The next morning, Mom dropped me and Mya off at the front entrance of the school. After entering, we went our separate ways as she headed toward her class while I walked straight to my locker. Inside of it was nothing but an old textbook that Ms. Walters insisted we bring home to study, but no one ever did. Trust me.

My phone vibrated in my pocket from a text. I took it out and viewed the message, seeing the words, Turn around.

My body rotated instantly to see Lucas walking in my direction. “Morning, babe,” he said. “How’s everything?”

“How’s everything?” I retorted back in disbelief. How’d he think it was cool to ignore me for days and then casually ask that? “What the hell, Lucas? You haven’t been answering any of my calls. I would’ve texted you to hang out with me and Tyler yesterday, but I just got my phone back this morning. I was gonna come by your house if I didn’t see you in school today.”

“Sorry.” He placed his hands on my waist. “I didn’t mean to worry you like that. I just haven’t been feeling well, but I do have some good news. I wanted to keep it a secret until everything was finalized, but now that it is, I’m ready to tell you.”

“What? What is it?”

He smiled. “I got signed to Skull Knight Records.”

My eyes expanded before the most unattractive squeal was released. “Yes, yes. Oh, my God, I’m so happy for you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. He flinched from my embrace. “You alright? I felt you jump a little.”

“Yeah, I’m good. I was contacted by the label yesterday and signed the contract this morning before I drove here. It all feels like a weird dream. Everything is happening so fast. I’m excited and scared at the same time.”

“And that’s normal. But speaking of weird, do you remember anything that happened two days ago?”

His lips pressed together while his eyes wandered. When he finally opened his mouth to answer, my name called out on the loudspeaker diverted his attention. I was told to come to the principal’s office.

“Looks like you’ve got somewhere to be,” he said with a shrug.

“I guess. You’re gonna answer my calls and texts now, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you later, babe.”

I watched him scurry down the hall, my concerns for his well-being overshadowing the dreaded feeling of being called to the principal’s office. He was clearly hiding something, but what? Did it have something to do with her?

Whatever. I had to focus on me, and that started with entering the principal’s office down the crowded hall. Upon entering the room, I was greeted by the principal’s smile as I sat in the chair across from him. The variety of items on the shelf behind him always caught my attention, ranging from bobble heads, action figures, and certificates, to a golden plate that read ‘Principal Duncan’.

“Do you know why I called you in, Aliyah?” he asked. His brown, bald head was as shiny as ever.

“I don’t know, to talk to me about what happened last week?”

He took out a beige folder from inside his desk. “No. That unfortunate event is what parents and counselors are for. I’m here to talk to you about your education.”

“I’m not graduating, am I?” I swallowed hard and stared at him. “Just tell me. I’m failing.”

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“Whether you graduate or not is up to you, Aliyah. My job is to inform you of what needs to be done so that you can graduate if you so choose to.” He cleared his throat and scanned through the papers on the desk before resuming. “Because you missed more than a month of work this semester due to the incident that took place with you and Valeria Vasquez, it looks like you’re going to have to attend Saturday morning classes. They are designed to complete older assignments necessary to qualify for graduation.”

Oh, hell no.

“Saturday morning school? Principal D, you’ve gotta be joking. I’m already having enough trouble with the classes I’m taking now. More work is just ridiculous. How can I do all of that?”

His face contorted as if I had asked a stupid question. “You find time. There’s also the matter of your SAT scores compared to your GPA. You did exceptionally well on the test, but your grades throughout senior year have not reflected the high score you received. I also found out from your guidance counselor that you have not chosen any colleges to attend after the summer. Care to explain why you haven’t?”

I hated talking about the future, maybe because I wasn’t sure what mine would be like, nor did I have any direction to reach a credible one. Even before the demons arrived and took up all my time, I could never think of what I wanted to do with my life, no matter how long I sat and thought about it.

“I don’t know. I just don’t have any plans at the moment. Sorry if that’s disappointing.”

He folded his hands on the desk and smiled. “Aliyah, I’ve seen you participate in multiple fundraisers and community service activities in the past. You were such an enthusiastic student and always happy to make a difference. Despite average grades and frequent absences, you were one of the brightest students at Ravenvale High. That’s the Aliyah Dawn you needed to be this year, but your recent altercation with Candice Santos and your decreasing grades are telling me that she’s not present. Tell me what happened to her.”

“Life happened.” My answer removed his jolly expression. “My brother and my best friend died, not to mention making the world a better place has gotten a lot more complicated. I’m still the same girl, just going through new problems. Whatever, though, right? If Saturday morning classes are what I have to do to graduate, then so be it, ‘cause I can’t be a failure, Mr. D. I have a little sister who looks up to me, and I wanna be in a higher position in life to help people more.”

He nodded. “Mm-hmm. Go on. Tell me how you feel and why you want to help people.”

Now my face was twisted from confusion. “’Cause it’s the right thing to do? I hate seeing people in misery. I don’t want my generation or the next one to be consumed by negativity. I'll do whatever I have to do to fight for them ‘cause that’s just who I am. Period.”

He clapped with a wide grin. “Well, that wasn’t hard, was it?”

“Huh?”

He laughed. “Right there. That’s your voice. That’s your guide to completing the rest of your senior year and deciding a future for yourself. With that said, I’ll be notifying your parents in a few days regarding your placement in the Saturday morning courses. They start in two weeks, and I’ll also be setting up a meeting between you and your counsellor to discuss college applications. Sound good to you?”

“Uh, yeah. Sounds good.” I smiled, thinking back on my words. “Thanks, Principal D.”

☾☼☽

I made it my mission to stay focused for the remainder of the school day, swapping any thoughts of demons and Alvin with what was on the board in front of me. How long would my concentration last? I had no idea. All that mattered was improving my grades enough to graduate.

Halfway into history class, the vibration of my phone brought me out of my studies. I peeked up at the front of the room and made sure the teacher’s attention was elsewhere before taking out my cell. It was a bit disappointing to see a text from Tyler instead of Lucas, but his message left me in absolute dismay.

She’s here.

I texted back with haste. Who?

An instant reply from Tyler came with one word that made my heart thump in my chest.

Valeria.

That name took all of my senses away, only returning at the sound of my phone falling on the floor.

“Are you alright, Aliyah?” the teacher asked in concern. He stood up from his desk and approached me.

“I-I need to go.”

I picked up my phone and stormed out of the classroom while scrolling through the contacts in my cell. My shaky finger finally landed on its destination: Lucas's number.

“Please pick up, please pick up,” I repeated while rushing to the entrance of the school. My body would not stop shaking.

After countless failed calls and unanswered messages, I decided to text Janet, who replied after a minute.

I’ll meet you in front of the school.