"How are you?" Snape asks me while taking a sip of his water.
"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"
"Good, good. What is going on with you and that boy Aiden?"
"So jumping right into it then, huh?" I mutter. "Nothing is going on, we're just friends."
"I'm not trying to question the truth of your words but I'm finding that hard to believe."
"I don't know what you and Axel are so afraid of, I'm allowed to have friends. Not to forget Alejandro, he blew up at me when I spoke to Aiden like he was an actual person for the first time."
"I'm worried for you, Danielle."
"There's no reason to be. Aiden and I were friends long before this and we became friends again. I have no intention of ruining that and with all due respect, I'd appreciate it if you, Axel, and Alejandro would stay out of it."
"He bullied you, Danielle."
"And there is no excuse for that but he apologised and it's not like I wasn't terrible to him as well."
"Who instigated the bullying at the start?"
"His friends!" I exclaim.
"And he joined in after that, did he not?"
"Yeah but so did I."
"But he started it first, right?"
"NO!" I shout at him though I'm more angry at myself than him. I never told anyone about how Aiden and I started our little rivalry but the state I was in just after our first encounter as apparent enemies made everyone assume he started it.
"But that's what you told us…" Snape trails off at the end and my anger rises.
"That is NOT what I told you, that is what YOU assumed!"
"But you went along with it."
"Because I didn't know what else to do, I didn't want y'all hating me though I guess that was inevitable. I just delayed it, huh?"
"I'll deal with that let but what happened if Aiden did not start it."
"Well, I started it."
"Yes, I understood that," He tells me annoyed. "But I want to know what you did."
My throat goes dry but I understand that I have to tell him now. I drink the remainder of my water and start.
"Well, Aiden and I weren't talking right?" I start remembering everything that happened and soon it's as if I can see it in front of me.
I stood in front of the group that were no longer my friends as they taunted me and called me names. I tried to control myself but they just kept saying shit, so many names, and I couldn't control myself anymore. I let myself get dragged into their little games and it frustrated me even more that I knew I was acting just as they wanted me to.
"Too good for us now, Danielle? You've got your boyfriend Axel and your side-piece Alejandro and you're set?" It was Rithu who started this whole confrontation by saying this while I was passing them. It's happened before, them whispering and saying things but I didn't want to over-react just in case they weren't talking about me. I had assumed we were on good terms even though Aiden and I weren't talking but apparently not.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, little boy?" He glares at me because of the nickname, which he hates, and I take that as a win.
"Can someone teach the ice-whore here, maths? Cause apparently she thinks being two months older is enough to call someone a little boy," He smirks at that and I internally slap myself for speaking too soon.
"Now I would get mad at you for calling me a whore but I'm sure you just learned the word and don't know what it means so I'll let it slide," In truth, I was hurt and I had nothing to say.
"Of course you can use learning against us. You don't need it after all since you're an elemental and get a free pass whereas everyone else has to work. You get to be dumb as a bucket of bolts," He coughs and says Axel since Axels grades weren't perfect. "And still have a good life. Makes sense why you think you're too good for us."
"Don't bring Axel into this, asshole. I mean I understand why you have to tell lies about others since one, I'm practically perfect and two, you're a dumb, little, shit."
"I wouldn't speak too quickly, Danielle. You're gaining a bit of weight there aren't you? I can see the acne starting to form as well and would you look at that, your hair looks like a rats nest."
"I'm sorry I don't measure my self-worth by my weight although it does seem you do and clearly you must have no sense of self-worth left. I don't see how acne or hair that apparently looks like a rats nest would stop me from being perfect. Unlike you kids I'm not a complete failure who has to pick on people because they're insecure."
"You're not a complete failure because you're an elemental. Everything is handed to you on a silver platter, right? You'd be nothing without your powers, absolutely, nothing."
I don't retort to that and they all smile. I look straight past them and at Aiden who's sitting on the table, fiddling with his hands, and staying completely quiet.
"Wimp," I shout at him over the noise of their taunts and he looks straight at me. "You sit there while they ridicule me and act as if you're so innocent. If I'm nothing without my powers, you'd be nothing without your posse. You would be the loser, the loner, and the sad little elemental at the back of the classroom! Oh wait, you're not an elemental, I am! I'm special in ways you people will never be," I glare at each of them and lays my eyes on Aiden again. I know I should have stopped but I was so frustrated at the fact that we weren't talking and that he distanced himself from me and people who I thought were my friends turned out to be fakes.
"Good thing we aren't friends anymore, you were so clingy, and so annoying with your stupid attention seeking. I remember when I told you that you are special what a joke-"
"Shut up, Danielle!" Rithu shouts at me and stands in front of Aiden.
"Failures," I tell them. "I work for what I get, you guys use my powers as an excuse to slack off, all fo you will probably be in school the rest of your life. Never getting anywhere in life."
"Bitch," They say to me while I'm walking away and I try to stop myself from crying. Why did I do that?
I realise I zoned out and snap back to reality and look at the table as tiny ice figures fell into a pile of snow in the middle while the one that I am assuming is me fell a little further away. I had no idea I could do that.
"Danielle…" Snape looks at me in shock.
"I know. I'm a terrible person, I don't deserve my powers,"
He stays quiet and just stares at the snow that's starting to melt and I look down at the table as well to see broken ice on my side of it and a few pieces on my skirt. Did I freeze my tears?
"We didn't tell you but Aiden got in trouble for what we thought he did to you."
"What?!" I ask him sharply and he nods looking more composed than before.
"What happened?" I ask him quietly.
"He got suspended for a week and they threatened expulsion."
"No…" I gasp quietly.
"Did you apologise?"
"I need to but I keep getting side tracked."
