Scarlett waited outside the school for Claire to pick her up. Minutes turned into hours until it was nearly five o'clock. She eventually grew frustrated and then rose from the steps to walk home. Living a mile from the school, she knew it would be a long walk and changed her shoes from her flip flops to her tennis shoes. As she went to walk, a familiar voice stopped her.
"Do you need a ride?" The voice asked. She turned to find it to be Mr. Scott. He wore a friendly smile with a notebook in his hand-pressed against his chest and his car keys in his opposite hand. Not wanting to accept, she took a deep breath internally and nodded.
"If you don't mind me asking..." He began as he walked toward his car, "Do you not have a car? Or not a license?"
"My brother passed away a few summers ago from a car accident. Since then, I have not been keen to the idea of cars."
"That's unfortunate. If you ever need anything...especially a ride...let me know." Although he said it sincerely, the phrase "especially a ride" made her feel as if there were an ulterior motive. Hesitantly, she got into his car as she gave him directions to her house. During the drive, he attempted to make small talk but only found answers in gestures such as head-nods.
"Are you in any sports?" He asked, knowing this question would eventually have to cause some form of verbal clarification. She nodded once more. "Which ones?"
"Volleyball and Tennis." She said in a light, sweet voice.
"Wow...Interesting..."
"Why?"
"You don't seem like an active girl...Don't get me wrong...you are incredibly fit...Just seem more like an indoor bookworm than an active-Abby." He said giving a shameless smile.
"With all due respect, you know nothing about me..."
"Yeah..." He said with a frown. "So tell me what there is to know about you...Starting with your name..."
"Oh...Scarlett. Most people call me Scar."
"That's incredibly beautiful." He saw her blush and continued a conversation. "Scarlett, what is there to know about you?"
"I grew up in Washington-"
"No. Your likes or dislikes, your life..."
His tone was now stern, as if he was an interviewer for a job. His eyes frequently went to her and his hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.
"I love books. Pretty boring." She said with a laugh. "Aside from Claire, my best friend, I have really no other friends...although she is a lot more friendly than I am..."
"Sometimes it's good to be a little shy...."
"I'm not shy."
"You're innocent." He corrected himself quickly.
"Is it that obvious?" She said, blushing incredibly.
"I just mean..." He paused as he took a turn. "Your skin is incredibly pure and wrinkle free, your eyes have this glow about them that show nothing but light and potential for greatness, your teeth are almost snow white-that tells me you don't drink, do drugs, or smoke. I like that. It means you'll be a good student."
As she looked out the window, she noticed they passed the same turn they left on.
"Why are you driving in circles?" She asked, nervous to her own question.
"I wanted to get more time to talk to you. I like to have connections with my students. Especially the ones with potential." Again, his sentence was sweet- but had sounded as if it wore an underline comment. As if his words were masking what he really intended to say.
"This is it." She said, pointing to a nice sized house with light blue shutters and a metal mailbox that almost skimmed his car.
"Very beautiful." He said as he pulled into the driveway. But he had not been looking at the house when he made such a comment. Tearing his gaze from hers, he pulled something from his bag. "I hope this doesn't scare you or make you uncomfortable when I ask this of you, but I counsel on the side of teaching-mostly weekends. And if you wanted to-if you ever needed to talk..." He handed her a small-thin piece of paper. "Here's my card."
"Thank you."
"Don't hesitate if you need someone..." He said as he gave her a smile. As their skin nearly touched, it felt like a shock to her. Getting out of the car, she walked to the front door without looking back. When she pulled his car pull away, she turned to see him smiling at her. Entering the house, she turned against the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath. If only she knew, he did the same...
