The Academy of Underachievers: Year One

by Alex Dafney

  “In this class, I will show you all the ways a witch, such as myself, can tempt an investigator in the field.”

  Colton’s eyes follow her cleavage as she slowly returns to standing, moving over to the boy who sits next to him. She drops down to his lap, wrapping her hands behind his neck as his smile widens. Moving her eyes around the room, she gently runs her fingers through his hair.

  “For centuries, witches have been known as the hardest perpetrators to convict, simply because of our enticing nature.”

  She rises from his lap, moving to the next boy. As she straddles him, my mouth falls open as my cheeks turn bright red. Grabbing the side of his head, she forces his face between her breasts.

  “You see, the male brain seems to stop functioning when in the presence of a female witch. That’s what I’ll be here to teach you. To help you overcome the desire you will feel while interrogating, or apprehending a suspect.”

  After what feels like the most uncomfortable hour of my life, I watch Mistress Aurelia saunter back to the front of the room.

  “Class is dismissed.”

  I lift my bag from the floor, pushing myself to stand and quickly moving for the door.

  “Female student. I need a word with you.”

  I pause, looking over to her as the boys run around me out the doorway. Stepping over to her desk, where she lounges on the corner, swinging her leg back and forth, I wonder what she possibly has to speak with me about. “Yes, Mistress Aurelia?”

  She doesn’t bother looking at me as she admires her long, black fingernails. “Why are you in my class?”

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes at the all too familiar question. “I, uh, I’m here to learn how to become an investigator.”

  She lifts her eyes to mine, giving me a coy smile. “Are you romantically interested in women?”

  My eyes widen as my face heats. Shaking my head quickly, I stammer out a no.

  She makes a tsk sound, moving her gaze back to her nails. “Too bad. I was going to involve you in some of the role-playing activities.”

  My cheeks still flame as I crease my brow together in concern. “Is that, um, against school policy? I mean, isn’t there rules against teachers and students, you know?”

  She scoffs, lifting her gaze to me with one eyebrow arched, an annoyed look on her face. “You are the only female I’ve ever had show up for class. And no, there are no rules that say I can’t enjoy my harem.” She rolls her eyes, pushing herself from the desk and standing before me.

  “There aren’t any rules here period. We follow the general rules of the world, like, no killing people, don’t perform illegal activities, but other than that, the students nor faculty abide by a handbook.”

  I shake my head lightly, not believing there aren’t standards in this institution.

  She flips her hand toward the door behind me. “Run along, and don’t come back.”

  I turn on my heels, rushing out the door, and knowing I won’t be going back to that class.

  There’s no sense in me sitting for an hour watching a woman throw herself at students, and I don’t think I’ll ever need the information from her class. Making my way toward the stairs, I jog upward for my next and final course of the day. Peeking around the doorframe of room 604, I once again find an empty classroom, except for the teacher who has his head down on his desk.

  I make my way to the first table in the room, placing my bag next to me as I slide into a seat. My eyes move over to the door as the girl, I presume, is Jet’s girlfriend strolls into the room.

  Her eyes lock on mine, and she stops. “What are you doing in here?”

  I shrug one shoulder. “Waiting for class to begin.”

  She gives me an annoyed look before walking over to the teacher's desk. “Mr. Allen,” she yells at him.

  The older man lifts his head quickly, looking around the room with a bewildered face.

  “It’s time for class,” she says sweetly before walking over to the table that sits next to the one I’m at.

  I turn toward her, smiling at her. “I’m Briar-.”

  She cuts me off instantly. “Yeah. I’ve heard.”

  I pinch my brows together at her clipped tone but turn to face the front of the room.

  “Looks like we have a full class this semester.” Mr. Allen jokes as he pushes himself to standing. He clasps his hands behind his back as he moves to the front of his desk, facing us. “Welcome to History of the Paranormal.”

  I lift my bag, sliding a notebook from inside and placing it in front of me.

