Chapter 02 — The Switch

AVA 

The bell rang for the first period, causing me to let out a tired sigh. I was about to shut my eyes while leaning into my locker for support when someone suddenly shoved at me. 

My eyes snapped open, a wave of nerve stirring up in my body at the sight of Maddie Davis. She’s a senior, who happens to be hell bent on making the rest of my high school year a living nightmare. 

“Where’s my assignment, dork?” She hissed, knocking the books out of my hand. 

“I’m sorry… I didn’t have the time to go through it. You see there was a party at the house…” 

She hit me across the face before the words even left my mouth. 

“Who said I give a flying fuck about your reasons for not doing my assignment. What am I supposed to tell the teacher?” 

“I’ll do it, give me a minute." I tried to appease her, dropping to my knees to pick up the books she knocked out of my hand. 

Big mistake on my part because the next thing I knew, she slammed my head against the floor. My vision blurred for a second, making me clutch  my head from pain. 

I felt something wet drip down my face, staining my shirt. Grabbing hold of my hair, she dragged me to my feet. 

People gathered around, making no move to intervene as she slams me against the wall. Looking at her through my blurring vision, I knew I had to do something.  

“Let go of me!” I cried out, shoving her with all my might. 

Not giving her a chance to overpower me again, I got on top of her, slamming my fist into her face. Remembering all the time she had bullied me, by shoving my head into the toilet bowl. 

Passing around my lunch, exposing the fact that I was on my period to the entire school. Remembering all this made me hit her harder. 

“That’s enough!” Hearing a teacher’s voice, I stopped hitting her. 

The teacher pulled me off of her, shaking his head at me in disappointment. I wasn’t known to get into fights, in fact I avoid conflict at all times. So, seeing the disappointing way he was looking at me, breaks me a little. 

“Oh my god!” Maddie cried out, falling into the teacher’s arms. “She hit me, I hurt so much.” 

“What? You started it. You attacked me!” I defended myself against her lies. 

“Miss Heavens, I saw you on top of her, hitting her. What sort of exhibition of violence is that? As one of the school student ambassadors you know violence is frowned upon!” 

“Are we seriously surprised? Her family are basically thugs. This is what they do, why are people like her permitted to interact with humans?” Maddie hissed, wiping her fake tears. 

Her words stung deeper than a bee’s bite. Because that’s what they call me, the thug’s daughter. Or a criminal’s daughter. 

“Maddie, that’s enough.” The teacher mutters in a stern voice. 

“See? Are you all seeing this?” Maddie raised her voice, staring at the crowd like she’s in a school play or something. 

“We aren’t safe around these thugs. Especially her! The Tukhas are at least nice and keep to themselves. It’s always the wanna be who goes around trying to intimidate people.” 

She continues to cry. “My father may not be a thug but he is a judge, imagine what he will think of this!” 

“That’s enough!” The teacher barked louder. “Miss Heavens will be punished according to the school law. There’s no need to get your families involved.” 

Grabbing hold of my hand, the teacher pulled me away from the crowd, until we arrived at the principal’s office. She told him everything while I stood there knowing there’s nothing I can say to defend myself. 

“Attacking your fellow student in the hallway? I don’t know how things are done at your house Miss Heavens but this is a school and we don’t tolerate such behavior. You are thereby stripped of your ambassador's title.” 

Hearing the principal’s final judgment, tears steamed down my face. I nodded, accepting the detention note he handed to me. A week detention and my title revoked just for standing up for myself.  

I couldn’t go to class after that. In fact for the rest of the day, I sat under a shade sobbing into my palm. 

At some point, I sensed someone watching me, but when I looked in the direction, no one was there except for a gush of wind. 

It wasn’t until school dismissal that I was forced to abandon my position. I waited at our usual spot for Asher. 

However when he showed up, he seemed out of breath and alarmed for some reason. 

“Hey, why are you panting so much? This better not be one of your stupid pranks. I am not in the mood for it,” I warned. 

“What no! Caden has gone mad. He’s attacking a teacher, one of the students told me but I wanted to be sure. Is it true?” 

I frowned at him. “What did I say about pranking me—?” I got interrupted by a loud noise. 

Asher and I exchanged looks, then hurried in the same direction.  Arriving at the scene, my steps faltered just as Caden carried a chair and slammed it across the teacher’s head. 

Blood splash everywhere, some landing on me in the process. Slapping my hands over my mouth to stop myself from screaming, I could only stare in horror. 

Asher ran forward, pushing him away from the teacher as he left to grab another chair. The two struggles, while the teacher was passed out on the floor. 

“What the hell?” The principal yelled, arriving at the scene with a couple more teachers. 

I looked at Caden—no, I wasn’t sure who the person in front of me was. He is staring at the teacher with so much hate. 

As if becoming aware of someone watching him, he looked in my direction. I choked, retreating backward and fleeing the scene. I didn’t make it far before puking somewhere nearby. 

I heard footsteps behind me, thinking it was Asher, I turned to talk to him. However my voice died down at the sight of Caden’s blood soaked figure. 

“Get away from me!” I cried, gripping my own shirt. “How could you do that? You attacked a teacher, our teacher!” 

He blinked at me, then his eyes dropped down. 

“How could you? I thought you were different. Turns out Asher is the different one, why can’t you be more like him?” I demanded, eyes flaring as he suddenly stalked toward me. 

He slammed me against the wall, his hands closing around my throat. I choked, my eyes widening. 

He reared back as abruptly as he had advanced toward me. His eyes also widened at me. When he took a step forward, I flinched, fearing the worse. 

He retreated, then fled in the opposite direction. I sat down on the ground, touching my burning throat while trying to make sense of what just freaking happened!