Best Friend's Brother: Chapter One

Doodles and Goo-Goo Eyes

I started to draw during class since I had nothing better to do because I was already passing Mr. Heart's class. 

It's ironic that his name is Heart when he certainly doesn't have one. I'm not just complaining about him assigning entire books over spring and Christmas breaks, I'm complaining over the fact that he doesn't have a clock in his room so I can never know when the class is about to end. He doesn't let anyone leave the room for any reason. If you have to pee, or shark week decided to creep up on you and come early, he says "Dang, that sucks, [sorry for your loss]. Go sit down." Or if you have been absent from class because a family member died or you're actually sick and are projectile vomiting everywhere, he will assign you extra homework or a more difficult project just because you missed his class once or twice. Satan has nothing on this guy.

Now that you know some stuff about this King of Hell, let's continue, shall we?

"Oh! That is beautiful Jessica!" Alyssa bellowed out to the class causing Mr. Heart to snap his head around to look at me dead in the eye. 

This teacher is the creepiest man alive, I swear. His eyes are sunk into his face- his whole body is hollowed out as if he is indeed only skin and bone. His hair is snow white, thin as feathers, and styled as a combover. His clothes hang on him because he's so skinny. His teeth are this ugly yellow like he doesn't bother to brush his teeth in the morning. Worst of all, his body odor is so bad I swear that man has not taken a shower since he was prepubescent. His eyes are this dull milky white anyone would think he is blind and his voice is super thick and threatening like the puberty truck hit him several times and backed over him every time. He's like a sleep paralysis demon but when I'm awake.

As he approached my desk burning my soul with his white gaze, the whole class had their eyes on me to make it that much worse. Once he got to my desk, he towered over me and ripped the piece of paper out from under my hand. He put it on display  for the whole class to see as he said: "It looks like Ms. Tyler has a bit of a crush, doesn't she?"

The whole class erupted with laughter as my ears and cheeks burst into flames and my eyes filled with tears of embarrassment and frustration with Alyssa. I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth to both keep myself from crying and to keep my breakfast down since it decided it didn't want to be digested anymore. Mr. Heart walked away with my drawing of Nathaniel and shoved it into his drawer stuffed with all my other sketches and doodles.

No other doodle or drawing had ever been about Nathaniel in any way, shape, or form but all of a sudden it is. Dear Lord, what is wrong with me?

Alyssa looked at me and tried to rub my back in comfort, but I punched her with an 'If we weren't in class, you'd be dead right now' kind of punch before she could. That was my first stupid mistake. She jumped up from her seat basically screaming at the top of her lungs: "Mr. Heart she punched me!"

He, once again, locked eyes with me and pointed to the door, telling me to leave.

"Mr. Heart, that isn't fair! I punched her because she was antagonizing me!" My second mistake this hour.

"Ms. Tyler, I suggest you leave before you find yourself in detention for the next three weeks." Did I forget to mention that his punishments are also cruel and unusual? Well, now you know.

I gathered my things and put them in my backpack, zipping it up before heading down to the principle's office.

Once I got there the receptionist Ms. Penney, greeted me with a warm smile as I walked up to her desk. She slightly shook her head and laughed as she said: "Mr. Heart again?"

"When is it not?" I laughed. Ms. Penney is like a mother to me. I still see her as an administrative staff member, but she has been a mother figure since I started Kindergarten when I was five all the way until now, as I'm a junior in high school. I can talk to her about anything; she knows my likes and dislikes, she knows all my allergies, she knows how my brain works, she knows everything about me. She even knows about my crush on Nathaniel, and that is a huge thing I don't share with anyone. I've also been to her house quite a few times because I didn't have a babysitter since we couldn't afford one and I couldn't be home alone since Grandma and Harry were always working. Sometimes I call her mom, but I don't think she minds.

"You can stay in here until next hour if you want. I can always change your grade book if Heart gives you a random project or extra homework." Ms. Penney winked, and I chuckled a little bit.

It was getting close to the end of first hour when Ms. Penney spoke up. "You know that Nathaniel boy you have a crush on?"

"Yeah?"

"I think he likes you too. I really do think so." she looked over her computer screen to look at me.

I laughed a little bit before answering her, "In my dreams, mom. He would never like me. I'm just his sisters' best friend. Besides, I had a dream about killing him the other night, and I don't think that's a good sign honestly."

"You never know Jessica. He could actually like you, but you're scared of being rejected if you confess to him. I think that's why you had a dream about killing him."

"Yeah, I guess you're probably right. Do you have any kids, Ms. Penney?" I asked.

"No, but I was thinking about adopting. I'm hoping to find a daughter," she said, and I nodded. I pulled out my phone and text Harry.

Am I technically an orphan? Since I don't have parents, just siblings?

I clicked send and looked up at Ms. Penney who was working on something on her computer. 

"Hey mom, do you really think I could have a chance with Nathaniel? I'm just freaked out by the nightmare about killing him. He's the only person I've ever loved- I mean like."

"I do, sweetpea, I do honestly think you have a solid chance with him. You need to tell him how you feel. What's the worst that could happen? He could avoid you for a few days, but then you'd go back to being friends again because that's just the kind of person he is." I nodded as my phone buzzed and I saw that I got a reply from Harry.

Yeah, technically you're an orphan. Why?

I quickly replied a just curious, and put my phone to sleep. The bell rang, and I walked around the desk to hug Ms. Penney. She stood up to hug me, and she kissed my head since I was shorter than her. She always did this when I would walk around the desk to see her. She may not be my mother, but she is my mom.