"What is that THING in your backpack?" My best, and only, friend screeched as she invaded my personal space and yanked my backpack down to her level so she could see the inside of it more clearly.

"It's my new pet dragon." I replied, trying my best not to roll my eyes as it was pretty obvious the reptile in my bag was a dragon.

I mean, how many real-life reptiles can you name that have wings? My guess is a big, fat zero.

"Dragons aren't real!" She hissed as she reluctantly let go of my bag so I could stand up properly and not feel like I was an act in Cirque de Solei.

"Then why is there one in my backpack?" I asked with a smug tone as the little critter poked his head out of my bag to nuzzle my neck.

"... You're insane!" She barked as she tried her best not to try and kill me.

"Calm down, Skye. He's just a baby." I stated calmly as I tickled the baby underneath his chin and got a happy growl-giggle as a reward.

"Tobi... It's a DRAGON! You know, an eat princess, burn down villages and kill knights DRAGON!" Skye screamed while her golden-brown eyes attempted to kill me with the most potent glare they could muster.

"... You've been reading far too many fairy-tales." I rolled my eyes as I zipped up my backpack a little more so Norbert (yes, I named him Norbert) could remain hidden from people that I didn't like, which is pretty much the entire school's population aside from Skye.

"And you haven't been reading enough! I mean seriously, how did you think I would react?!" Skye flushed a bright red as she tried to intimidate me only to be thwarted by her below average height and her general dollish appearance.

"You're acting like I brought a harbinger of doom into a hospital ward full of kids." I stated bluntly as I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled heavily through my nose.

"Where did you even get that thing?!" Skye inquired as her hands turned to fists by her sides.

"I found an egg in the woods." I showed her a piece of golden shell that I saved from when Norbert hatched.

Just a little heads up, dragon eggs explode when they hatch. Wished I had known that before I set up his nest in the garage. The fire department is surprisingly very chill about garage fires, they actually believed my excuse that a gas jug exploded.

"And why were you in the woods?" Skye questioned with a suspicious glare as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

Before Skye could continue chewing me out for both finding and bringing Norbert to school, the bell rang to show we needed to get our rear ends into gear and bolt for class.

"This conversation is NOT over!" Skye hissed with murder in her eyes before jogging off towards her first class of the day.

'She'll get over it,' I thought with a small shrug to myself as I headed to my own class, easily winding my way through the crowd that seemed to part like the Red Sea to let me through.

"On time for once, Mr Williams?" Ms. McConnell, a hag of a taskmaster with a penchant for handing out detentions like candy on Halloween, questioned as I walked into the class and sat down at my seat without drawing too much attention to myself.

"I figured I'd surprise you for once." I shrugged as I gently put my bag down, hyper aware of Norbert as I got my books and stationery out.

McConnell raised an eyebrow and I saw her hand twitch for her detention form book, sending a small bolt of pure annoyance through me. As if sensing my irritation, Norbert wiggled his out of my bag, much to my, and the rest of the class's, horror. He shook out his cinnabar red scales before levelling an icy green stare at my motionless teacher and growling.

"Norbert, please no." I begged, ignoring the voice in the back of my mind screaming at me that he wouldn't listen.

That voice was right and in a second, Norbert was racing towards McConnell with fire filling his mouth. I leapt out of my seat to catch him and was successful in wrapping my hand around his muzzle before he could roast the witch like barbecue.

"Mr. Williams! What on Earth did you bring into my classroom?!" McConnell shrieked as she climbed up on her desk to gain some distance between me and the struggling Norbert.

"A Chihuahua. What does it look like?!" I snapped back as I struggled to both keep my grip on Norbert and avoid his extremely sharp claws.

"Well, get it out of my classroom this INSTANT!" McConnell yelped as we banged into the side of her desk.

"Working on it!" I barked out as I tried to wiggle us towards the door, people leaping out of the way in order to clear us a path.

I managed to get us out of the classroom and someone slammed the door behind us. I let go of Norbert and he shook himself off, obviously not as injured as I was. I looked behind me at the door and glared at the faces pressed up against the glass. They scattered and I turned back to Norbert with anger in my eyes.

"What was that about?!" I screeched at him in fury only to instantly feel remorse when he gave me a guilty look with the biggest puppy dog eyes you'll ever see.

"... Next time, don't go after my teacher unless I say so. If there is a next time." I sighed as Norbert perked up and wagged his tail, wiggling about like a puppy.

"Is it calm yet, Mr Williams?" McConnell asked opening the door slightly, her body shaking slightly.

Norbert tensed again but didn't move to attack her, which I took as a good sign. I gave her a tired nod and she almost collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut off from relief. She tossed my bag out the classroom and closed the door, clearly not taking any chances.

"I'm sure you know where the principal's office is." McConnell said, making a shooing motion as if I was too stupid to understand the meaning behind her words.

I gave her my strongest glare before picking up my bag and Norbert and walking in the direction of the principal's office, practically smelling the suspension or expulsion coming my way.

"Why do you have to be so much trouble?" I asked Norbert with a tired exhale as my sneakers thumped loudly against the tile of the floors.

Norbert gave me a toothy smile that I'm sure was supposed to be reassuring. Instead, it only cemented the feeling in the pit of my stomach that nothing would ever be the same again. I gave him a half-hearted smile back before entering the principal's office, ready to face whatever life was going to throw at me with a snarky comment and my dragon by my side.