The Billionaire High School Bully

12 - The school procedures

We entered the room, which was already starting to smell like food the kitchen staff was bringing us. I sat down in my usual seat on the sofa. Rex, as always, decided to occupy the whole couch just for himself, flipping his legs up without even taking the shoes off. No wonder we were getting such high bills for cleaning our premises. I sharply exhaled. We needed to cut down our spendings if we wanted to show the headmaster we were actually doing something beneficial for the school.

Nathan didn't sit down, as the accountant of the whole student council, he stood by the window, notebook ready for any notes he would need to take. His circular glasses on his face were making him look kind of cute, given his smaller body shape. Charles sat down next to me and Michael took up the armchair. It was tense and quiet for quite a while. The sun was shining through the window and Nathan's shadow was all over the coffee table, ending by Michael's feet.

"So, as the president of the student council, I hereby start the meeting concerning the newly admitted scholarship student." No matter how much we used the student council to play and have fun during our free time, we still had to abide by the rules. At least that's what my predecessor had told me. We can play as much as we want as there is no one watching us. But when it comes to the official business, we need to start playing by the rules. We have to accept them as our own and represent them, embody them in front of everyone.

"We have a few issues to bring up concerning this matter. I will take the buck and start as the first one. Michael, as the chairman of the Art Committee, you have to be aware that her artwork has been submitted to you for proof of originality and copyright. Is that so?" I asked Michael, glaring at him. Other people would just whimper at my look. I was well aware of the effect my eyes had on everyone. While other people's eyes were usually kind and light, one look of mine was intense, making people shatter. There weren't many people, who were able to withstand it. Everyone's souls were shrinking with just one of my looks. She wasn't an exception.

"That is right, president. News sure travel fast at this school recently." He discontentedly smirked.

"As the student council we need to be informed of the steps of all the committees we have at this school, as, after all, we are their guarantors. I would like to know your next steps in this issue." My glare wasn't doing anything to him. Even though we had been in the same student council for two years, he was the only one, who nearly always opposed me. He was the troublemaker here. But I couldn't do much about it, since he was elected by the students and he received the position of vice-president of the council from the hands of our principal.

"I am well aware of that and I will keep you informed. As per the procedures, we need to receive the complaint in a written form first, signed by students and also an art teacher. Then, we will carry out our duties, we will confiscate the evidence and have a committee of art teachers and students evaluate the work. Since we have some of her entrance exams' works available in the storage, we have a reference material present at hand already. Our meeting for the next steps concerning the completion of the work, as it was an assignment for a class, is planned for this afternoon. We need to decide if to let her continue working on the artwork, or if to confiscate it before she changes the structure of it. Of course, that would mean she wasn't able to finish her assignment on time and will probably be marked at an F grade. But that is up to the teacher to decide."  Playing everything by the rules. The committees always work too slow, at this school and everywhere else. I sighed. I couldn't do anything at this point as I had no evident authority in the Art Committee. I could only observe if they were processing things fast enough and that they weren't skipping any prescribed steps.

"If she were to receive an F from this assignment, it would mean her scholarship getting canceled, am I right?" I asked, looking at Nathan. He was supposed to know all these things.

"I believe so, Ben. The school rules state that the scholarship students are not allowed to get grades worse than C to keep their scholarship status. In case they manage to receive a worse grade than C, but still not a failing grade, the student council is supposed to decide if to discontinue the financial support. However, if they are to get a failing grade, the teacher's council is bound to settle the issue. We can only file a strong protest for misuse of the common finances this way." Nathan pushed the glasses up his nose. He wasn't scary only when someone disturbed him from reading his books, he was scary when it came to the money things as well.

"That is right. That's why the Art Committee is to decide on this matter. I will make sure to inform you right away." After saying that, he looked ready to leave.

"I believe it is possible for us to observe the process without taking part in the decision-making, isn't it?" Charles asked him. Now it was turning into a grilling of our poor vice-president.

"Yes, that's right. You can come to observe the decision-making process. That would make it easier for me, I won't have to go through the formal procedures of drafting the formal statements for informing you. I'll also be able to go home earlier. All of this with her is turning into a nightmare... I thought that becoming a vice-president of the student council meant I would have more free time than others." He now pressed his back deep in the armchair, looking exhausted by all this.

