The fencing team and the disciplinary committee had an emergency assembly early the next morning, the subject of which confounded both groups until Felicia delivered her address.

“Let it come to light that the allegations against Mr. Ashford are untrue or at the very least, unsubstantiated, and I acted impulsively on them, inconveniencing everyone present as a result and disturbing the peace about campus. No one is to harass Mr. Ashford over what transpired yesterday. I would also like it to be known that I have been–” she sighed dismally. “–a ‘massive bitch.’”

The tension in the crowd crept uneasily with every word the proud head of Andronicus used to admit her mistakes. It didn’t help that the meeting had a visitor, the heavily bandaged Zane who spent the duration of the speech sitting with his feet up, recording the whole thing on his phone, then left when she was done.

“If that ends up on the internet, I will murder him,” Felicia growled as she made her way to the conference room.

“I think he earned it,” Valerie amusedly replied. “There are people who’d go through twice the effort to hear you say that.”

“I don’t see why you’re so amused,” she snapped. “Anything he does now will be the committee’s problem.”

“I’ll worry about that when we get to it. For now, I’ll enjoy what fate has delivered to me today.”

They entered the conference room and found Alette waiting for them.

“An eventful morning?” she said sternly.

“Nothing to report,” Felicia formally replied.

“I’d hope not, after yesterday’s disaster. Between the rumors circulating the campus and the injuries you’ve accrued, I’ve half a mind to suspend your activities!”

“I am fit for duty,” Felicia asserted.

“Of that you won’t have to worry. I can’t punish you in any way the rest of the students will take notice.”

Felicia exhaled a sigh through her nose. “I believe the humiliation I’ve suffered as a result of my actions is punishment enough.”

Alette’s gaze narrowed on Felicia. “You’ve certainly paid for your actions. Your impulsive decisions, complete disregard for protocol, and abuse of your power. But you haven’t paid for going against my direct order!”

“If I may, Miss President,” Valerie interrupted. “You might make Felicia solely responsible for Zane Ashford. Since she was so keen to show him his place before he became a problem, it’s fitting he should be hers.” Felicia shot a dirty look at Valerie who only grinned.

“I considered this,” Alette stoically mused “and I think she would enjoy it too much. Instead, the fencing team will provide support to the disciplinary committee for the semester. They will be an extension of their offices, assisting in their duties on top of regular meets and competitions.”

“With all due respect, Miss President,” Felicia interjected. “The fencing team will not have the time to divide between disciplinary committee duties and regular activities–”

“You should have thought about that before wasting everyone’s time on something I explicitly forbade,” Alette harshly reprimanded.

“…Yes ma’am.”

“That is all. Leave.”

“What about Zane Ashford?”

“That isn’t any of your concern.”

Of the three classes Zane had after his lunch break, he missed two on his first day thanks to the fencing team captain; the third being scheduled in the evening after regular classes close, but before curfew. Attending these classes for the first time on the second day of school went as follows.

Zane walked through the door of his first afternoon class at the same time as the instructor, who not recognizing someone with such a prominent appearance stopped him before he found a seat. “Excuse me, who are you?”

“I’m Zane Ashford,” he replied. “I missed yesterday.”

“Ah, the absentee,” the instructor replied. “Well, Mr. Ashford, the absentee, did you enjoy your first day?”

“Uh, not really?” Zane nervously answered.

“Oh, then I suppose you’re confident enough in my material that you decided you didn’t need to attend.”

“No.”

“Then why did you miss my class?”

“I had a lot going on, okay? Get off my back.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll ask the class, then.” He turned toward the other students. “Did Mr. Ashford connect with anyone over yesterday’s material? No? No one got an email? He didn’t come to anyone’s door for assistance? Not even a text?”

“Relax, it was just one day!”

“We will cover great swaths of material in ‘just one day,’ none of which I will recap for your convenience. I don’t know which school system you came from, but I will kindly ask you to leave your ideas of ‘modern’ education at the door. Contrary to popular opinion, my job as an instructor is not to make sure you succeed. It is to provide the tools with which you will forge your own success. Whether you throw those tools aside is your business, but I will not tolerate indignance when it doesn’t pan out. If you’re going to miss my class, you’d better make sure you are prepared for it. Take a seat.”

