FIXated

Predators: Suspension

Tap.

Tap.

The sound of tapping on the wooden desk echoed through the room like a clock ticking as the silence grew around the three individuals gathered in a meeting.

Right behind the wooden office table was a man in his mid-forties wearing rectangular-framed glasses with a plaque resting on top: Mr. George Callahan, head of the disciplinary office. His hand perched over the desk with his finger moving up and down in rhythmic taps, while his eyes watched the two students intently.

Sitting in front of him, the two male students had been waiting.

Felipe Dominguez, the man in a pink-dyed buzzcut with arms crossed, had shifted his position several times, unable to sit tight from the ongoing battle of stares and silence.

Meanwhile, right next to him, a man in a white cap, Michael Godfriede, had been lounging comfortably on the seat’s cushion, back slouched over, and arms dangled to the sides.

But his blue eyes turned to Mr. Callahan’s gaze, quietly challenging his stare.

“Michael Godriede and Felipe Dominguez.” Mr. Callahan called out as he cleared his throat while pushing the frames of his glasses with his fingers. “Do you realize why you are here?”

The two students glanced at each other with a smug look for a moment before shrugging their shoulders in unison.

“No frickin’ idea, sir,” Mikey replied in a sarcastic tone before letting out a soft chuckle. “All I know is we are just having fun.”

“Uh-huh.” Flipper nodded eagerly as he added, “treating girls like a good gentleman.”

A hand slammed hard against the desk, jolting the pens and pencils inside the holder on top as Mr. Callahan glared at them, brows furrowed and teeth gritted.

“Knock it off.” His voice growled low. “This is regarding the livestream incident involving the violent assault of a student named Adrian.”

Mikey casually nodded to every word uttered on his lips before curving out a small smirk over his face. He knew it was coming. “And...?”

There was a moment of silence in the room.

“You’re suspended.”

As Mr. Callahan announced it, the words echoed, ringing in Mikey’s ears as he leaned forward, eyes widened, and brows twitched in confusion and disbelief.

Suspension?

What happened to the warnings or detention?

Flipper had the same expression painted over his face as he questioned. “Huh?! Sir, don’t we get a warning first?”

The backrest of the office chair squeaked as Mr. Callahan leaned against it, heaving a deep sigh. “The rules have been changed.”

The drawers beneath his desk slid as he pulled a file from a stack, tossing it on the desk for them to reach, beckoning them to take a copy. “Here. Have a look.”

Papers rustled as fingers reached out, each snatching a piece from the scattered documents. Their eyes thoroughly read the information printed on the file as the expression on their faces slowly turned into frowns.

“Seven days suspension?!” Flipper exclaimed while crinkling the page with his grip. “What is the meaning of this?”

“It’s the newly approved sanctions for violators.” Callahan calmly explained, pointing his finger at the file signed and approved by the Principal of the Academy. “And you two are the first recipients for this new system.”

“Bullshit!” He threw the piece of paper, hitting it hard on the desk while the pages fluttered from the impact.

“And fucking community service?! Who frickin’ suggested-”

“Oh, wow. Talking about special treatment! Getting punished for a viral video?”

Mikey spoke up, cutting off Flipper’s rambles. His eyes remained on the document for a second longer before glancing in Callahan’s direction.

“Of course.” Callahan sternly agreed with his eyes squinting.

“Then, how about the others? Pretty sure. We aren’t the only violators in the Academy.” He scoffed, rolling his eyes to the side.

“And who are those?”

“Sylvia and her sluts.” Mikey immediately answered with a smirk curving out on his lips before taking a pause. For a brief moment, he noticed Callahan’s brow twitch upon mentioning Sylvia’s name.

Then, he continued. “Weren’t they toying around with Adrian lately? That’s why he came crawling to me, begging for some cash to pay for them.”

Callahan leaned forward to look them in the eye. “And do you have proof?”

