They silently walked in the corridor as they followed the woman. Reaching in front of a certain door, she halted and so they did the same.
"Wait here."
She left them and knocked on the door. After being allowed in, the door was closed.
In that silence, Christan remained with those guys.
The brown-skinned boy stepped and stood in front of him. "Christan, hah?" He extended his hand. "I'm Joshua."
Christan glanced at the guy's hand and then his bored face like he just wanted to kill time.
And then someone grabbed the collar of the Joshua and pulled him back.
He moved so easily, as if he was weightless. He frowned in annoyance and looked at the one who did that. There, he met a pair of grey eyes.
"What the heck, Kai?" Joshua asked casually.
"Don't scare him."
The boy with glasses looked at Christan, then he chuckled. "Fragile."
Christan had a lean frame, as if his body hadn't stopped growing, and he looked delicate.
The word fragile didn't surprise him, but the tone made him uncomfortable. It felt as if he wasn't supposed to look like that if he was to be here.
But he tried hard to maintain his calmness.
Then a neutral voice cut through them. "You're forgetting something."
The one with glasses turned to the silver-haired boy, who stood with his arms crossed. "He is here. Is that enough to call him fragile?"
At that question, the other boys exchanged glances. Indeed, if that guy was in this school, then something wasn't right with him.
Joshua smiled. "I told you, he is interesting."
Finally, the woman stepped out of the office.
The boys straightened at once, as if nothing had happened.
"Take your admission documents and enter the office," she instructed them. She paused, then pointed. "You. You'll go first." Her finger stopped on Christan.
"Yes." Understanding what he was supposed to do, he stepped into the office, with "Vice Principal" written at the top.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with an undercut hairstyle and a heavy build, his fingers moving across a laptop keyboard without looking up.
Christan studied him quietly.
On the desk sat a nameplate: Vice Principal Luken.
Luken finally raised his eyes. "Have a seat."
He took a seat across from him.
As Luken typed, his gaze drifted casually to Christan's shoulder-length auburn hair. "I thought we said short hair."
He hadn't read the joining instructions. He never imagined hair length would matter. It was his favorite hairstyle.
"Where are the documents?" Luken asked, dismissing the topic.
He took his backpack and pulled out the large envelope and handed it over.
Luken flipped through the file, scanning details. Sixteen years old. He had a single parent, a mother who was a nurse. Hobbies: blank. Future career: blank.
Students tended to fill even a lie rather than leave it blank. His middle school grades were also in a sorry state.
He turned to the other page. His finger froze; he blinked. It lasted only a second, but it did not go unnoticed by Christan.
His stomach tightened. What had she written?
He watched the vice principal, waiting for him to voice his concern.
"You've transferred schools six times," Luken said carefully. "Reports mention repeated bullying."
He studied Christan's frame. "You won't experience that here."
Christan took a breath of relief, but he was not hopeful. They always said that.
Luken closed the file and typed briefly. "Students are not permitted phones. Or those things on your shoulders." His eyes flicked to the headphones resting there.
Christan's eyes widened. No phones? He glanced at the headphones. How could he live without them?
"There are visiting days," Luken added gently. "You'll see your mother then."
Christan nodded, though that was not what worried him.
"Leave your phone here. You'll receive it back the day you leave."
He had been told that after a student arrived, they would not leave until graduation. In other words, three years. Three years without a phone.
Unwillingly, he placed the phone and headphones on the table.
When Christan left, Luken's fingers tapped on the file. Health issues: post-traumatic stress disorder.
The next student entered, the silver-haired guy. He sat confidently and handed his file forward.
Ethan Grant. Seventeen. Orphan. Hobbies: volleyball. Future career: teacher.
Luken smiled proudly. The boy had a dream like he once did. However, his smile vanished when he read the reason for conviction: drug trafficking.
When he finished, Joshua came in.
Joshua Gideon. Guardian: grandparents. Hobbies: dancing. Future career: doctor. Health: recurring syncope.
Joshua smiled politely with his eyes closed as he cursed inwardly. Doctor my ass.
Luken reached the discipline report: gang-related activities.
Joshua left.
Then the round-cheeked boy entered, sweating and clutching his stomach.
"What's wrong?" Luken asked.
"My stomach," he breathed heavily. "If I don't eat, it hurts."
With a sigh, Luken reached for a donut on the table and handed it to him.
He accepted it quickly. "Thank you, sir."
Logan Baker. Guardian: brother, a police officer. Hobby: cooking. Future career: politician.
Luken closed his eyes to take it in.
Normally, he never bothered to read everything. But for some reason, these students made him to keep doing that, and they never disappointed.
The discipline report read: assault.
Luken rubbed his temples.
Next came the boy with glasses.
Alan Lawson. Parents: incarcerated. Hobby: fencing. Future career: soldier. Health issues: myopia.
Luken glanced at the boy who wanted to be in the army. He already had health issues, and he dreamed of becoming a soldier. He felt bad for him. However, the boy was distracted by something.
Alan was busy staring at the phone Christan had left on the table.
Luken reached the discipline report: arrested for robbery.
He took the phone and put it in his drawer.
Alan smiled.
After Alan left, the blonde boy stepped in.
He recognized him immediately. Kai Reynolds. He did not even need to read the file. Reynolds was the president of a huge corporation in the country.
It had been all over the news when Kai was arrested for attempted murder, and he had already served two years in detention.
"Greetings, sir," Kai said casually as he took a seat.
Luken read his information. Hobbies: fashion. Future career: actor. Health issues: allergic to cold water.
His forehead creased.
"May I go now?" Kai asked.
Luken nodded.
When all of them left, the female teacher returned.
Luken looked at her and ordered, "Put them in the same room."