I'm turning to head to my next class when I hear footsteps behind me.
"Miss Jackson?"
I turn to find a student aide, a sophomore girl with braces and a clipboard. "Yes?"
"Ms. Alvarez needs to see you in her office. Right away."
My stomach drops. "The counselor?"
"Yes. She said it's urgent."
I follow the girl through the hallways, my mind racing. Why would the school counselor need to see me?
Unless.
Unless Danny went to her.
He wouldn't. He couldn't. But the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. He's been spiraling, convinced I'm doing something to him. What if he decided to report me?
The aide drops me off outside Ms. Alvarez's office and hurries away like she's afraid to be associated with whatever trouble I'm in. I stand there for a moment, staring at the closed door.
Through the frosted glass window, I can see shapes moving inside. More than one person.
I knock.
"Come in, Scarlett," Ms. Alvarez's voice calls.
I push open the door and freeze.
Luna sits in one of the chairs across from Ms. Alvarez's desk.
"Grandmother?" The word comes out small. "What are you doing here?"
"Sit down, Scarlett,"
I sink into the chair beside her, my heart hammering. "What's going on?"
Ms. Alvarez clears her throat. She looks uncomfortable, her fingers drumming on her desk. "Scarlett, I've asked you here because I've received some... concerning reports about your behavior."
"What kind of reports?"
"A student has come forward with allegations of harassment." Ms. Alvarez pulls out a file, opening it carefully. "They claim you've been following them, asking them inappropriate questions, and engaging in behavior that makes them feel unsafe."
My hands clench into fists on my lap. "Who?"
"I can't disclose the student's identity."
"It was Danny." The words burst out before I can stop them. "Danny Walter. That's who reported me, isn't it?"
Ms. Alvarez's expression doesn't change, but I see the slight tightening around her eyes. Confirmation.
"The specific identity of the reporting student isn't important," she says carefully. "What's important is that these allegations are serious, and they need to be addressed."
"What exactly am I being accused of?" My voice comes out sharper than intended.
Luna's hand lands on my arm, a warning squeeze. "Let her finish, Scarlett."
Ms. Alvarez flips through the pages in front of her. "The student claims you've been transferring into their classes without prior enrollment, sitting near them despite their discomfort, following them in the hallways, and asking them questions about supernatural phenomena and dark magic."
"Dark magic?" I almost laugh. "Are you serious?"
"The student specifically mentioned that you've been asking about unexplained phenomena, fate, destiny, and whether they believe in things beyond the physical world." Ms. Alvarez looks up at me. "They also claim you told them you've been dreaming about them every night."
Heat floods my face. "I didn't... I wasn't trying to make him uncomfortable. I was trying to help him understand."
"Understand what, exactly?"
I look at Luna, silently pleading for permission to tell the truth. She gives a tiny shake of her head.
"Understand that not everything can be explained by science," I say instead. "He's so closed-minded, so determined to reduce everything to data and logic. I just wanted to show him that there's more to the world than what he can measure."
"By telling him you dream about him every night?" Ms. Alvarez's tone is gentle but firm. "Scarlett, can you see how that might be perceived as threatening?"
"I wasn't threatening him! I was trying to..." I trail off. What was I trying to do? Force him to accept a reality he's not ready for?
"There's something else," Ms. Alvarez continues. She looks even more uncomfortable now. "The student has also alleged that you might be engaging in... occult practices."
"Witchcraft," Luna says flatly. "He accused my granddaughter of witchcraft."
"The student used the term 'dark magic,'" Ms. Alvarez corrects. "And while I don't personally believe in such things, the allegation itself is concerning. It suggests that Scarlett's behavior has been unusual enough to make another student fear supernatural interference."
I want to scream. I want to shift right here in this office and show them all what real supernatural interference looks like.
"I have not," I say slowly, "engaged in any occult practices. I have not used witchcraft or dark magic or anything else on Danny Walter. I have simply tried to be his friend."
Ms. Alvarez raises an eyebrow. "A friend who follows him in the hallways and makes him feel watched?"
"I wasn't following him. We just... happen to cross paths a lot."
"Because you've arranged your schedule to match his."
I don't have an answer for that.
Luna shifts beside me. "Ms. Alvarez, I appreciate your concern for the safety of your students. But my granddaughter is not some delinquent who goes around hexing her classmates."
"I'm not suggesting she is, Ms. Jackson. But I do need to take these allegations seriously." Ms. Alvarez folds her hands on her desk. "Especially given Scarlett's history."
My stomach clenches. "What history?"
"Four expulsions in three years," Ms. Alvarez reads from another file. "Three incidents involving physical altercations that resulted in hospitalization of other students. A pattern of aggressive behavior and difficulty with authority figures."
"Those were extenuating circumstances," Luna says sharply.
"I'm sure they were. But they do establish a pattern of concerning behavior." Ms. Alvarez looks at me directly. "Scarlett, I want to help you succeed here at Crescent Ridge High. But I can't do that if you're making other students feel unsafe."
"I haven't done anything to make him unsafe," I protest. "I've barely even spoken to him!"
"But you have spoken to him. You've sought him out. You've positioned yourself in his classes and in his space." Ms. Alvarez's voice is patient but unyielding. "And he's asked you to stop, hasn't he?"
"Yes," I whisper.
"And have you stopped?"
I stare at my hands. "No."
"Ms. Jackson," Ms. Alvarez addresses Luna now. "I need your assurance that Scarlett will respect the boundaries of other students. And I need your promise that there will be no... unusual activities taking place on school grounds."
Luna's jaw tightens. "What kind of unusual activities?"
"Occult practices, rituals, or anything else that could be perceived as threatening or dangerous."
"Are you seriously asking me to promise that my granddaughter won't practice witchcraft at school?" Luna's voice could freeze fire. "Because that's what it sounds like."
"Ensure that Scarlett's behavior remains appropriate and doesn't make other students feel threatened or harassed." Ms. Alvarez meets Luna's glare without flinching. "Whether that involves occult practices or simply inappropriate personal attention."
The silence stretches on forever. I can smell Luna's anger.
"Fine," Luna says finally. "You have my word that Scarlett will behave appropriately on school grounds. No occult activity of any kind, even though she doesn't do that.."
The words feel like a slap.
"Thank you." Ms. Alvarez makes a note in her file. "Now, there's one more thing we need to address."