Try To Change Me

Chapter 24

Ms Smith could hear arguing as she neared the final turn in the tunnel, three unnaturally quiet teenagers trailing behind her. Briskly, she wiped underneath each eye, once again rejoicing in the fact that she had applied waterproof mascara that morning, and sucked in a steadying breath. She was as ready as she would ever be. Rounding the corner, Ella stopped still, causing a startled Ebony to crash into her shoulder.

In front of them, Mr Irving had Hazmat pressed to the wall, his forearm against his throat. The younger man’s toes were barely touching the ground, and yet he was smirking broadly. Behind Ms Smith, Finn noted that the surface the man was pinned against remained solid. He supressed a shiver.

Phitz and Austen stood to the side, arms folded across their chest and feet shoulder width apart as if they were awaiting a referee’s decision instead of watching their coach choke a man, and Ms Smith tsk-ed at them. She looked away in disgust when she realised that Carissa had practically draped herself over the second boy, animatedly describing something though h remained disinterested.

“Anthony!” she scolded, taking a step closer. Until that afternoon, Ms Smith had regarded herself as a pacifist but now she couldn’t deny that it wasn’t the violence of the situation that offended her, just the fact that if the imp died then they would never find out what the heck was going on.

Jolted back to the present by his colleague, Mr Irving drew back, allowing a gasping, swearing Haz to sink to the floor. He landed badly and jarred his thigh, but the older man had regained his self-control and didn’t laugh.

“Well Haz,” He growled, taking another careful step away. “Everybody’s here now; time to start talking.”

Hazmat readjusted himself, settling on the ground with a final glare for Mr Irving.

“Well,” the younger man said, smiling congenially, “This is hardly the appropriate atmosphere…”

Austen interrupted. “What’s going on?”

Disgruntled, Hazmat raked his hair out of his eyes and frowned. “It’s a very long…”

“Give us the short version,” Phitz instructed, folding his burly arms across his chest. The gesture itself was intimidating from a boy of his size, but the raised brow that accompanied it had Haz squirming. If the teenager attacked him, he doubted any of the onlookers would come to his defence. Except maybe Ella.

“You owe us an explanation, Hazmat,” the female teacher hissed.

Maybe not Ella.

“And I’ll give you one,” He snapped. “But if you could appreciate that this day has been full of surprises for me too, this might go a little more smoothly.”

“None of us are looking for smoothly,” Mr Irving growled, cracking his knuckles violently, “We’re looking for truthfully.”

Leaning against the opposite wall, Salena whimpered, her shoulders sagging. “I’d like smoothly,” she moaned quietly, choking back a sob as a hand rested on her shoulder.

Ebony smiled at her as comfortingly as she could, even though the other girl didn’t meet her eyes, before quickly frowning at Haz. Wherever her gaze wandered, she refused to let it drift anywhere near Austen or the blonde rat who had situated herself under his arm. Carissa’s curls were tickling his chin as she pressed herself to him, but the boy seemed oblivious.

Phitz noted, though, that his glare was particularly fierce and kept flashing to the petite brunette who was hidden in plain sight as far away from him as possible.

With a preparatory cough, Haz nodded. “Fine. But it’s a long story. Perhaps you’d be more comfortable sitting?”

At that, Carissa did pipe up. “In a drain? I don’t think so.”