Blazing Academy: Semester One (Academy For All Things Scorching #1) - Avery Song Page 0,13

me?" I asked hesitantly.

Her conflicted expression was enough of an answer.

"But it can't be me. I...I've never done that before. Sure, there are lots of incidences that have happened, but they all revolved around fire. Like the element fire. Never with wind. Or glass or whatever. I don't even know why I have such bad luck," I complained.

"I'm not sure what it could have been, but if it was one window or the classroom window, it wouldn't have been a big deal. I could make up an excuse or at least figure a way to make your 'leave of absence' temporary."

"What do you mean?" I inquired. "I'm not following."

"All the windows in the entire school are broken."

"What?! You mean...every single one?" I elaborated.

"Yes." She nodded. "Winds at a speed close to a hurricane whipped through all the windows, but the building itself is perfectly intact. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but can you understand what position I'm in?"

"I...well..." I trailed off and looked down to Cyrus, who lifted my hand up with her head and began to pat my stomach with her front paws.

Her soft whimpering made tears pool in my eyes as I stared down into her blue ones that were encircled in a silver ring.

A tear dropped to her black nose, and she tilted her head and blinked at me with sad eyes, which made more tears fall.

"Alice..." Principal Clover's tender voice was enough to set off my tears of sadness.

"Why is it so hard? All my life, I've never found a place where I've enjoyed staying. Every school I've gone to spikes a bit of hope that it'll be the place where I can learn in peace and maybe make a friend or two. Instead, something bad happens, and I'm back at square one," I cried. "I worked hard to study everything given to me ahead of time, wishing that my smartness could keep me where I am, but one bad thing after another plagues me, and then there I am, in the principal's office waiting for my grandparents to show up and sign the expulsion papers."

Principal Clover was quiet as she listened to my long confession. She certainly didn't have to, but at this point, I couldn't help but share my journey. Share the struggle I'd been through and put my grandparents through.

"No one cares about how hard all of this is for me. My mom disappeared when I was born. My dad relies on alcohol to forget about how much he loves and misses her. He was deemed incapable of raising me. Even if he wasn't the best dad, he'd always support whatever made me happy. When I told him about wanting to be homeschooled, he was perfectly fine with it, but my grandparents, who are my current guardians due to my dad's mishaps, say otherwise."

I clenched my fists in anger, more tears falling from down my cheeks.

"They say I have to go to school. That the interaction is good for me. But nothing good has ever come from any of it. Every single time since I can remember, I'd enter a school, last a few days with no incident, and boom. Something catches on fire. Someone gets burned. Something combusts. And all the fingers are pointed in my direction. I'm the culprit. I'm the person who always causes trouble, and thus, the reason why it's known in practically every school that I'm a trouble-bringer and can't last at one school institution for longer than a week."

Lifting my head to stare into Principal Clover's blue eyes, I let her see the vulnerability in my eyes.

"This isn't the rep I wanted. I never asked for whatever bad luck is following me around. I want to learn just like everyone else. I want friends to hang out with and sit with during lunch period. Or have study buddies or even a friend or two that would acknowledge me when I come to school. Yet, I'm the girl that takes a step on the property and everyone shuffles away. I'm the student who carries the reputation of Blazing Alice, the girl who brings nothing but flaming trouble wherever she goes. People mock me in the halls, laugh behind my back and in my face, and out-right bully me, all because of things not in my control. I don't want this. I never asked for any of this. I just want to be considered a normal girl. I just want to obtain of future of some sort. Get my