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Exhaustion weighed me down and turned my bones into concrete, which made ambling toward the looming school all the more grueling. The frigid Saturday morning air worsened my fatigue, forcing steamy fantasies to emerge of being curled up in a tight ball under a thick layer of blankets. Maybe I'd even manage to fall asleep. 

But sleep was hard to obtain when your mind refused to shut off. All night my thoughts flickered to all the ways I mishandled my mother while guilt at getting Mason involved gnawed at me, taking me apart piece by piece until nothing was left.

And the somber parts of my psyche felt that the sting on my cheek was deserved.

A cold wind blew flecks of wet snow against me, jerking me from my ruminating as a chill crept down my spine. Not wanting to drown any further, I shook my head and focused on emptying it, letting my eyes settle on a small bird eating berries from a juniper tree near the entrance. While enjoying its meal, it seemed so carefree -- something I envied.

Then with raw elegance, it spread its wings and flew away, knocking off white flecks from the branches in the process. A calm I haven't felt in a long while settled over me as I watched it disappear.

Sucking in a deep breath, I trudged up the steps to the school. As I was reaching for the door an arm extended around me and push it open before I could. I tilted my head back to see my curly-haired coconspirator musing at me. She lifted the drink carrier in her other hand, showing me the two Styrofoam cups nestled inside with steam billowing out from the tops of their lids.

As we moved into the warm school, I tugged a cup from the outstretched tray, letting the smell of ground coffee beans excite my tired body. Although I wasn't a fan of coffee, I nonetheless welcomed any caffeinated beverage to help me survive the next three hours with Mr. Bater.

"You'll make a good wife someday," I greeted, blowing on my drink to cool it down.

Poppy gave me one of her charming smiles. I attempted to return her gesture by forcing my fixed frown to curve upwards, but the awkward attempt only caused worry to furrow her brows.

"Everything okay?" she questioned, dropping the now empty drink carrier into a trash bin.

For a fraction of a second, the need to tell her everything crashed through me. Like a craving I couldn't shake, I yearned to have Poppy wrap her arms around me and tell me that everything would be okay. But instead, I swallowed down my emotions, hoping she didn't catch my momentary weakness.

"Everything is fine," I dismissed. "I'm just so thrilled to be at school on a Saturday morning with my favorite assistant principal that I just can't contain myself."

The look she gave me told me she didn't fully believe me, and maybe for my sake, she didn't press further. For that, I was thankful. "Well, I'm here with you, so maybe it won't suck as much. Although, that does remind me. I got a message from Kole this morning. It was a long paragraph of him begging us not to cause any more trouble with Bater while we're in detention."

"Yikes," I said, my voice echoing down the empty teal splattered hallway. "Not sure how possible that is. Did you tell him we'd put a pin in that? Circle back to it?"

"I told him I can't make any promises. Without a chaperone, the two of us are bound to misbehave."

I snickered in response. My mood had started looking up despite the fact that room 117 towered in front of me and the impending three-hour party with the worst staff member at Mountain View High was in my immediate future.

When we reached the classroom, I commented, "You know, I'm pretty confident in my long-distance running. Think I could outrun our illustrious educator?"

Poppy grinned, "I bet he's wearing one of those ugly-ass suits that are way too big for him. There's no way he can run in that."

"Should I do it then? Make a break for it?"

Before she could reply, the door swung open and the sour expression of an unpleasant man bore down at me. As Poppy predicted, he was wearing an ill-fitting grey suit that swallowed his burly body in a mass of cheap fabric.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Mr. Bater barked, "What are you three doing hovering in the hallway?"

Three?

Poppy and I turned around at the same time to see Briar standing calmly behind us in his blue duffle coat with his lips quirked in amusement. I was about to ask how long he'd been behind us, but Mr. Bater spoke first. "In. All of you. And give me your phones before you sit."

With no other option but to follow his orders, we reluctantly moved into the classroom.

Room 117 was also known as the dungeon as it had no windows and the cinder block walls were painted a parchment yellow, casting a dreary ambiance in the fluorescent light. Add the portly troll with a penchant for tormenting teens, and you had yourself a dungeon straight out of the pages of a fantasy book.

"You three are late," scolded Mr. Bater as he squeezed in behind his desk. "If this were a job, you would all be fired right now."

We all knew we weren't late. In fact, the giant clock hanging behind him showed it was exactly 7:50 A.M., ten minutes until detention started. But none of us said anything. It wouldn't matter.

"I also do not want you two," he started, swinging his sausage-like finger between Poppy and me, "to sit next to each other."

