Sammy looked up to when the guidance counselor entered the room out of courtesy, but she would have known the second Ms. Winters approached the room without looking. The pity and heart ache that the other woman felt reached out and nearly choked her from her seat. She pulled her legs tighter to her chest and gave Ms. Winters a half-hearted smile. It was like this every time she came to see the young guidance counselor; she was always emanating the same emotions, granted today was significantly more intense. The only thing that was different between the times before and now was the recent loss of her mother. Sammy earnestly couldn’t decide how that made her feel. The last thing she wanted was a stranger’s pity, but she couldn’t fault Ms. Winters for doing her job. Even still, she would do just about anything to not feel the convoluted emotions coming her way. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, I don’t know.” Sammy let both her legs drop to the floor and she leaned forward to prop her elbows on her thighs. A hand reached out to comb through her hair. This was the part she hated the most. The last thing she wanted was to be open and honest – how many people could understand the fact that she was an empath, even now – but she was certain that her situation would only be made worse if she didn’t give the guidance counselor something to work with.
“I didn’t mean to start the fight in the hallway today.” The statement was made rather bluntly, but Sammy was ready to get to the heart of the matter. She was more than positive that Ms. Winters had heard that excuse before. How many kids who were sent to her office just sat down and admitted to breaking the rules? She suddenly wondered how many students since the Light of May wrote off all their in-school mishaps on their developing powers. “I don’t have a problem with Josh or Cole. It was all just a big misunderstanding. I promise it won’t happen again.” Sammy scooted forward in her chair until she was almost on the edge of her seat. “Can you tell them – the principal – that I don’t need to be suspended? Please?” Her words were becoming more insistent by the minute, not only because of her desire to remain in school, but also because Ms. Winters’ emotions were bordering on too much to handle. Could she really feel this strongly for each of the problem students that came through her office? Sammy couldn’t believe that it would be anything short of exhausting to care so much about so many strangers.