To Fall So Deep

With laced fingers and joyful smiles, Nina and Harry entered the school’s main corridor with confidence. Not caring about what their peers may have thought, the couple swung their hands together in pure bliss. The notorious events that took place only two evenings ago at the Debutante Ball had the entire academy buzzing, but Harry and Nina were veterans in gossiped victims.

“Calm down there babe, don’t want your cheeks to fall off from all that smiling going on,” Nina laughed, looking up at Harry. He looked down at her, a massive, dimpled grin etched across his face.

“I can’t help it hun, I’m just so happy right now,” Harry declared. He quickly pecked Nina on the lips. “I got my favorite girl by my side, I have some of the best friends I could ever ask for… I’m feeling good.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Nina took her free hand and wrapped it around the back of Harry’s neck. She pulled his face towards hers, closing the gap between them. Nina gave him a kiss, but her act of affection was prematurely intruded by their witty friends.

“Get a room you two!” Liam yelled into Harry’s ear, causing him to jump slightly out of his skin.

“There will be none of that ya’ hear,” Leina reprimanded jokingly, wagging a finger in Nina’s face.

“Save it for the wedding,” Louis chuckled, softly throwing the football in his hands towards Harry’s head.

“Oi! Stop, will you!” Harry annoyingly grunted. He cracked a smile, snatching the ball from Louis and hurling back towards his crotch. Louis buckled from the surprise, as the others laughed at his expense.

“We’re just messing lad,” Zayn patted Harry on the back. He slung his arm around his curly-headed friend, “so, I’m gonna be your best man right?”

“Um excuse me? If anyone is going to be the best man, it’s obviously going to be me,” Liam pointed to himself. “I’m the responsible one in this group. Nothing will get done unless I’m the one doing it.”

“Guys, guys, guys,” Harry started. He stood at the center of his friends, holding out his hands. He gestured for them to stop bickering, “we haven’t even decided on a date, yet. But when we do, then we can play the Best Man Games.”

“Best man games?” Niall raised a brow.

“May the odds be ever in your favor,” Harry winked, before lacing his fingers with Nina again, and whisking her away, leaving a very stunned and confused Wolf Pack.

Harry and Nina walked into their homeroom, taking their normal seats by the window. The class was virtually empty except for the corner seat at the very back of the classroom. For a split second, Nina could’ve sworn that they had received a new student, for the girl sitting in her lonesome looked indistinguishable. However, upon further inspection, Nina recognized the thin redhead who slumped in her seat with her head hung low.

“Hey Harry,” Nina tapped on his shoulder. He spun around in his chair.

“Yea babe?” He matched Nina’s hushed tone.

“Looks like Jezabelle isn’t doing too well,” Nina subtly cocked her head in the direction of the back of the room. Harry’s eyes followed suit, and caught glimpse of the once fashionably forward girl he once knew.

Dark circles surrounded Jezabelle’s eyes, and her freckles emerged from her pale, make-up free skin—not even a trademark lip color glossed her lips. Her red hair was in a messy pile atop her head, and her small figure drowned in an official Ashford Academy hoodie, and sweat pants, as oppose to the pleated skirt, and cardigan she wore every day.

“She probably caught a cold,” Harry shrugged.

“Really Harry? A cold? Even if she were sick out of her mind, Jezabelle wouldn’t be caught dead without mascara. Plus she’s wearing sweats… I didn’t even know she owned a pair,” Nina justified. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was defending the ginger, but Nina genuinely felt bad for Jezabelle.

The remaining of their classmates began to filter into the room, taking their respective seats. Nina and Harry weren’t the only ones to notice Jezabelle’s decline in appearance, because as the classroom filled up, eyes fell upon the ginger in the corner.

“Dude,” Elissia whispered in Nina’s ear, sitting in the desk behind her. Nina turned her attention,

“Yea?”

“What’s wrong with queen bee?” Elissia asked, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. “Is she wearing sweats? I didn’t even know she owned a pair.”

“That’s what I said,” Nina pointed out, her eyes wide.

“Morning class!” A chipper voice echoed. The students turned their attention to Professor Goodwin, who happily entered the class with a cup of tea in his hand. He took a sip, “hope everyone’s doing well.”

“Not everyone,” Louis grumbled under his breath, referring to Jezabelle.

“What was that Mister Tomlinson?” Professor Goodwin asked. He set his mug onto the desk, before sitting at the edge of the table.

“Nothing,” Louis mumbled, slouching in his seat. He looked at Liam sitting next to him, and pouted his lips nervously.

Professor Goodwin scanned the room, with a clipboard in his hand, silently taking role. His eyes stopped on Jezabelle, and immediately his eyebrows furrowed at the sight. Confused, he tilted his thick glasses downwards, studying his student as his class observed his bewilderment. Suddenly, he let out a loud laugh, setting his clipboard down.