  “The Paranormal Enforcement Agency began in 1702, although it is believed amongst most scholars to have started during early civilization, only coming to an actual agency in the early eighteenth century.”

  I quickly scribble along the page as he speaks.

  “Unlike my colleagues, I do have standards for my class, and you will be tested on the material at hand.” He moves around the desk, taking a seat and looking between the other girl and me. “Grab a textbook from the back. Read chapters one through three, and I’ll see you on Wednesday to discuss the material.”

  I sit with my pen in hand, ready to take more notes, but he folds his arms on the desk, dropping his head.

  “He’s taking a nap.”

  I look over to the girl across from me as she stands, flipping her dark hair behind her shoulder.

  Shoving the notebook into my bag, I lift it and place the strap on my shoulder before spinning toward the back of the room to grab the textbook. As I turn, I nearly collide with her.

  “Watch where the hell you’re going, freshman.”

  I mumble an apology as I step around her, striding toward the shelf to claim my book. Turning back toward the front of the room, I find Jet casually leaning against the doorframe, a grin on his face as his girlfriend walks toward him.

  “I didn’t realize you were taking classes this semester.”

  She lifts her hand, flipping her hair over her shoulder before grabbing his arm and trying to jerk him out of the room.

  He looks over the top of her head, his smile widening as his eyes meet mine. “Hey, Briar. I didn’t know you were in this class too.”

  I smile as I walk toward them, noticing the death glare she gives me over her shoulder.

  “Come on, Jet.” She again tries to pull him out of the room, but he stays in place.

  “Did you decide about the bonfire?”

  I give a casual shrug as I stop next to them. “Maybe.”

  He pokes his bottom lip out in a faux pout as force down a giggle. “Please. You can hang out with Angie and me. We’ll introduce you to some people.” He moves his eyes to her, a broad smile on his face. “Right, Ang?”

  She lets out an exaggerated sigh, looking over to me and rolling her eyes. “Yeah. Sounds like fun.” Her voice drips with sarcasm, causing me to want to deny the invitation, but Jet looks at me expectantly, a genuine smile still placed on his lips.

  Either he doesn’t catch on that his girlfriend doesn’t like me, or he doesn’t care. Regardless, I don’t want to cause any problems between them. I shake my head lightly. “I’m not sure if I’m going or not. Maybe I’ll see you there if I do.”

  Angie tugs at his arm again, and this time he lets her lead him out of the room, looking back to me over his shoulder with a smirk on his face.

  “I’ll be looking for you tonight.”

  She jerks his arm, and he faces forward, them striding down the hall.

  Tilting my head back, I sigh up to the ceiling. The first cute boy I meet, and he has a girlfriend. A girlfriend who hates me for no reason.

  Chapter Three

  I stand in the bathroom, looking at my reflection in the cracked mirror for the second time today. After much debate, I decided to attend the bonfire after all. Not because I want to run into Jet, but because I need to put myself out there and meet the students.

  Glancing down, I run my hands over the tunic style dress I paired with ankle booties, quirking my l
ip to the side as I dissect my outfit.

  The weather is supposed to cool once the sun fades, so I think this will be a perfect outfit for the night. Not to mention, this is my lucky dress. Every time I’ve worn it, something great happens. Sure, it’s a little silly and superstitious to believe a dress has the power to cause good mojo, but it hasn’t failed me yet.

  Lifting my eyes back to the mirror, I give myself a nod before turning and walking into my dorm room to grab my phone before heading to the bonfire.

  Stepping into the hallway, I’m delighted to see numerous students heading for the stairway. I fall into the crowd, climbing the spiral staircase and walking toward the main entrance.

  “Hey!”

  I glance over to a girl who walks beside me, smiling at me. “You’re room one hundred, right?”

  I nod, smiling at her as well. “I am. My name is Briar.”

  We stride out of the primary doorway side by side.

  “I’m room one hundred and one. Chasity Echols. How are you managing to sleep through the noise?”

