NathanielI hear someone knocking on my office door as I start arranging the poster concepts."Come in," I call out, arranging all of my papers neatly next to me."Hello, Mr. Everhart. Did you call me?" he asks, sounding anxious and terrified."Ethan Hayes, correct?" I ask. He nods in agreement.He definitely doesn't look like the kind of person who would flee from home or miss class for no reason. What then was his conflict?"I just called to ask a few questions. Relax," I say, getting up and fully opening the blinds to let light flood in. "How have you found school so far?" I ask as he sits down."Good, sir," he replies, looking around nervously. "Why?""I was just asking since your dad contacted the school worried," I explain, trying to make him feel at ease. "You left your house yesterday and didn't return. Why?"He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "I stayed at a sleepover with some buddies. That's all.""And you couldn't have told your dad that when you called? Did you have to m
Nathaniel"Hello, both of you," she says, whipping off her AirPods and slamming them into their damn case. "I apologize for showing up out of nowhere, but umm..." She pulls out a packet of papers. "I think I misplaced the 10th page of the packet." She’s so clumsy that I’m not sure whether I should be annoyed or concerned."It's alright," Alexander says, digging through his files and pulling out a page. "Here you go." He hands her the page, and her face lights up with relief."Thanks for being so understanding. I'll have it finished before tomorrow," she says, snagging a stapler from Alexander's table and slapping the loose page onto the packet.Alexander looks away, muttering, "No problem, Via," with a shy smile.I've never seen him act like such a naive child over a girl. What kind of grip does she have on him?She shoves the packet in her folder, then her folder in her backpack. "Well, I need to go meet with a teacher to plan and create posters for tomorrow's football game." She pop
Via"What the hell am I doing wrong?" I mutter to myself as I paint the outline of each letter on the damn poster we're working on right now, frustration seeping into my voice."What was that?" Mr. Everhart asks, looking up from the poster at me with a questioning glance.Like the clear blue lake I used to go to in Clear Stone Falls as a kid, his damn blue eyes draw me in, making my heart flutter.I stammer, "N-nothing," and feel my face flush with embarrassment.He looks back down at the poster and mutters, "Whatever you say," with a hint of dismissal."Is this the last poster we have?" I ask, starting to paint some letters on the inside, trying to focus on the task."Yes, this is the last poster we have," he confirms as he finishes drawing a football in the poster's upper right corner, his tone matter-of-fact."All right, I'm going to sleep now," I lie, my voice shaky with the need to escape.There was more to it than that. If I didn't leave this room in the next hour, I was going t
ViaWhen I get in the car, I throw my backpack next to my feet on the floor.We wait in silence while Mr. Everhart gets in his car and it warms up. I look out the window as he starts texting someone, curiosity piquing my interest.Once the timer goes off, he pulls out of his parking spot and drives out of the parking lot."I need to quickly stop by the store. Are you ready to go, or would you rather stay in the car?" he asks as we drive to a gas station, his tone casual."I think I'll stay in the car. You have to do what you have to do," I tell him as he pulls into a parking lot, feeling a bit awkward."Okay, I'll leave the car running and come back soon." He looks at me as he takes his wallet out of the center basket, giving me a reassuring nod. "Don't fuck anything up," he adds with a smirk before shutting the door and walking away.I start to get really bored after a few minutes. After taking a look around, I decided to listen to the radio for now.The song "Lose Yourself" by Emine
ViaI glare at him, saying, "No shit. Ain't that where you come in?" frustration evident in my voice."I mean, I can only do so much," he responds defensively."Please teach me so I can do well on Mr. Montgomery's test," I say determinedly as I grab the package from him."Let's get right to it," he says briskly, taking my package and exchanging it for a new one. "This one will do since you fucked up too many times on the last one.""I'm not that bad," I retort, giving him a defiant look."Yes, you did. Pay attention now," he insists, pointing out the first problem. "You should go over Composition of Functions again," he adds, pointing to the first part.Here are some functions: f(x) = 4x+7; g(x) = x^2–3; g(f(1))I work quickly to fix the issue. I put down my pencil and confidently say, "121."He looks at me and says, "You forgot a step.""No, I didn't," I counter as I hand him the package."Yes, Via. Take a close look at the issue," he urges, handing the package back to me."I got eve
ViaI quickly start the shower, trying to find some mental clarity, but sadly nothing works; my head is spinning.I dry off from the shower and get ready for class.With my coach guiding her, I corrected things, knowing that the two captains held little importance. I had too much on my plate and truly didn't. For me especially, it worked out better.I dress in my cheer uniform and apply makeup. I pull my hair into two tiny braids and a ponytail.Once I'm done, I grab my bow for my hair and my stuff. I walk downstairs and text Kol to meet at five. My father's girlfriend is seated on his lap as I enter the kitchen. They are having berries on pancakes.My hunger disappears into thin air. I feel sick right now.I feel depressed; that used to be my mother in this girl's place. How dare my dad choose a new partner so quickly?Four years is all that has passed. Four years have passed since my mother—Georgia says, getting up from my papa's lap, "Oh, hun, I didn't see you there. Would you lik
ViaI was about to choke on my food when he said, "You look like a chipmunk," he then laughed, adding, "Wow, Via, your meal isn't from Mr. Thorne, you dick. Just relax."I gulp down my meal as my cheeks flush, saying, "Dude, you're the worst. I don't understand why I even told you this." I look around and grumble."Sit back and relax, Via; no one is around us," he says, slicing off more French toast and devouring it."I am grateful," he says as he takes out his second box of French toast. "Well then.""What are you hoping that I will say?" I drink a little of my lactose-free milk, adding, "That I've entertained immoral ideas about my fucking professors in the past?"According to you, a pop kiss via Via is sinful. I seriously doubt that they've given you much of a second thought. He chuckles as I forcefully push him beneath the table. Oh my.In my mind, there are things that you have no idea about, Kol. "Excuse me while I eat this French toast again," I say.“Ms. Rosalind Hawthorne, pl
ViaMr. Montgomery opens the door of the hallway and disappears into the hallway.What a complete asshole.I stand up and look down at my clothes."Via." I hear Kol say as I hear someone running up the stairs. "I'm so sorry I'm late, I had to talk to a teacher and I lo-" He takes in my current state. "What the hell happened to you?" He points at the dust stains on my cheer skirt."Nothing, curious George. I'm hungry. Let's go." I dust off my skirt and finish walking down the stairs.I'm hungry, annoyed, and bothered.Kol gets a phone call but I'm too irritated to eavesdrop or even remotely care at this point.As we are about to reach the cafeteria, Kol asks, "Want to go get burgers?"I turn around and glare at him. "Are we really going to get burgers, or are you just messing with me?"He laughs. "I know better than to offer you food just for shits and giggles. Anyways, Chris is here to take us to Melts and Pops." I can't help but smile.I quickly begin jogging to the parking lot of th