"When you see him tomorrow you have to apologise, understood? Axel, Alejandro, and I need to as well."
"The poor boy," Snape says and I nod.
The food arrives and we don't touch it.
"I'm happy that the two of you are friends again, I was just worried about you before."
"I understand, I'm happy as well."
"I hope this never happens again, Danielle. I mean it," He tells me sternly and I nod again.
"We need to go pick Axel up. We'll talk while we eat," I pick up my fork after Snape says that and we start eating.
"Back to what you said earlier, do you really think we hate you?"
"It feels like it sometimes," I mutter after a moment.
"You understand that we don't, right?"
I keep quiet at that and he sighs before continuing.
"We don't hate you, Danielle. We get frustrated sometimes but we will never hate you. Ever. I'm sorry for how I dealt with you disappearing but you have to understand that I constantly worry about the two of you, especially you. Axel listens to me and knows he has to be the responsible one, you do what you want and listen when you see fit. I don't want to be harder on you but I have to sometimes."
I didn't want to understand, I wanted to continue being mad, I wanted to act like they were the bad guys but I did understand. I understood everything he was telling me and I hated it but I didn't want to make this problem worse. We've all ignored each other before, it's happened a lot more than we think, but every time it happens I ask myself. Do I want it to change, do I want to have a connection with them? or do I want to stay this way, do I want us to be distant?
"I understand, I don't want us to stay this way. I want to go back to how we were before, minus the bad things of course, but I don't want to ignore y'all." I cringe at my words. Not because I don't mean them but because I usually don't talk about how I feel too much, I don't like talking about them, it makes me uncomfortable.
"Then it's settled?" Snape asks me looking as relived as I am that this conversation about feelings is over. He never liked talking about feelings either but I know that if Axel and I went to him he would throw that out the window.
"Yes, it's settled." I conclude awkwardly and so does he.
"Finish your food, Axel must be waiting," He says alarmed as he sees Axels name on his phone.
We finished our food fairly quickly and spoke more on the way back. Axel looked incredibly annoyed when he saw us but stopped when Snape gave him a pointed look.
"Will you two be able to patch your issues up?"
"I do not know to be honest."
"Talk to him while I get the car."
Snape abandons me and walks into the school leaving me with Axel who looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"You know why I didn't want y'all hanging out, right?"
"No, I don't actually," I turn towards him with my arms crossed and an annoyed expression on my face.
"Why do you always look like you want to fight someone?"
"Probably because I always want to fight you."
He chuckles and I suppress my own.
"Believe it or not, Alejandro and I are incredibly protective of you."
"Was it necessary to drag Alejandro into this?" I interrupt.
"If I say yes will you let me finish?" That sounds wrong I thought, but instead of saying that I shrugged. Only letting a tiny smirk escape me.
"As I was saying, Alejandro and I realised that it's only been the three of us so far. I mean yeah, he and I have other friends, but you kinda had trouble in that area. You only had us and now you are friends with a shit tonne of guys. I guess it just bothered us and we're, ugh," He groans at a loss for words obviously not liking the fact that he has to talk about this but I just coax him on. "Scared? Gosh, I don't know! We don't want you to replace us or some shit. Geez, that is most the corny shit I've ever had to say. Alejandro was the one who made this big revelation," He tells me, trying to play it off.
To be fair, I never thought about it like that. I guess he's right… Jeez, the corniness of today is going to make me puke.
"I understand."
"Oh, Thank God. That's it right?"
"Yeah, yeah, you big baby," I tell him, already slipping back into our old ways.
"Dickhead," He mutters to me.
"I know you are but what am I?"
"Dumb. Just dumb."
"Fuck off."
"Danielle," Snape says from behind me sternly.
"He called me a di-"
"I don't care what he said, no swearing."
"You mean no getting caught," I mutter.
Axel snickers beside me and Snape glares at him. We get in the backseat and Snape smiles at us through the rear-view mirror.
"Why? What's wrong?" I ask him.
"No, no, it's just that the front seat is open."
"Yeah… So?" Axel asks and that's when we realise that we're willing sitting together when we don't have to.
"Wait, I didn't realise."
"Shotgun!"
Axel and I say simultaneously but Snape just drives away before either of us can move to the front.
"Hey!"
"Hi to you too, Danielle."
I just frown like a child and turn towards the window.
"Danielle," Axel says for the thousandth time while poking me.
"Can you stop that?" I demand while slapping his hand away.
"Not if you keep ignoring me."
"Oh, so you did realise." I tell him with a glare.
"Why are you in a bad mood again?"
"Because I can be."
"Grinch."
"Dumbass."
"Danielle," Snape says while looking at me through the mirror again.
"Yeah, yeah," I dismiss. "It isn't wrong if it's the truth."
"We're here, Ella."
"I tolerated Elle, I do not want to be called Elle," I say with a scowl. "And, I know we're here. I'm not blind."
"Stay in the car till I finish talking to your mum." He leaves before I can argue and I kick Axel for fun.
"I'll burn your hair off."
"I'll freeze your di-"
"Shut."
"Excuse me?" I ask annoyed.
"No swearing, remember?"
"It's simple biology. Remember?" I taunt.
"Out. Both of you." Snape says through the gap in the window.
"What? Why? Axel isn't staying over again is he? He started to sleep on the couch in my room and he won't let me sleep because his damn phone light is on."
"Danielle, out. Axel, stop laughing, you too."
We get out and Snape tells us to apologise.
"To who?"
"Your mother."
"I'm sure you have your own reasons and I'm not getting out of this, so sure."
I do as he says, although it's incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, and Axel does the same. Although I don't know why he did. He thanks my mum as well before leaving with Snape.
"Dipshit," I mutter while watching them drive away.