  I chuckle as I shake my head, following the other students toward where the bonfire is going to be held. “Honestly, I’ve been keeping my earbuds in at night and blaring music from my phone.” I turn to her, scrunching my nose up. “Although, it’s not working like I would’ve hoped. I still hear every toilet that flushes in the building.”

  She giggles as she nods in agreement. “I wish my sister would’ve warned me about the dorm room process. I thought I’d be assigned a room, not dashing to claim one.”

  I laugh along with her, wishing I would have known in advance as well and gotten a better room.

  “Nothing we can do now, though. Not until next year.”

  I shake my head as we turn at the corner of the building, walking through the damp grass. “I won’t be here next year. I just have to make it through the next one hundred and eighty-two days.”

  I can feel her gaze on me. Turning and looking over to the scowl she wears.

  “What do you mean, you won’t be here? Are you quitting?”

  I shake my head as I face forward, continuing our trek. “I’ll be transferring to a more prestigious school.”

  As she scoffs, I look over to her, noticing the frown on her face. “Sorry the Underachievers isn’t good enough for you.”

  I open my mouth to rebuttal, but she steers away from me, disappearing into the crowd.

  I sigh as I look forward, knowing I’ll need to keep that bit of information to myself if I hope to find a friend. As we crest the top of the hill we’ve been climbing up, I see a massive fire in the valley, people mingling around it.

  Being careful not to slip down the slope, almost everyone passes by me, venturing off to form small groups around the fire.

  Once I’m standing on flat ground, I glance around, clasping my hands in front of me nervously. I’ve never been great at social gatherings, and this isn’t going to be an exception. As I scan the crowd, my eyes lock on Jet.

  He stands a few yards away from me, plastic drinking cup in hand as he smiles down at Angie. I force my eyes away from the couple, moving toward the tables that sit on the outskirts to make myself something to drink.

  Just as I place my hand on a bottle of white wine that rests on the table, I hear my name being called.

  “Briar!”

  I look over my shoulder, finding Jet walking toward me with a broad grin on his face as he waves at me with one hand.

  I give him a small smile before pouring wine into my disposable cup, placing the bottle back to the table and turning to face him.

  He stops just before me, his lip pulling up into a sideways grin. “I’m glad you decided to come.”

  I shrug one shoulder as I lift my cup to my lips, taking a small sip of the dry wine. “I figured this was the only way I would meet any of the students since no one goes to class.”

  Recalling my second class of today, I roll my eyes with a huff. “Well, other than Mistress Aurelia’s class.”

  I look over at him as he laughs, nodding his head slowly. “We’ve all been to Mistress Aurelia’s class.”

  I narrow my eyes at him, thinking he’s a pig just like the rest of the boys in class earlier.

  He seems to notice my pointed look, giving me a small grin as he shrugs one shoulder upward. “I’ve known Aurelia for years. Her class is a bit unorthodox, but needs to be taught for the, uh, tempted students.”

  I roll my eyes again, not understanding how her throwing herself at a bunch of college-aged young men is going to teach anyone anything.

  “So, you’ve got Allen, Aurelia, and who else?”

  My lip pulls up at the corner as I look back to Jet, finding a natural smile on his face. “Ryan. He’s my favorite so far.”

  He nods his head slowly, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a drink. As he pulls it down, a small smile crests his lips. “Ryan has been with the Institute for two years. He’s extremely knowledgeable on the basics of the PEA. We’re lucky to have him aboard.”

  Just as I open my mouth to reply, Angie saddles up next to him, snaking her arm through his and glaring at me.

  He looks over to her, tilting his head toward me with a smile. “Briar decided to come after all. Isn’t that great?”

  She keeps her eyes trained on mine, a brittle smile on her face. “Awesome.” The sarcasm in her voice is sharp.

  I fight the urge to roll my eyes, wanting to say out-loud I’m not trying to steal her boyfriend, instead, lifting my glass to my lips and taking a generous gulp as I move my eyes away from hers.

  “Let me introduce you to a few of the students.”