“Pfft. Proof? All the school knows their schticks.” Flipper interjected, standing up from his seat, slamming his fist on the table. “Aren’t they responsible for a few students quitting or transferring mid-semester?”

“Hmph.” Callahan scoffed, crossing his arms as he shook his head. “Those are baseless rumors.”

“Tch.” Mikey clicked his tongue. “Fine. You want proof? We’ll get one.”

“Good. Then, let me know once you get it.” Callahan encouraged, eyes squinting behind the frames, reflecting the light from the ceiling in his glasses as if challenging him.

The chair scraped against the floorboards as Mikey pushed his seat, standing up. His eyes were still fixated on Callahan’s face as he leaned against the edge of the desk.

“And... you are not covering for them, right?”

“Michael. Are you accusing me? You don’t want me to prolong your suspension, hm?”

“Of course not, sir.” Mikey forced a smile on his face as he stepped away from the desk, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“Starting tomorrow, you will be assigned to do tasks in the community center,” Callahan instructed, clearing his throat before continuing. “As for today, proceed to room 308 for your in-school suspension.”

“What a bummer. In-school suspension? That sucks ass.” Flipper complained in a mumble before heaving a frustrated sigh. “Boring as fuck.”

Mr. Callahan didn’t falter; his voice remained firm as he warned. “Study and do homework. No electronics. No talking. I’ll keep an eye on you two, am I clear?”

“Aye, aye, sir.” Mikey sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes.

“Then, you are dismissed.”

Upon hearing the cue, Mikey turned around, waving his hand above his head dismissively as he headed towards the door. Meanwhile, Flipper followed right behind him, stomping his feet against the floorboards. Then, he looked back at Mr. Callahan, flipping his fingers right in front of him.

The door slammed shut as the two exited the room.

While walking on the tiled floors outside the Academy's offices, their footsteps filled the empty halls and corridors, echoing with each step when the two men passed by with hands stuffed in their pockets.

"Tch. Proof my ass." Flipper grumbled under his breath. "He fuckin wants us to fuck off, right?"

Mikey scoffed. "Ah, for sure... He doesn't give a fuck usually."

"Must be the fuckin Student Council bullshit proposal," Flipper whined while trudging down the hallway. An empty can of soda on the floor clunked as he nudged it with the tip of his shoe, rolling slowly away from him.

His gaze locked onto it as his brows furrowed while his hands slowly clenched into a fist.

"Fuck the Council. Fuck Callahan. Fuck Sylvia! Fuck y’all!" he vented out, kicking the soda can hard as it launched across the hall and bounced against the walls. His breathing huffed and puffed.

Mikey, who had been watching him from behind, carefully approached him, patting his back in comfort as he spoke up with a soothing tone.

“Calm down, Flipper. No need to be frustrated.”

"So, what's your plan, Mikey?" he asked with a growl in his voice, gritting his teeth as he turned his head towards him. “Beat the shit out of Adrian? Retaliate against the sluts?”

A smile slowly curved out of Mikey’s lips before he chuckled softly beneath his breath as he gave him a hard slap on the back.

"Bingo!"

"Oh?" Flipper was surprised, softening the expression, brows raised, "Who are we going after?"

"Heh. Who else? Those rebel sluts. " Mikey scoffed confidently as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. "They should have been held responsible for their 'pet' in the first place."

The screen lit up as soon as he touched the buttons at the side. A message had been sitting in the notification bar, sent twenty minutes ago.

He tapped it open.

Got it. What should I do next?

He chuckled under his breath, eyes glinting from the glare of his screen as he began typing hastily onto the screen keyboard.

Get more evidence. EACH ONE OF THEM.

The message was sent right after a ping.

“Hey, hey. Tell me what’s going on.” Flipper nudged him with his arm, taking a peek at his phone.

“If Callahan wants evidence.” His voice lowered, while wrapping his arm over his shoulder as he whispered in his ear.

“Then, what’s more grandiose than public exposure?”

His blue eyes darkened as a dangerous smile appeared once more on his lips.