The administration building was set up in a way that made it feel like a museum instead of the place of work that it was. And as I shifted in place I gawked at the faces of ‘remarkable’ Alumni and sponsors alike that hung in gold plated picture frames along the wall. I frowned at my reflection in the corner of George Erwin Kinsley's frame. The frown that mirrored back to me looked as nervous as I felt. 

"I swear I put it in my duffle the other day," Harlow's voice carried through my phone, accompanied by a scurry of ruffling sounds.

 I glanced down the empty corridors, "Harlow! Are you even listening to me?"

 

 The weather in West Kinsley had just begun to settle and with spring finally peeking through the curtains, the campus was more lively than it had previously been. I watched as a couple of students walked past me before huddling together to no doubt gossip about me. 

"Of course I am, and I already told you, ditch your classes, blow off your teammates and come with me on an adventure. But noooo, you would rather show up to your classes despite the weird tension buzzing on campus." Harlow responded from the other end of the phone.

I pressed the base of my palm into my temples. Of course Harlow's advice would be pretending nothing happened, that's basically what she does with her own problems. I moved my palm from my face to my chest, I rubbed my sternum in an attempt to calm the constriction within my lungs. 

It didn't help. 

I drew in a couple breaths but the weird tightness pulled even more. I gulped for some air, shrinking back into the old historian wall of the admin building. 

A couple more students passed by me but these ones didn't hide their gossip. Instead they stared unabashedly and even laughed as one of them mockingly whispered, "...the one with the ‘boyfriend’" I narrowed my eyes and they scurried away giggling to themselves. 

Harlow's voice cut through the loud pounding in my chest, "I can't find my boots!" There was a loud thud on the other end of the line before another triumphant, "Ah ha!" Came through. 

"Harlow, my mother wants to see me." I reminded her. 

"Like how hard is it to let someone know they had to go on an excursion weeks before the actual day. I don't pack light. All this..." there was another pause before the sound of objects tumbling to the floor came in, "doesn't just happen."

"Harlow!"

She continued regardless of the shrill that had snuck into my voice, "I mean usually I have an important match but I would never skip an excursion that occurred right next door like that..."

"Are you listening to me?" With my eyes still trapped by the dishevelled reflection I used my flat palm to flatten out a clump of hair that was poking out on my head. 

"... Killian always insists on all those educational trips and I figured now that he is writing his thesis, he..."

"Harlow!" I tried raising my voice an octave. My voice echoed around the empty hallway and I held my breath as I checked both sides of it. 

"Sorry, I got carried away. Right, it's about you now. What did you say was happening."

I straightened my tie with my free hand, tucking my phone between my shoulder and my ear. I should have used my earphones. With both my hands free I tried to fix the crooked knot on my tie, "My mother, The Dean would like to see me in her office." I ground out feeling irrationally angry. The knot slid through my fingers and the whole thing spun, making the tie look worse than it initially did, "She saw my snap." 

The call was eerily quiet for what seemed to be forever before Harlow spoke up again, "Are you sure?"

"No," I whispered. But what else would she be calling me into her office for. As the minutes ticked by my mind raced, grappling with the potential reasons for this summon. 

"Ok, don't start spiralling now. You haven't spoken to her and this is your mother if she knew she wouldn't wait for you to come to her. Mrs Hartley is very punctual about her punishments. I have never met a Dean more attuned to it than her."

"Then why else would she want to talk to me at 8 am on school grounds."

"Ok, let's not jump to the worst option first," Harlow's voice was smooth and calming but it did absolutely nothing for my nerves. In Fact the calmer She sounded the worse I felt, "She could need you for something else."

"Yeah because something else happened this weekend..." I knocked on the Dean's door and watched with trapidition as it creaked open under my knuckles. 

Another student I barely recognised gave me a tight lipped smile as she exited the office. I watched her open her Snapchat, as the bile in my stomach rose significantly. Was she the one with my screenshot? 

I spun around in place. Trying to catch another glimpse of her screen. But the sound of my mother's stern voice reminded me that now was not the time to conduct any investigations. 

"Come in William."

I hung up the call and with my heart beating in my throat I stepped into the Dean's office. 

I wiped my hands on the fabric of my trousers. My mother hadn't seen the snap, which should have made me feel at ease but instead all it did was make my hands sweat and cause my palms to itch. I straightened my shoulders as I watched her lips move without registering a single word she said. 

I concentrated on the movement of her lips trying to force my brain into focusing on the task at hand. 

"...Flowers." She said, staring at me from the gap above her glasses. 

Flowers? 

Flowers.

"I need you to get me flowers." She stated in a berating tone.

My mother wanted ... flowers. I almost laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. My heart was on the verge of escaping my chest, my hands had left my trousers damp and my mind was on the verge of collapse and my mother wanted...Flowers.

Nevermind that my life hadn't been the same since Friday night, half my teammates had resorted to snide remarks in the locker rooms, gossip was spreading throughout campus and the solution Harlow gave me didn't make anything better. But all that and all its complexities were the least of my problems. 

Because my mother wanted ... Flowers.

**So, it's been a while but I am trying to get things going so here goes.