The connection

Chapter twenty two - Unexpected friend

Alex

It had been a month since that fateful night at the cabin. Mike was long gone, me and Natalie were gradually getting back on track and even Miss Jenson had left town. I was finally getting my life back on track. My mum was still making me go to counselling sessions twice a week but it had been a full two weeks since my last panic attack so I was taking that as a positive. Josh had been great, we had become so close again, I really don't know what I would have done without him. It wasn't romantic or anything, we had that little incident at his house that for a bit strange but I think we both knew we were better off as friends. Who knows maybe one day I'd feel differently about it but for now I was just grateful to have someone like him to talk to about Chase and the shit-storm of drama he brought into my life.

My mum had made a few calls to the school and somehow managed to get me transferred to a different English class so I didn't have to face him at school. Luckily we managed to escape each other most of the time. The last I had seen of him he was walking hand in hand with a girl with a short blonde pixie cut, who I could only assume was Chloe across the quad a couple weeks ago. Yeah that hadn't been great, but that was the last time I'd seen him and I was grateful for that.

"Earth to Alex, are you in there" Natalie's voice pulled me from my reminiscent daydream.

"Sorry, I was a million miles away" I exclaimed with an apologetic smile.

"I could see that" she playfully teased "dreaming about a certain blue eyed boy I wonder?" She smirked back at me.

"It's not like that with me and Josh and you know it" I shot back at her insistently.

"Yeah yeah, I know, you're just friends" she rolled her eyes before checking her watch. "Sorry Al, I've got to get to the art studio. If I'm not there to oversee these banners god knows what they will end up looking like"

Natalie was on the school social committee and she'd been in overdrive planning the next big event, a dance much to my distaste. I know she'd been trying really hard to make it up to me after her betrayal but after what Mike had done to her I could understand how she felt she had no choice. Between her and Josh they had been what had pulled me through the past month and I was happy to finally feel like I had my two best friends back.

"You go, I'll catch up with you later. I've got some English work I want to catch up on anyway and I'm gonna meet Josh after practice in an hour" I smiled back at her, between them they had barely let me out of there sight at school, probably worried I run into Chase and have a melt down or something. I guess I couldn't really blame them. She smiled back at me and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Let me know if you need anything"

"I will" I smiled before watching her turn and head off towards to art block. I turned the opposite direction and headed off toward the English department hoping to catch up with my new teacher Mrs Walker about an assignment. As I walked down the corridors I past the open door of my old class. I didn't miss Mr Hoskins pop quizzes one bit I smirked to myself.
"Miss Morgan do you have a minute?" the familiar gravely voiced boomer. I stopped dead in my tracks and slowly turned to see Mr Hoskins appear in the doorway.
"Err...I was" I stuttered
"This will only take a minute" he answered gruffly and turned back into the room. I followed him in and waited as he sat back at his desk and rifled through some papers in his drawer.
"This paper" he exclaimed, his stubby fingers jabbing at the crinkled pages he'd retrieved from his desk drawer "this paper, it's honest, vulnerable and damn right masterful" he turned his gaze to me before adding "I could hardly believe a student had written it if I hadn't seen you write it for myself"
My eyes glanced over the paper as I recognised it as the essay I'd written about Chase in detention.
"You should be in my class Miss Morgan, you have an aptitude for this stuff and my class is the best" his words were serious and stern.
"Sorry sir, I just don't think that would be a good idea" I croaked unable to offer more of an explanation.
"Why? Because things with the Matthews boy didn't work out? Believe me if his work wasn't equally as good as this I'd be transferring him out of my class" he huffed as he tapped another stack of paper on his desk. Chases essay about me.
A rush of emotions flooded through me and a felt my legs wobble just slightly beneath me. Hoskins eyed me intently.
"You shouldn't let a boy get in the way of your education miss Morgan"
"No sir" I answered in a hushed tone.
"Then it's settled. I'll speak to miss Walker and let her know you will be transferring back to my class immediately" he stated matter of factly as he rose from his desk. He strode across the room before turning back to face me.
"I don't think I'll be the only one happy to welcome you back to the class" he sniggered with a swift glance to the papers on his desk before leaving the room.
I reached out to hold onto the desk to steady myself and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Tears threatened to prick my eyes but I wouldn't let them, I'd worked so hard over the last four weeks and I wouldn't let one stupid reminder of Chase get the better of me.
I pulled myself up taking a deep calming breath. My gaze fell on the papers on the desk, not my own but his, Chases essay. In a moment of madness I snatched up the papers and stuffed them in my bag before bolting out the door.