"Don't be rude to your father, Damon!" Adina tried to meditate between the father and sons as the situation seemed to be too hyper with everyone hot blooded.
"This is my house mother," Damon said, his voice calm, low and terrifyingly devoid of emotion, "And if father doesn't respect that, you both will leave!"
Hunter flinched as Damon's cold voice rang through the room, he couldn't bring himself to meet Damon's gaze as his presence was far more suffocating than their father's outburst.
Redmond froze, the weight of Damon's words sinking in.
"You dare!" his voice trembling with indignation.
"I do."
The air grew colder as the silence stretched between them. Everyone could sense that Damon's patience was at its limit. Redmond clenched his fists, his face a mask of fury, but he knew better than to challenge Damon further. With a sharp glare, he turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Damon didn't move, his eyes fixed on the door, his expression unreadable. His icy gaze fixed on Hunter, who was still crouched on the floor, wiping the blood on the corner of his lips with shaky fingers.
"Get up."
Hunter scrambled to his feet, keeping his head low, afraid to meet his Damon's cold gaze.
"Go clean yourself up,"
He simply nodded and moved toward the door as quickly as his trembling legs could allow.
"Hunter," Damon called, just as the boy's hand reached the doorknob. He froze.
"Next time, think before you do something stupid," Damon said, his voice edged with finality. Hunter nodded mutely, pushing the door open and disappearing into the hallway and letting out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Inside the room, Adina turned her gaze to Damon, her face a mixture of concern and frustration.
"Your father isn't the only one furious, Damon. Your grandfather is upset too."
Damon didn't respond, but a flicker of acknowledgement passed through his eyes.
"You know how much he values discipline," she continued, her tone calm but laced with urgency. "This isn't just about Hunter anymore. Your grandfather is already fielding questions about this incident as someone in our circle leaked it. He's already issued a punishment for Hunter and he should come to the main house on the weekend. It's only a matter of time before the whispers turn into headlines."
Damon's gaze remained fixed on her, cold and calculating.
"What's your point, mother?"
"My point," she said, "Is that you can't ignore this. Your father might take this as an opportunity to push for even harsher punishment. Tomorrow, you will have to meet the principal. In person. And no," she added sharply, anticipating his retort, "you will not send an assistant. This requires your presence."
The second day of school felt a little less intimidating as Wave walked through the gates of Hartley. The crisp morning air carried the scent of freshly mowed grass as the sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the school. She spotted Dream and Taya near the fountain, Dream gesturing at her animatedly while Taya leaned casually against the bench they sat on, arms crossed.
"Wave!" Dream called out the moment she noticed her, jogging towards her, her bright blonde ponytail swinging behind her. "We've been waiting for ages! Taya almost abandoned me to boredom."
"I said five minutes," Taya interjected with a small grin, as she followed a few steps behind Dream with her usual calm demeanor, "it's not my fault your internal clock runs on hyperdrive."
"You're early," Wave said with a grin as Dream threw an arm around her.
"Early? No, you're late," Dream teased pulling Wave toward the entrance. "Let's go get coffee before the first class which is?"
"History," Taya replied as they approached Wave's locker, "I heard Mr. Carver is giving us one of his legendary pop quizzes."
"Ugh, already?" Dream groaned leaning dramatically against the locker after Wave opened it, "That man has no mercy."
Wave smiled as she grabbed her books and Dream linked her arm with her and Taya. The three of them slid into their seats as the bell rang, the chatter in the class settled into a low murmur. Wave glanced around, taking in the posters of historical maps and timelines that adorned the walls and look, something her former school couldn't afford. Mr. Carver, a tall man with sharp glasses and an even sharper voice, stepped in.
"Good morning class," he said, his tone brisk. "I hope you've all done reading for today as we're starting with a little quiz."
As soon as he finished saying that, a series of murmurs and groans were heard and Dream was one of them. "He wasn't kidding." sinking lower in her chair.
Wave stifled a laugh as Taya shot Dream a knowing look. "If you'd have studied instead of rewatching that sci-fi series last night, you wouldn't be panicking."
"It was a cultural experience," Dream whispered back, "Besides, even if I studied, I wouldn't have understood anything either way!"
Mr. Carver started passing out the quizzes.
"Welcome to Hartley," Dream whispered to Wave with a playful smirk as she took her own quiz, "First day jitters and fights, second day quizzes-only the best for you Wavy."
Wave chuckled softly, "Guess I'm officially initiated now."
Taya gave her a reassuring look, "Nothing a genius can't do."
As the class quieted down, sounds of pages being flipped were heard. Wave picked up her pen as she focused on the first question before answering it. In a blink, time ended. Mr. Carver cleared his throat, "Alright, pencils down. Time's up."
Wave handed in her quiz with a sense of satisfaction. It was easy, but she hadn't anticipated it to be based on Dream's dramatic reaction. The trio walked out of the classroom with Dream singing a song that no one knew before she heard Taya asking Wave how the quiz was.
"Not bad," Wave answered.
"Not bad? Speak for yourself. That was like running a mental marathon," Dream replied with pouting lips, "I'm doomed."
"You'll be fine, you probably guessed half of them right anyway."
Dream sighed dramatically, "This is why I need friends like you two. Balance. Wave's the brain, Taya's the relief and I'm the... cute one?"
"You're the chaos," Taya corrected as all of them laughed.
They all then went to the washroom which didn't seize from surprising Wave every time she visited, like how does a washroom look so grand but still its given when you look at the whole school which speaks magnificent grandeur.
"Wavy Lemme tell you about the new science teacher," Dream said as soon as Wave and Taya got out of and were washing their hands, "Apparently, he talks to his plants, can you imagine?"
"I like him already," Taya said as they began walking towards the lunchroom, "anyone who prioritizes plants over students sounds like my kind of teacher."
"Taya you are mental. I mean you should check with him, he might be your long-lost uncle and..."
Before Dream could finish her rumbling, a commotion happened in the hallway as students were rushing outside to see something.