Sinful (WICKED #2) | ✓

4

WILL WAS HUMMING ALL the way there, but despite the fact that he looked like a literal bumblebee Ella couldn't help but notice how people stared as they passed. Everyone either smiled at him or looked at him in reverence and he greeted them all by name, beaming at anyone he saw. She really wasn't stressed at all about going to see Clarkson for an eventual punishment, but if she had been, Will was ideal company to have.

"Here we are!" Will announced as they reached the end of a stairway, a hallway sprawled out in front of them with one door at the end.

The principal's office had been quite cold and as she walked towards Clarkson's the difference became more obvious. On their left and right pictures were filling the walls, of students, teachers, moments. Ella was surprised to see Clarkson smile in some of them, a warm expression which didn't suit him but also did at the same time. She stopped walking then as she noticed a smaller picture, almost hidden away at the bottom, of a much younger Clarkson in a forest. He was standing next to a pretty brown-skinned girl as he held up a cucumber with a dead expression in his face and in the right corner was a small note.

"A MEMORY OF ONE OF OUR FIRST CRIMES TOGETHER, JAY-JAY. -M."

"What are you looking at?" Will said, peeking over her shoulder.

"Nothing," she shrugged, her gaze back on the door again as she continued walking," just saw a fun picture."

"These are cute, right?" Will beamed, pointing at the right to a picture at the top," look, Alex, Levi and I made it on here too a couple of times."

"Are you hugging Clarkson in that picture?" Ella frowned.

"Alex suspects that was the moment he decided to give me a hugging limit," Will reminisced.

"He's absolutely right."

Clarkson had opened the door, his low voice echoing through the hallway as he nodded at the two of them in acknowledgement. Will didn't seem bothered at all by his reaction though, instead grinning widely at the vice-principal as they passed through the door. The inside of Clarkson's office was surprisingly cozy as well, with warm colors and big chairs, photo frames turned away from them all over his desk along with messy stacks of paper. Once everyone had sat down Clarkson scraped his throat almost nervously, before speaking.

"So," he said," I suppose the two of you don't know why I've called you here."

"Is this because of the mail I sent about whether we could get a goldfish for the dorms?" Will said.

"That was you?" Clarkson frowned.

"In that case, it wasn't me," Will replied smoothly," I have no idea what you're talking about, sir."

Clarkson paused for a moment, like he was thinking about whether he should pursue this or not, finally just deciding to drop it. He interlaced his hands on the desk, gaze serious as he looked at the two of them.

"I have a favor to ask," he began," my niece is going to live with me from now on due to some circumstances and because I am here during the weekdays, she's going to transfer over to St Joseph as well. I would like to ask you to keep an eye on her. She's this really sweet girl and most of the students here can be quite... intense, so I thought it best to ask you two."

"Of course!" Will agreed immediately, grabbing Clarkson's hands in a touched gesture," you're really the sweetest uncle, sir, I'll help in any way I can."

Clarkson looked surprised, a certain warmth seeping through before he quickly tried to conceal it with a grumpy huff. "Thank you."

"I'm not sure why you chose me and not Alex," Ella said.