Zane was fuming throughout that first class, he barely registered the lesson. He’d mellowed some by the time his second rolled around and opted for a measured approach.

He arrived early, and thankfully the instructor was already there. He cautiously approached the desk, ready to have his ear chewed off. “Excuse me, I missed yesterday’s lesson, and I just wanted to say–”

“Stop,” she abruptly commanded. “I don’t care why or how. In this digital age of livestreaming and telecommuting, physical attendance is not as necessary as it used to be. That being said, if you are going to miss this class which you paid for, you will inform me ahead of time. One week if you can help it, one day if you can’t. Just remember: my office hours are there to assist with and expound upon what I teach in class, not repeat it so you can hear it for the first time. Understood?”

Zane nodded respectfully, not realizing he had gone to attention.

Right after class, he went and collapsed on a bench by some flowerbeds. “Well, that’s two days down. Only a hundred and seventy-eight and two years to go.”

“Hello there… Mr. new guy.”

Zane leaned over the back of the bench and found the droopy eyed girl who greeted him on his first day standing in the flowerbed. “Hey, you’re… Haley.”

“You left before I told you my name,” she replied with her signature airy grin.

“Oh. Hi.”

“Mauri.”

“Mauri,” he halfheartedly repeated.

She leaned around beside him and tilted her head to the side. “Still not in the mood?”

“Not really, if it’s all the same to you,” he said, putting enough abrasion into his tone to come across in no uncertain terms that he was actually telling her to “go away.”

Mauri shrugged and paced aloofly behind the bench. “I thought you’d be feeling better after beating Felicia.”

Zane turned around and looked Mauri in the eye. “So you know. Does that mean you’re one of the…” She nodded, smiling proudly. “Are you gonna fight me too?”

“Not if I don’t have to,” she said after a moment of absentminded consideration.

“Then why are you bothering me?”

Mauri leaned on the back of the bench. “I just thought I’d invite you to join the literature club or the gardening club again.”

“I already told you I’m not interested,” he replied with an air of pointed suspicion.

“I know… But a lot of people got worried after your fight with Felicia… so the student council president is going to require you to participate in extracurricular activities.”

Zane stood up and faced off against Mauri. “Where do they get off–”

She didn’t move from her leisurely position on the back of the bench. “The idea is if you’re busy with a club or a sports team, you won’t have time to cause trouble.”

“Oh yeah? And what happens if I don’t?”

“Well, first you’ll be put on academic probation… Then if you stay like that for too long, you’ll be suspended… Then if you’re suspended for the same reason again, you’ll be expelled…”

“That’s bullshit!” he furiously shouted. “You can’t do that!”

“But we can…” she heartfully assured. “And if you want to keep going to school here, you’ll comply.”

Zane stammered back and forth, tearing at his hair, cutting himself short of a torrent of swears and trying his absolute hardest not to deck this remarkably relaxed girl in the face until he regained control of his temper. “It’s only my second day and I’m barely keeping up with my regular classes! How am I supposed to stack something else on top of that?”

“You could join the gardening club or the literature club… No one ever does anything at our meetings… We use it as an excuse to hang out and have the school pay for snacks…”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he retorted with a bit accusation in his voice. “Put me someplace you can keep an eye on me. Is that what you want?”

“Just a little… but we already have so many members, no one will notice one more.”

Zane chuckled disingenuously then turned on his heel and walked away. “Thanks, but no thanks. Your offer is appreciated, but I’m going to explore other options.”

“Are you sure I can’t convince you–”

“That was a polite way of telling you to go fuck yourself.”

“If that’s how you really feel… I won’t stop you. Just don’t take too long to decide.”

She returned to her club members, a medley of perturbed students who, at first glance, clearly believed they had better things to do than muck around in the flowerbeds, but became instantly diligent upon the return of their president.