Kei awoke with a start as a ruler slammed into the desk directly in front of him. Cold sweat poured from his brow as he slowly lifted his head to see the demon-like professor standing before him. Mr. Albus. A man of many, many words, but little to no likable traits. He was a crude man who stood about 5'6" and had thin-rimmed glasses. His nose was slightly crooked, and his mouth was a little too small for his face. The voice that came out of that strange little mouth was even more unsettling as it was shrill and fluctuated frequently causing all to hear it want to immediately turn and run away. His back was straight, but that was only because this man was a complete and utter narcissist who could speak about his profession of Latin as much as he could about himself. Basically, Mr. Albus was the worst teacher ever, and Kei had just fallen asleep in his class. This, of course, was an insult to the self-centered teacher's ego and because it was not the first-time young mister Kei had fallen at the hands of his blathering voice, Mr. Albus' was thoroughly enraged.
"MISTER MAIMON! I'VE SIMPLY HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSUBORDINATION! YOU HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP IN MY CLASS FOR THE VERY LAST TIME! REPORT TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE AT ONCE!!!"
Kei's fellow class held their breath. A few of them looked at Kei with pity, knowing that they too had been asleep and that this petty man was simply targeting their comrade, while many others looked at Kei and snickered. Who told him to come to their school? Who told him that he, a low born, could attend their school? Who told him to even be alive? Even though the offense of sleeping was minuscule, because it was Kei, maybe he would be expelled! With that thought, the boys in the class felt a rush of joy.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME MISTER MAIMON?!"
Albus' face was becoming more and more unsightly as he spattered those words. Kei finally came out of his daze and realized what was happening before him. He quickly stood up, knocking over his chair.
"It's not my fault your lecture is boring, and your voice is so annoying I've got to dream to escape it,' thought as he stared into the purple-faced teacher's eyes. Kei, of course, did not speak these words as it would incite an even greater punishment however even just the act of looking at the ghastly teacher's face while being "disciplined" alone caused Mr. Albus' fury to rise.
"INSUBORDINATE!!" Mr. Albus raised his ruler-wielding hand to swing at Kei but before he could even land a blow, Kei swiftly rushed towards the door.
"I'll be in the Headmaster's office as instructed, sir. Enjoy the rest of your class!"
Livid, Mr. Albus could only shout explicatives after the wind that flowed behind the speeding student.
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Kei arrived at the Headmaster's fairly quick. As he debated whether or not he would enter the dungeon of doom, the voice of the beast within rang-out.
"Mister Kei Maimon, there is no use of standing there dawdling. Let's get this over with."
"Hehe, Good morning Headmaster Sur. What lovely weather we are having." Kei said while entering the office.
"It is afternoon, and it is raining. That is beside the point. This is the fifth time you have been sent to me this semester. Do you understand that this is beyond acceptable behavior?"
The headmaster, a slightly plump and pale man sitting behind his grand mahogany desk said as he massaged his aching temples.
"What is it this time? Another fight? You broke something? You argued with Professor Craswelle about the reality of consciousness and free will and whether we exist in a simulation? What?"
"It honestly wasn't anything big this time. I fell asleep in Mr. Albus' class and he got mad. I can't help that his lectures are boring. Ask any of the other students. They hate his guts." Kei said nonchalantly as he sat in the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"In all actuality, I did nothing wrong. Nothing he teaches in class is on the tests anyway, and Latin is a dying language."
"All the more reason to keep learning it, Mister Maimon. You don't seem to realize that you have been given the opportunity to study here at Pinshire Preparatory Academy despite your background. Our grades are not even on par with the lowest of your peers and when you don't skip classes, you doze off! How would Father Mark feel about this if I was to send him your academic report? Think of all he has done to even get you here and you are sitting here screwing that up!"
Hearing about Father Mark, Kei lowered his gaze. Father Mark raised him and fundraised for him to attend this school in the middle of Rome. This school usually only accepts students from high profile and religious backgrounds. Money from the Vatican also flowed into this school and it was ranked the highest in influential graduates. That was why the students hated him. Because he was a nobody that was abandoned at the church. The church raised him and so even though he had no 'true' family name, he was still able to attend this elite school. Even though he was a nobody, the headmaster still looked out for him. Jealous. All of his peers were absolutely jealous of him, and because of their jealousy, non-stop harassment occurred in the corners where the school CCTV's did not reach. The reason why he was always missing from classes was that he would be so badly beaten that he could barely move. The reason why when he was present in class, he dozed off was that it was the only place there would be a teacher to supervise so that he could sleep. The excessive harassment was why he stopped trying, stopped caring. He had had enough. Mr. Albus was just the tip of the iceberg. Mr. Albus didn't care about what happened to Kei. All he cared about was holding onto his position, and those influential students would secure that for him. If he could appease them, he could get "bonuses". HA! None of the teachers really cared about what happened to Kei. He was their poster boy. As long as he was there, they could say 'see, we saved an orphan and took him in! we raised this orphan! We supported this poor bastard, so we care about the underdogs! We aren't just a bunch of a** kissing scum'! The only one that cared about what happened to him was the man that personally raised him, Father Mark. Father Mark was there for him when he needed a true adult figure, so Kei did not want to disappoint him, and the Headmaster knew that.
Kei's face grew dark and his hands tightened into fists. He wanted to destroy this place. Why did he have to suffer? Why did he have to be abandoned? Why was being abandoned warranting of abuse? Why were all these so-called adults so selfish? Even if he told them what was happening, they only cared about profits. Why should he care about sleeping in their class? Why should he care about punching back at those bastards that attack him in the halls? A school, laughable! This place was no better than hell.
Looking at the boy in front of him, the headmaster simply thought Kei was reflecting on his mistakes. Sighing, He spoke up.
"As punishment for this offense, you will be on Library night duty. This way you can reflect and perhaps even study and raise those grades of yours. You don't want Father Mark to know about this, right? I won't tell him as long as you raise our grades by even 12%. Not too bad, right?"
Kei was brought back from the recesses of his mind and nodded. He was still upset, but now he had a reason not to return to the dormitory to be attacked by the students there. 'I guess that even though this dude is a manipulating prick, he is not as bad as Mr. Albus.'
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When Kei left his office, the headmaster immediately grabbed his office phone and entered in a few numbers.
"Yes, I am sure it is him. Yes, sire. He will be there tonight. I will make it where he can not interfere, You have my word."