Diane smirked, breaking the silence. “So, am I expelled already, or do we pretend this is a fresh start?” The principal tilted her head, calm as ever. “You’ll stay—for now,” she replied. Then, after a beat: “But patterns interest me. They tell me where defiance begins.” Carol shivered.
The principal folded her hands neatly. “Your teachers describe you as… spirited.” Her eyes didn’t leave Diane’s, but Carol felt the words echo against her ribs. Spirited wasn’t praise; it was a warning. The air between them thickened, as if the office itself knew secrets neither dared name.