SHE STRAIGHTENED OUT

her pink and white-striped polo tee, even though she was soon the change out of it when she reached her dorm.

The shadow of the old gates guarding the large private school donned over her not-exactly-small figure. Again, despite her averageness, she was above average height for a girl her age, measuring around a whopping 5'6". That made her taller than most of the boys at her old school, but enough about the past, right now was the present; and she was soon to worry about the future.

A fairly attractive woman greeted Adeline, maybe not so professionally, but she still greeted her!

"You must be Adeline Tran." the woman said- totally butchering Adeline's last name, not allowing room for Adeline to correct her as she began to speak again.

"Welcome to Bullworth Academy." She said, with an air of flamboyance, her enthusiasm for this dump of a school was plausible, Adeline thought.

The woman let out a sigh, "I assure you, you'll he very happy here. Very happy indeed, yes." she told Adeline, putting an emphasis on "very happy". Adeline had a feeling that she would not be very happy here at all, in fact, Bullworth seemed like more of a graveyard than a school.

"Anyway, I can't spend my whole life waiting around her for naughty little children to arrive. I've got a man to make happy." She exasperated, Adeline recoiling slightly, grimacing at the woman's words.

Why would you say this to a fifteen-year-old? Adeline thought to herself.

"The headmaster is expecting you, Tran," she said, gesturing to the gates. "In his study."

"Uhm, okay." was all Adeline could reply with, already feeling uneasy. As much as she wanted to turn on her heels and bolt out of the vicinity of the campus, her conscience kept her from doing so.

"Don't keep Dr. Crabblesnitch waiting," the woman said to Adeline, opening the gates up so they could both walk through.

Adeline made sure to fall behind just a little, so she wasn't in conversation-range of the woman, avoiding small talk at all cost. She walked through the courtyard, overhearing and spotting some interesting conversations.

"God, what kinda school is this?" Adeline muttered under her breath as she had to walk past two poor kids getting tormented by students triple their size.

Reaching the front doors of the school, she pushed them open, only to find that they were pull doors instead.

She felt her face redden temporarily, but it faded as she stepped in and felt the cold air brush against her face, basking in the cool of the school's main entrance. Yeah it was autumn, but the cold never really bothered anyone anyway. The inside seemed much nicer than its exterior.

"The headmaster, in his study.." she repeated to herself, glancing around the room, taking a mental note of everything and the students.

She looked around more, before her eyes eventually landed on a sign, on the second floor, she could make out a P, and an R, on the sign. Using her context clues, she figured it said "principal" and began heading up the large stairs.

Stepping into the office with caution, she saw a man sitting behind the desk. "I take it you must be Tran?" His voice was loud, booming through the once quiet atmosphere, raspy and gruff. Adeline wanted to ask him if he's capable of clearing his throat.

"Uhm, yes. Also, it's pronounced Tr-ahn-"

"Don't correct me."

"Alright. Yes, sir."

She wasn't even in uniform yet and everything was already turning out worse than she anticipated it to be.

"Let's see, it seems here you haven't done much wrong," he looked down at the desk, his finger scanning over a paper.

"Insubordination, bad language, disrespecting faculty members.." He trailed off, looking back up at the girl who was now sat in front of him.

"You see, Tran," he said, getting up from his chair now.

"It's pronounced—"

"Many people wonder why I spend my time, wasting my life away on children who do nothing but wrong. And well to that I say.." he paused.

"What do you say?—"

"If you would let me finish," he snapped "To that I say, well, it's my calling!"

Adeline nodded as if she cared or understood what was currently being fed to her.

"It's what I do," the man continued "many of the students here excel at causing trouble! You're no different, Tran." This caused Adeline to let out an audible groan.

"I happen to excel at fixing students like you! At making children respectable members of our community here at the academy!" He stepped closer to poor Adeline.

"I've got a good feeling about you, Tran. A feeling that you and I are going to be great friends!"

These words made her feel just a little bit more comforted, although the unease in her stomach still lingered.

"Now, you keep that nose clean, child, or I shall clean it myself!" he said sternly, pointing a finger at Adeline.

He turned to look at a set of open doors, "Miss Danvers, are you back yet?" And to which that question was answered, the woman from back at the gate, presumably Miss Danvers came rushing in with a tray of two teacups and a kettle.

"Yes, headmaster, and I have your tea ready too."

Miss Danvers' tone when speaking to Dr. Crabblesnitch was higher, and more sultry. They definitely had something going on.

"You really are good to me, Miss Danvers." He told her, as she set the tray down onto the desk.

"No more than you deserve, headmaster." she cooed at him, causing Adeline to grimace for maybe the second time today.

"Take our new friend Adeline here, and show her around the school, and get her properly attired," he ordered her, giving her a light pat on the back and shoulder.

"Yes, headmaster," she said with a nod of her head. "Now, come along, I haven't got all day." Her tone instantly switched up when she was talking to Adeline, but she didn't mind and she didn't want to protest, she was in no mood to.

As they both began their way out of the office, Dr. Crabblesnitch spoke up once more.
"And remember Tran, keep a clean nose, or we shall clean it for you." He hissed.

Adeline had no choice but to nod, just wanting to get out of that damned office already.