"Tell me about it. If she hadn't come to this school, we would go on with our usual days. Now we have to be worrying about all sorts of things that were quite unthinkable before. What if she makes all the girls as insolent as she is?! That's going to be a disaster!" Rex was joining the discussion. I slowly facepalmed myself. Is this seriously all he can think about? Girls?

"I believe there are many girls, who will stay the same, Rex. We don't need to be worried about such things. She didn't join the afternoon tea club or whatever you call that. You don't need to be worried about that at all. I believe all your well-behaved heiresses are attending that since you're the president. If you weren't, I bet they would be doing something else. When was the last time you appeared there, anyway? You only keep the seat in name only. You leave everything to your deputy." Charles was smirking, visibly teasing Rex.

"Who cares. As long as it runs and works, why should I move a finger?" He went back to being on the sofa without caring about our discussion.

"Well, I guess that concludes our topic of the Art Committee, I believe? Any questions, comments, inquiries?" I wanted to eat lunch. This was getting too long of a meeting for lunchtime.

Sophia

"Well, I believe that my parents' issue has nothing to do with this. And I'm afraid that if you want to ask more about them, I'll have to turn you down as I don't remember much about them. They are both dead, you see." I answered the student with an ice-cold tone. He didn't need to know anything more, nor he needed to ask anything else.

"Why did I say that?! Why couldn't I come up with something better? Now the whole school is going to gossip about my family situation as well! When will it be peaceful for me here? I only want to graduate, I don't need to be noticed by anyone! I don't need to be the center of everyone's attention!" I was seriously at my wit's end with the situation here. No matter what I did, everything was seen as wrong by the students here. Why am I such an eyesore to them? I didn't even do anything. It's becoming more and more evident, how much of a snob EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is here! It was getting me fired up. One of the things I hated the most in the world was unfairness. And this felt like a piece of hell, which would be called UNFAIR. Everything was unfair here.

I got up, leaving the empty classroom after everyone rushed for lunch and to observe the entourage of members of the student council of their meeting. At least that's what all the girls were squeaking in the corridors ever since the bells rang the lunchtime. Brooding over things there wasn't going to get me anywhere. I was headed for our homeroom teacher's office. Miss Kirchoff, the head of art teachers, had to have some idea about what I could do. I turned left to the empty corridor, which was filled with teacher's offices. Unlike the classrooms, this place had fancy-looking doors and sofas in between the doors. In case students were made to wait, they could sit down and enjoy some of the lemonade, which was served on the end tables near the sofas with always clean glasses.

I stopped in front of the art teachers' office. I took a deep breath and was prepared to knock on the door. I organized my thoughts for the last time and neared my knuckles to the door.

"I heard you've run across some problems, miss Reed." I screamed out. The voice of somebody right behind me! I didn't even hear her coming!

"M-Miss... Kirch... off!" I yelled out, still being in shock at how she managed to sneak herself behind me. It was the same as during my first day! Was she a ninja?! Or a Catwoman?! Being so sneaky!

"You don't need to yell my name here. Don't disturb other teachers' lunchtime. Let's head in and talk about it. I believe you have quite a few things to say to me as well. I have a few news for you, too. Come on, you should sit down and have some tea. I brought us some sandwiches from the cafeteria." She showed me a paper bag with packed lunches. She even knew I was coming?! She also reads minds? Just what is this woman! A ghost! Supernatural being! Am I going to get possessed? Is she going to use me for some satanic ritual? Am I going to become a human sacrifice?! Well, I wouldn't be surprised by that. Given her way of dressing herself. Always wearing a nineteenth-century black dress with a white collar, which looked like one of the mourning robes the ladies wore during the English Victorian era! Is she a goth?! A witch?!

She opened the door in front of me, pushing me in. I'm going to die! This is the reason they accepted me to this school! I was going to die for some kind of ritual! God, please save my pure pitiable soul. I shut my eyes closed, expecting to come to a dark room with a white pentagram on the floor, where the teacher would just push me into. But I felt the warm sun on my eyelids. I opened my eyes. The whole room was light, bright, and very spacious! It wasn't dark, cramped, or full of spiderwebs! I exhaled in relief. I'm saved!

"Well, what are you doing?! Sit down! We don't have that much time on our hands. Tea?" Mis Kirchoff was already sitting down on the comfortably-looking sofa, unpacking the lunch and having a teapot filled with a honey-scented tea.

"Y-yes, please!" I exclaimed and hurried to sit down opposite of her.