  I move my eyes back to Jet, finding him shrugging out of Angie’s tight embrace. He offers me his arm, a kind smile on his face, but I shake my head.

  “You don’t have to do that. I’m just going to stroll through and mingle here and there.”

  His smile fades slowly, taking a step back to stand next to Angie. “Sure. Well, enjoy the bonfire.”

  I give him a cursory nod as they both turn, striding away from me.

  Looking around, I see Chasity talking to a group of guys, one of them being Colton from class. I start toward them, stepping up next to Colton as everyone laughs. I bump my shoulder into his, looking over to him with a small smile. “Hey.”

  His smile broadens as he looks over to me, lifting his arm and dropping it heavily around my shoulders. “Briar, right?”

  I give a nod as he pulls me into his side. “Guys! This is Briar.”

  Everyone around us gives me a nod or small wave, except for Chasity, who folds her arms over her chest, scowling at me.

  The conversation resumes as I glance around, Colton’s arm still swung around me heavily.

  “Briar won’t be here next year. She says she’s transferring to a better school.”

  I look over to Chasity, who continues to scowl at me. Just as I open my mouth, another guy starts to speak.

  “Who the hell wouldn’t want to transfer out of this place? It’s not like any of us will be getting job offers upon graduating.”

  I glance over to the guy under my lashes as he scoffs, looking over to me with a small grin. “Good for you.”

  He lifts his cup in the air, giving me a nod before tilting it toward his lips and emptying it. “Anyone else need another drink?” He says as he tosses the cup to the ground.

  Everyone raises their hand or their red cups in the air as he scoffs. “Get your own. Losers.” He turns, striding away from the group as they all boo him.

  Colton squeezes my shoulder, me turning to face his bright smile. “Let’s find somewhere a little more quiet.”

  I shrug my shoulder underneath his arm, following as he turns us. He stops on the outskirts of the crowd, dropping his arm from around me, lowering it to clasp my hand as we keep moving forward.

  “Where are we going?”

  He glances over to me as we climb the hill, a smug smile on his face. “Somewhere with less distractions.”
>
  I stop abruptly, yanking my hand from his and scowling at him. “I’m not going back to your room.”

  A low chuckle comes from him as he swaggers slightly, stepping in front of me. “Come on. You know you want to.”

  I take a significant step back from him, my brows drawn together. “I’m going back to the bonfire.” I start to spin away from him, but he grips my elbow in his hand, stopping me from moving.

  Just as I open my mouth to tell him off, Jet comes from out of nowhere, stepping up beside me.

  “Everything alright here?”

  Colton instantly lets go of my arm, dropping his hand to his side as he gives Jet a wicked grin. “We’re good. Nothing that concerns you, Langburne.”

  Jet ignores him, stepping between us so his back is to Colton. “Are you leaving, or going back to the bonfire?”

  I shake my head lightly, dropping my eyes to the ground. “I’m going to go back to my room.” I start to step around him, keeping my eyes averted from both of them as I move toward the building. I hear the two of them quietly arguing, but don’t turn back to find out why.

  Just as I make it to the top of the hill, I hear someone coming from behind me, quickly spinning to find Jet jogging toward me with an easy smile on his face.

  “I’ll walk you to your room.”

  I face forward, shaking my head as I continue my trek. “I can manage.”

  The last thing I want to do is give Angie, his girlfriend, another reason to dislike me.

  He falls into step next to me regardless, continuing to walk at my side.

  “You should go back to the bonfire.”

  He shrugs one shoulder, shoving his hands in his front pockets. “We can go back if you want to, or we could take an evening stroll around campus, or I can walk you back to your room. Whichever is fine by me.”

  I roll my eyes at his insistence, stopping as we reach the sidewalk in front of the main entrance and turning to him. “This is far enough. Have a good rest of your evening.” I spin from him, rushing up the stairs.

  “The rest of my evening would be far better if you’d accompany me on a stroll around campus.”

  Without stopping, I glance at him over my shoulder. “I’m sure your girlfriend would be a better candidate.”