What? Why shouldn't I avoid him? I avoid him on normal days because he scolds me for being lazy. Wouldn't confronting him be out of the norm?
Andy was perplexed and agitated because of the penalty. Just like the warning he was given last night, how he was told to remain still while in bed, he didn't want to ignore this warning.
Whether he liked it or not, these words that had been appearing before him were real. And for the fact that they reacted to real-life situations only made Andy certain that what he was seeing was real.
Would I truly die if I avoid the principal?
Snapping out of his thoughts, Andy stared at the forty or so classmates of his.
Sure enough, he had become the center of attention at the moment.
As familiar as the classroom looked, everything felt stiff to Andy. From the chalkboard to the wooden chairs, everything felt off.
He opened his mouth to speak, but his words seemed to be stuck in his throat. It was very hard to act like things were okay, when everything wasn't.
"What are you all looking at?" Andy forced a frown as he stepped into the class and casually walked to his chair, which was at the back of the class, next to an open window.
Taking a seat, he put his hands on the table and rested his head on them.
"It doesn't look like he knows what happened." Someone whispered.
"Who's going to tell him?"
"I don't know. Not me though."
"Why not?"
A few students began arguing. Others only looked at the young man with pity in their eyes.
"Anderson," Jessie called out as she stood before Andy's chair.
A few seconds went by before she received a response.
"Have you heard of what happened to Zeladin?" She asked, careful with the way she articulated her words and tone.
He hasn't, right? I mean, he wouldn't be acting this way if he had. Anderson is not one to read from the student bulletin on normal days. Jessie observed his demeanor as she mused to herself.
"Did he finally break through to the Fourth Rank?" Andy replied with his head still resting on his arms and his eyes closed.
"No…" She bit her lower lip. "He's been expelled."
Silence reigned for a few seconds before the screeching sound of a chair being dragged on the ground echoed out.
"What!?" Andy exclaimed.
His brows raised and eyelids ajar. Even the tone he used to speak was almost perfect. As if he was just hearing of it for the first time.
The reason Andy had taken a few seconds to react was because he was thinking of how to react.
His expression was enough to convince everyone.
"When, why? The last time I saw him was last night. Before I went to bed. Zeladin is a law-abiding student, I mean, he comes to class with four pencils, every day, when he only needs one!" Andy rambled on.
He forced a laugh that felt like shards of glass in his throat, all while his nails dug into his palms. Almost drawing blood.
With every pretentious second that went by, he fought the emotional lump that had gathered in his throat.
Is this all I amount to? I can't do anything but act this way even after my best friend has been murdered.
"We don't know why… however, there are speculations. Selena too has been expelled, and everyone knows that…" She paused.
"That what?"
You couldn't possibly not know, you are his best friend. You of all people would know. Do you want me to spell it out? Jessie thought.
"That they were dating. Perhaps they crossed the line, and they were caught. Maybe they tried… kissing." The last part of her sentence came out as a whisper.
Her cheeks quickly turned pink and she bent her head to use her brown hair to cover her face.
"We don't know what happened, however, we were all planning to head to the principal's office to demand that he be forgiven for whatever he had done." Jessie got a hold of herself.
There's no going back from an expulsion. There's a reason why no one has even come back from one.
"What if the principal says that it's out of his hands?"
"Then we complain and plead with the board of directors."
"What if they say the same?"
"Then we protest!" A reply came from the crowd.
"That could get us expelled!"
"They won't expel all of us at once." Jessie disagreed.
I don't want to be involved in this!
Though Andy thought this way, he could slowly see the connection between him dying if he avoided Principal Ganaf.
It would be out of his character if everyone in his class went to fight for Zeladin and he, the best friend, refused to join them. That would make him a primary suspect for the investigation Principal Ganaf was ordered to carry out.
Moreover, the creature that killed Zeladin and Selena was still out there. At this point, he could only agree to join them.
"Let's… do that then." He sounded lackluster. But to the ears of many students around, Andy sounded like a troubled friend. Worried about his friend's state.
As for the keen ones, they noticed something off, but chose to remain silent.
A few of them locked gazes and secretly exchanged nods.
Jessie stepped out of 13A, making her way to B. She spent a few minutes there, before heading for 13C.
This went on until she finally exited 13E.
Behind her were the students of these classes, ready to stand for Zeladin.
As much as Zeladin was a very close friend to Andy, he was a good person to his other classmates. There is hardly anyone in the academy who didn't like Zeladin.
He was the star student that everyone adored.
None of them could accept this expulsion. They didn't really care about Selena, all they wanted was Zeladin's expulsion to be rescinded.
In a matter of minutes, more than a hundred and fifty students of grade 13 marched towards the principal's ward, the Senate building, and behind them, Andy followed nervously.
From afar, they could all see the sixth and seventh floors of the Senate building. It was one of the tallest structures in the academy and one could almost see every part of the academy's land from its top.
Its walls had a soft shade of cream, with flowers that grew around the walls of the building.
By the time they arrived at the entrance of the Senate building, they found all of their teachers waiting for them by the entrance of the Senate too.
All 24 teachers of the thirteenth grade. All of them looked worried and down, as though they too weren't in support of Zeladin's expulsion.
Seeing the students arrive here, they all shared looks of understanding with them.
That was when the doors to the Senate opened and Principal Ganaf walked out.
"This is quite the morning, the entirety of the thirteenth grade has come to greet me." He smiled and said cheerfully, as though he was unaware of why they were here.
If anything, he had been expecting something of this nature.
"Why don't you all come in? We've been due for a discussion as a whole for a while now. The auditorium is free right now." Principal Ganaf invited.
He hadn't even given them a chance to say anything.
Without a word, they all began heading for the auditorium. Andy walked slowly, looking ahead, knowing fully well that he would have to pass by the principal.
"Oh, Anderson, you're here too?" Principal Ganaf exclaimed slightly, as though shocked to see the young man.
Upon hearing his name being uttered, Andy felt chills run down his spine. But before fear could even encroach its way into his mind, his acquired skill came to the rescue.
[Fear Response Overdrive (Lv1)]
The words flashed before his eyes, calming him down. Andy responded like he knew no better.
"Haha, Old man,"
"Did you have a pleasant night?" Principal Ganaf asked and paid close attention to Andy's body language.
What does he mean? Is he trying to test me? Andy almost clenched his butt.
The fear that had been doused previously seemed to creep in sharply, however, before it could affect his body's language, it was suppressed again.
"No, not really. I didn't get enough sleep, never do. And then when I got to class, Jessie told me…" He uttered lightly, sounding a bit confused and overwhelmed.
Andy rubbed the back of his neck with a sweaty palm.
Principal Ganaf sighed. "Let's talk about this inside."
Seeing the man's expression, Andy wondered if he had let on, or escaped suspicion.