After lunch, I headed back to my locker to grab some books when I noticed Alpha Axel down the hallway. He was chatting with a few staff members, but I caught him glancing my way. We locked eyes for a moment, but I eventually shook my head, closed my locker, and turned to walk in the opposite direction. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him, especially with my thoughts racing in a million directions. I hated feeling this way. Often, I struggled to pinpoint what I was really capable of when I was in this state, and more often than not, I couldn't even identify what triggered it.
The rest of the day dragged on, and I was bored senseless in my classes. After school, the principal called me into his office. He informed me that he had arranged for me to join an accelerated program, which would le