Professor Goodwin stood from the desk, “Jezabelle, I almost didn’t recognize you there. Are you feeling a little under the weather?”

“No sir, I am not feeling under the weather,” Jezabelle uttered curtly. “And if I am, why would you even care?”

“Why would I care?” Professor Goodwin repeated with concern. He stepped towards Jezabelle, “because I am your teacher. And if you were sick I would have to send you the school nurse. You never know if it could be something serious.”

Jezabelle laughed at her professor’s statement, “something serious? Really? That’s all anyone tells me these days. Serious this. Serious that. Your condition is serious. Sweetie, did you take your medication? This is a serious thing. Well you know what’s serious… seriously fucked up?”

“Jezabelle, calm down. I’m sorry if I have offended you. Would you—“

“Shut up! God! I’m tired of all this bullshit!” Jezabelle was standing from her seat at this moment, waving her arms in the air.

The entire class stared at their frantic classmate with mouths agape and concerned expressions. Turmoil projected from Jezabelle with each of her sharp movements, and there was no hint that she would ever calm down. With all the force she had in her, Jezabelle kicked her desk, sending it skidding across the linoleum floor and crashing into the opposing wall.

Everyone in the room jumped in their seats at the bang. Jezabelle screamed at the top of her lungs, snatching her fallen books and tearing them apart. She threw the shredded pages into the air before walking down the aisle and knocking down the contents from her classmates’ desks.

“I don’t trust any of you!” Jezabelle screeched through her tears. She stomped out of the room and into the halls where her shrieks echoed wildly against the walls.

“What… The fuck… Was that?” Liam uttered, pointing at the open door with his thumb.

Jezabelle’s tantrum spread through out the entire school before homeroom even ended—social media working at its finest. The gossip about Ashford Academy’s queen bee and whether or not her sanity was slowly depleting was the topic of many texts and spoken words. However, as students made their way to first period, a new piece of latest news would be added to their repertoire of scandal.

Corrine’s classroom was wide open, and students were scattered around the exposed door instead of filtering inside. Men in dark suits marched inside of the room grabbing folders, papers, and dumping them onto the ground. Corrine followed the men hastily, begging them to cease their movements. Pieces of hair unfastened themselves from her normally tight bun, sticking to her sweating forehead.

“Please sir, stop! These are just my students’ exams. I’m doing nothing wrong!” Corrine cried. The men ignored her distressed pleas and continued to rummage through the drawers and shelves.

“What’s going on?” Nina asked, as she approached the classroom door, pushing her way through the throng of students. “Why’s everyone standing aro—“

“Ladies and gentlemen, please vacate the area!” a boisterous and stern voice reverberated through the hall, sending chills down the spine of those who could hear the tingling shrill.

Nina turned her head to see Headmistress Talbot in all her rigid grandeur marching straight towards the classroom door. Two other men in suits followed closely behind. The moment Headmistress Talbot entered the classroom, Corrine looked to the stern woman to ease the edge. Running to her, Corrine grabbed Headmistress Talbot’s hands, towering over the small, old bat.

“Ma’am please help me! Who are these men? Why are they going through my things?”

Headmistress Talbot closed her eyes and sighed. With an unexpected remorseful tone she began, “I’m sorry Professor Dela Vera. There is nothing I can do about this. The second phase of the Academic Incursive Act has been activated, and you are number one on the list.”

“List? What list?” Corrine asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

Headmistress Talbot looked through the door to see the packs of students who stood by the door with anxious expressions on their faces, clutching onto their textbooks as a safety blanket of some sort. Not usually showing any other emotion other than dictation, Headmistress Talbot let her authoritarian quality go, and pulled Corrine into a hug.

“I’m sorry dear,” Headmistress Talbot exhaled, pulling away from the embrace, “but you’ve been dismissed from the academy.”

“NO!” Nina yelped, and immediately all eyes turned to her. Nina fell into Harry’s strong arms and hid her face into his chest.

Corrine’s knees buckled, and she fell to the floor, her head hanging low. She held onto Headmistress Talbot’s old hands, sobbing into them,

“Please, no. I can’t leave my students. Please ma’am, help me. I need this job. I love my students.”

“Stand up Professor… Don’t shed tears in front of these men. Have some dignity for yourself sweetheart,” Headmistress Talbot tugged onto Corrine’s hands, helping her stand to her feet.

Holding her protectively, Headmistress Talbot escorted Corrine out the door. Students immediately parted a path, and watched in gloom as one of their favored professors departed from the curriculum. Forever.

Notes

Hey!

It's been a long while since I've updated. I've been dealing with finals week, and I had to move out of my dorm room. I'm finally back home in my parents' home, but I'm still not completely free haha. Family has been visiting like crazy, and I've been having fun spending time with cousins. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed chapter 36. Please let me know if you enjoyed it. Vote up, and subscribe to. Thank you all for reading!

-Erica Jaine <3