Chereads / BRITTLE / Chapter 2 - the meeting

Chapter 2 - the meeting

Quincy sat on the seats next to the door of the principal's office. Seven different teachers had passed by the hallway that she was in, bustling to prepare for the first period's subject that they would teach to the students. Quincy tapped her foot nervously on the navy-blue carpet and looked at her watch. Ten minutes had passed since she was told to wait for the principal.

"Why do I have to be called out on my first day of school? I'll end up being late for class because of this" Quincy sighed at the grumbling thought.

At the end of the hallway, she heard the laughter of a gruff voice coming from a man. She stopped tapping her feet and took a glimpse of a tall, grey-haired man with muscles that stretched and tensed the fabric of the white collared shirt that he was wearing. Quincy remembered seeing a formal photo of him on Kerfla's school website. It was the principal himself, Mister Navrin Hudson. Principal Hudson held on to a brown leather briefcase as he talked to a male student that was striding along with him. The male student had brown hair and was wearing the Kerfla school uniform. The colour of his iris were hazel-green and was the same as that of the principal's.

"I thought I had him at the uppercut," the boy boasted eagerly, "but he dodged it and took me down by the double-leg. His force was so strong, my back felt like breaking."

"If you fall like that, you need to grapple," the principal smirked as he smacked the boy's elbow, "Try using your elbow next time."

"Ouch!" the boy yelped as he rubbed the red skin of his elbow, "My back's already sore. I don't need a sore elbow as well!" The boy lifted his wrist to see the time. "Imma head out now. See you, uncle!" the boy said as he skipped down the hallway to the block's exit.

"Its 'Principal Hudson'! Not 'uncle'!", the principal shouted from across the hallway and grumbled, "that kid is always calling me 'uncle' in school premises, when I specifically told him not to".

Mister Hudson turned his head towards Quincy and met with Quincy's eyes that had suddenly widened. Quincy stood up from her seat. She made a petite bow before introducing herself in her usual, taut tone.

"Good Morning, Principal Hudson. I'm-"

"Oh, you must be the new transfer student!" the principal said raucously, "Quincy Greye!"

Behind Quincy, the boy whose name was Kirk Hudson had stopped in the middle of the hallway and was surprised to hear the name of the girl he had just passed by. He turned his head over his shoulder to see Quincy's tall figure and wavy black hair.

"She's his daughter?", Kirk thought and gave a dismissal expression.

She was as tall as Kirk was. He knew himself to be 178 cm in height. Kirk also spotted that Quincy's biceps and calves were well toned. He turned back to his front and made his way outside.

"I am very sorry if I kept you waiting, Miss Greye. Your class must be starting at any time soon," the principal said as he grabbed for his keys from one of the pockets of his leather suitcase. He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned the doorknob. "But there's no need to fret. I won't be sending you to the disciplinary teacher on your first day, since I called you here for a meeting" he chuckled as he reached out for a switch and turned the lights of his office on. Quincy wasn't bothered by his comment nor was she amused. The principal entered the office and Quincy followed. She started to smell the essence of vanilla in the room, and then she spotted the diffuser that was placed on the top rack of the bookshelf. On the third rack of the bookshelf was a framed photo of Principal Hudson with the boy she had seen earlier and a girl who had the same distinct brown hair and hazel-green eyes. Both the girl and the boy looked very young in the photo and were wearing white karate-gi uniforms with red belts. Principal Hudson sat on the ergonomic office chair behind his desk and noticed Quincy staring at the photo.

"That's my niece and nephew, Freya and Kirk," said the Principal, "They were 16 years-old when they got their red belts."

Quincy stayed quiet to his comment and sat on one of the two cushioned seats that faced the principal's working desk. She couldn't help but compare those kids to her 16-year-old self she once knew; they were brave enough to go and fight people without thinking twice about the perspective and the judgement of others. For a girl like Quincy, she would get hurt by the foul remarks of those that looked down on her family and cultural background. The special vow she made was broken by the constant reminder of worthlessness in this world.

The room was very quiet, and Principal Hudson felt the awkwardness from the edge of his seat. He wanted to try and lighten the mood.

"I heard from the administration team that you are part of class XI-7," said Principal Hudson, "Freya is also in your class. She's a very friendly girl. I'm sure she would want to get along with you".

At that moment, the door behind Quincy came swinging open and a woman appeared. A young woman of her late twenties with long, sleek black hair tied into a low ponytail. She was taking short breaths and her legs wobbled with every step in her black high heels.

"I am so sorry to be late, Principal Hudson!" she said in a shrilled tone, "The taxi got caught in traffic and I had to run to the school instead."

"It's alright, Miss Daisuke," Principal Hudson reassured her, "Please take a seat."

Miss Daisuke sat next to Quincy and cheerfully smiled at her.

"Miss Daisuke, this is Quincy Greye. She is a new transfer student that will be joining your class, XI-7", said the principal.

"Its nice to meet you, Quincy," said Miss Daisuke in a silvery tone as she turned to Quincy, "I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next two years."

"And since you have only been teaching here for two months, Miss Daisuke, I would like for you to support her as much as you can" the principal emphasized his words to Miss Daisuke to remind her about the emails that described Quincy's situation. "This is also a great opportunity for you to build on your relationships with students and learn how to handle different students properly," the principal turned to Quincy, "Quincy, if you need any help in both studying and personal issues, you can always rely on Miss Daisuke."

"Yes, I'm always there to give my students a word of advice," Miss Daisuke gulped as she agreed along with the principal.

Quincy didn't meet the eyes of either Miss Daisuke or Principal Hudson. She knew what they knew about her. They were giving their concern to her. Quincy gave a nod to make them reassured.

"Alright! That's all for this meeting," said Principal Hudson as he smiled at Miss Daisuke and Quincy, "You may to go to class."