes and put the same uniform I cursed at with tears in my eyes around my neck. If I had done that, he'd surely have been there to take me back home and ground me for some days, or weeks.

All I let him in on was the fact that I was ‘out figuring out myself for the next seven hours.’

I laughed again as I went into the elevator, only then noticing that I had just walked in on two students about to gross me out.

“Belinda?” Keisha called.

I stood expressionlessly in front of them as I ran my eyes from Keisha to the six-feet-something boy standing next to her, also shooting unknown lasers at me with his blue eyes.

He was kind of making me start to feel self conscious, but I tried to avoid his gaze by turning my eyes to Keisha's.

The immense hurt from the last day Keisha and last saw each other was starting to brew again in my check and I didn't stop it from happening because that hurt I felt towards her and everyone else was what I believed would keep me from remaining warm towards them.

“But you were—”

“Expelled. Yes, but I'm back now,” I sparked, turning to face the door.

“I hope you don't feel to bad that I'm back,” I added.

Keisha looked at me blankly, as she turned her face to the boy next to her, who seemed confused.

The friendship between Keisha and I ended that same day. It turned out she had testified to my being responsible for the incident even when she knew I wasn't, I mean, we were together the whole time. She didn't see me going in, did she? So why did she lie? To save herself?

My eyes met with the boy's puzzled ones again. He must have felt the heat between us two.

What a weird way for two old friends….ex-friends I mean, to get back together, right?

Just then, she turned to him, standing on her toes and reaching up to the boy's face as he bent down to meet her halfway.

I felt my eyes starting to roll involuntarily, like they had a mind of their own.

Okay. We get it. Your boyfriend.

I let out a quiet scoff to myself, wanting to give her the knots of knowing that she was unsuccessful in getting under my skin.

I mean, sure, it was a little annoying, but it wasn't like I was going to lose any sleep over some rando I just saw today who's totally none of my business.

As they continued their little make-out session, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to keep my cool.

I took a deep, loud breath and looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back my frustration. But it's no use. They wouldn't stop like newlyweds.

As the elevator reached my floor and the doors opened, I quickly walked out, grateful to have escaped.

I soon stopped in my tracks as I saw those familiar legs brisk-walking towards me.

“Well, if it isn't the sweetest of the sweet?” Munroe hollered in her familiarly mellow but choleric tone.

News did fly very fast in Haykes, but I soon saw in those six minutes I spent in the school's premises, that there had been an immense improvement in this prowess.

“Long time no see, Principal Munroe,” I smiled.

For some reason, everything around me made me nauseous.

***

Janet Munroe's laughter filled the room as she rocked back and forth in her swivel chair, clutching her stomach with one hand. Her eyes were closed tight as she continued to laugh uncontrollably, occasionally letting out a loud snort that made the other occupants of the room chuckle along with her. She had tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard, and when she finally opened them, they sparkled with mirth.

Ruled out. I thought to myself, cancelling off her name in my mental note. She couldn't have been the one to send me those documents. Never.

But, hello?

I was there boring myself out sitting in front of her and she was wheezing at a comedy she was watching on her phone?

I felt disrespected to say the least. But what else could I do? I was now practically schooling in Haykes again at the mercies of some anonymous strangers.

Munroe calmed down from her fit of amusement, wiping away the tears from her cheeks and smiled at me before looking at me, dropping her phone to the desk.

I stayed expressionless, but I was totally confused as to why there was a need to display such an outbreak of hilarity in my presence.

“You're one very lucky girl, Belinda.”

“If it were up to me, even your next generation wouldn't get a chance at this school,” The smile on her face now faded into seriousness.

Why…why would she bring up my next generation? My jaws clenched slightly.

“Why do you hate me so much?”

She cackled, leaning back in her seat.

“Hate you? I don't even have that feeling called hate, my love,” she leaned in closer,

“I just happen to have an allergy for troublemakers.”

I swallowed, trying to remember an instance where I caused trouble. Was it the very few inevitable accidents I had naturally caused as an amateur speller? Or just that one time a blog post I wrote nearly got the school sued. Or this last incident I wasn't even responsible for?

“But what can a mere principal like me do? It's not like I control the board or something,”

“I will make it clear nonetheless, Elrod, I'll have my eyes on you. Any slip up, and you're out, trust me. I'll make sure of it.”

******

I stepped out of the principal's office, my mind still clouded with frustration and anger. I actually didn't think it was going to be that hard returning to a school I got expelled from. The thought of how hectic my first day back was, was enough to send me running back home. How would I survive other days?

My homeschool teachers weren't bad anyway, and it was kind of fun with them.

Maybe I should just go back?

As I walked through the hallway, I could feel the stares of more students burning holes in my back.

Ugh! Couldn't they just pretend not to care about my return? I wasn't even popular with students when I was still there, so why all of a sudden were they all acting like they knew me?

Out of nowhere, I felt a pair of cold hands over my eyes.

"Guess who?"

The strangely familiar voice and smell hit me, and I felt a tinge of irritation mixed with curiosity.

The voice was definitely one I had heard before, and it was a scent I had come across before and can't remember where. But in my current state, I couldn't be bothered to guess.

My mood was already bad enough, and this interruption just made it worse. I grunted as I stopped in my tracks, taking the hands off my eyes and turning around to face the person.

God, there's was no way he's here too…I ran my eyes over his school uniform and back to his face.

"Oh, wow, it's you. What a surprise," I managed a smile.