Frowning, I plopped my phone on his desk alongside Briar's and Poppy's then turned on my heel to find a seat. The room was already filled with a good number of hostages looking exactly how I was starting to feel: unenthusiastic and filled to the brim with dread.

With one last glance at my friend, I picked a spot, discarded my coat and bag, and slumped down on my desk, praying that the next three hellish hours would go by quickly. I really should have run when I had the chance.

Once Mr. Bater's lecture on what he expected from us was finished, 8 A.M. finally hit, officially starting detention. Seconds began to tick by thereafter, dragging itself along at a snail's pace until an hour in I was sure I had been there for an entire day.

By the second hour, I had completed all my homework, and I wondered if anyone in the real world had noticed I had been missing for a week.

When there were thirty minutes left, I had carved a face into an eraser and named it Wilson.

Fifteen minutes later, Mr. Bater had confiscated him.

At the five-minute marker, we all earned his ire when we started to pack up before we were allowed to. A ten-minute speech later, and we were all set free.

It took until Poppy and I was outside until either one of us spoke. "Well, I'm never doing that again," I groaned.

"Good luck on not getting another Saturday detention from Bater," snickered Poppy.

A shiver slithered down my spine as a harsh gale whipped my hair from my face. Although, I couldn't tell if it were because of the wind or if my body just had a violent reaction to the idea of repeating today again. But that was a problem for future Abbi.

"You know, fuck it. I'm putting my bag in my locker," huffed Poppy, stopping on the steps in front of me. She twirled around, her long curls sailing in wind. "I'll catch you later."

As I watched her jog back up the stairs, I felt unease encroach the edges of my mind, dampening my mood almost instantly. Exhaling sharply, I peered down at my phone and saw that I had thirty minutes until the next bus came. Deciding that I should go wait at the bus stop, I started heading in that direction, only stopping when I saw a familiar boy in a blue duffle coat standing at the side of the road.

Welcoming the distraction, I wandered over towards Briar.

"Didn't take you for a bad boy," I expressed the moment I reached him. "So, what did you do?"

He regarded me for a second and then mused, "I could ask you the same thing."

"You'll find out that this is my typical Saturday. Bater really loves spending time with me."

His nose crinkled, causing some of his light freckles to kiss each other. "You have another Saturday detention?"

"Well, not yet," I reckoned, starting to tremble from the cold. "But it's only a matter of time. I'm beginning to suspect that my mother insulted a witch at some point, and now I'm cursed."

As I blew into my hands to warm them, I watched Briar's lips form into a line. The grey beanie he was wearing was soon tugged off and pulled over my head. I felt myself become still while he situated it until my ears were covered by the warm fabric.

"It's barely 30 degrees outside, and you have no hat, scarf, or gloves on," he reprimanded in a quiet tone.

I opened my mouth to make a joke but closed it when his fingers began fixing my hair. Every so often, he'd brush against my cheek, causing heat to burn through my body. All the while I found myself drowning in his scent.

"You feel warm, are you okay?" he questioned as our eyes locked.

No, I'm not okay!

"I...uh, yeah, sure...totally," I stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence due to how close he was. What was this guy doing to me? This was not normal.

The concern he had for me didn't leave his eyes, and I was becoming addicted to seeing it. It almost made me want to do bad things so he'd look at me like this again.

Ideas about kissing Briar frolicked in my head. All it'd take was a little tug and our lips would meet. But that chance was soon taken from me when someone came up from behind, stealing his attention.

I swiveled around, following Briar's gaze to a girl who was all legs with soft brown hair that bounced like she were a model in a shampoo commercial. And she had the two most beautiful hazel eyes that just so happened to be fixated on me. I wilted under her scrutiny.

"So, who's your little friend?" she asked, giving Briar a look I couldn't decipher.

"She's just a classmate," sighed Briar, running a hand through his messy hair.

It was obvious that he was trying to assure her that I didn't have any special relationship with him. And while that was true, I felt a bit irritated by it. 

"Abbi," I decided to say since Briar didn't seem like he was going to introduce me properly. Or at all.

"Magdalene, but you can call me Maggie," she greeted, smiling. "Well, Briar and I were just about to head to Jackal and Roses for lunch. How about you join us?"

"Oh, uh," I hesitated then glanced at Briar for support who only shrugged.

"It'll be my treat," she coaxed and then added, "Please. I'd like to get to know you."

Unable to say no to that, I nodded my head, which caused her to clasp her hands together in delight.

"Great! I'll drive!" she beamed then entwined her arm around mine and dragged me off. "I have a feeling we'll be great friends."

Fuck. Why do I have a bad feeling?