Trevor reached his house, but the door was locked, which he found out after trying to open it. That could only mean his mother was still not finished with her fitness classes. Since she worked as an instructor, her working hours were quite fluid, but she tried very hard to keep them limited to mornings. Father usually was working late since his job as a public defender was really keeping him occupied, so he didn't expect him home anyway.
The boy used his own key and got inside. Took off his shoes, then walked straight to his room. As he dropped his backpack on the ground and went to sit down on the bed, his phone rang loudly. Trevor took it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen, it was his mother, so he quickly accepted the call.
- Yes?
- What happened? - she said loudly, almost yelling.
Just by the tone, he know that she was angry.
- What do you mean?
- They called me from school. You've been suspended for two weeks.
This information was like a backhand to his face. Not only was he the victim here, but he also was being punished for that fact?
- What?! What do you mean suspended? For what?
- I don't know yet. They want me and other parents to come tomorrow to talk about this.
As she said that, everything clicked.
- Other parents? Don't tell me you mean Billy and Joe's parents?
- Yes - she confirmed.
- Bunch of cowards! - he growled angrily.
- What happened, Trev?
He sighed.
- Me, Bily, and Joe got into a fight after school. The teachers found us and told us to go home, but they didn't mention any suspensions. They just wanted us off the school grounds. This is the first I'm hearing about this. They were too scared to resolve this immediately, but now they somehow figured out that they can't just let it go. Pathetic. Especially considering the fact they let go of the stuff Billy and Joe do all the time.
- You know how it is when parents from the third are involved, honey – mother sighed. - Did you at least kick their asses?
The boy chuckled a bit.
- No. I didn't have enough time, but I taught them a lesson.
- I'll talk with the principal. Maybe I and your father will change his mind.
- Thank you, mom.
- Just don't do anything like that ever again, ok?
- Yes. I won't.
- Goodbye. I still have one group to teach. See you later.
- Yeah…
She hung up first. Trevor for a moment looked at the screen of his phone. The picture of his biological parents. The same which was framed and placed on his desk.
He couldn't help but wonder how this whole thing would go on if they were still alive, and he was leaving with them. Mrs. and Mr. West were great people, and he knew that. They loved him very much, but there was always this lingering feeling he had of not really belonging. He hid it and never told anybody, but it was there. Lurking in the dark parts of his mind.
He deemed it as unjustified since they were giving him so much love.
He sighed heavily and pushed the gloomy thoughts away. Being grounded, despite hurting his pride, and, in his opinion, completely unreasonable, meant that he had more time to practice, and that could actually be a very positive outcome.
- Time to work – he said to himself, and just got up.
He rushed to the kitchen to grab a bite, and then straight to the garden to practice magic. He quickly checked his status, to find out how the battle influenced his proficiency at the spell, and he got a nice increase of 14% giving him a total of 46%. It was more than what he got while using it on the previous day, in the garden, considering the number of spells being cast.
He started to wonder if that had something to do with the fact of being in a rough spot, compared to a situation without any danger, or maybe he did something during the fight, which he didn't do previously. This made him want to try even more, but sadly his energy still wasn't back to the full amount.
Despite that, he still left his home, locked the door to the house, and started the practice. This time though he did it in a little different manner. He moved more, tried to run around, and even tumbled once, hoping this will have an impact on his progress.
From an outside perspective, it looked quite silly, but he didn't even think about that once, feeling safe in his own backyard.
It took him only a few minutes and as he verified quickly, didn't have as much of an impact as he was hoping for. He only got up to 54%.
A bit discouraged, he went back to his room, to instead put more effort into gaining additional 'Energy'. Sometime later his mother returned, but she didn't even try to talk to him. Instead, focused on making the food. Trevor started suspecting that there would be a family discussion as the three of them would reunite later at the table.
He was spot on since his father returned on time, and they all gathered in the kitchen. They asked many questions, but instead of answering them all, he just told them the whole story. They weren't mad. The father even showed some signs of being proud of him, when he talked about fighting Billy and Joe.
- Thye can't ground you for that – he said to Trevor, as the boy finished his story. - There is a law for students who want to practice their magic by sparring with others. I'm sure the principal doesn't even know, considering the fact that we are, after all, in the fourth district.
He paused to smile.
- We will unground you tomorrow, son.
Those words took Trevor by surprise, and he actually wasn't too happy about that because of his previous realization. For him the school was useless, and being grounded meant he had more time to practice and get stronger. This could be a huge boost to his efforts of increasing his 'Energy' to a hundred and getting a scholarship for his freshman year as a high schooler.
- Maybe it's better if I'm grounded – he pointed out after hesitating a bit.
Both his parents looked at him with confusion mixed with a surprise.
- The school is useless anyways - he pointed out. - They don't teach us anything there, and I feel like I'm just wasting my time there. Home, I could practice my magic, and maybe by the end of the semester, I can reach a hundred on the evaluation. That would give me a scholarship in the third district, in a proper school.
Parents looked at each other, briefly.
- You really think you can do that? - asked the mother.
Trevor didn't even get a chance to respond, since his father spoke first.
- He can. I believe in him – said the man, as he placed his hand over the mother's. - Let's give him the time he says he needs.
- Thank you, dad.
- Don't thank me – said the man, and smiled widely. - I can't wait to boast among my coworkers about you getting a scholarship in the third.