H U N T E D ~ T H

15

T O M

"Where were you this morning?" I heard Kit say to Mack behind me, nudging her shoulder.

"I slept in" she wasn't lying.

"Is that your jacket?" Kit pulled at the sleeve of the leather jacket she was wearing "It doesn't look like yours."

"Oh— Um" She stuttered "It's— Jacks. He gave it to me before he left."

"Jack wears leather jackets?" Kit raised a sceptical brow.

"Yes" She nodded, showing him a smile. But he didn't seem convinced.

I didn't know who this Jack person is but I didn't like him already.

Kenner walked into the class, his eyes on Mack the whole time. He had small square plain white cards in his hands, he walked around the class, handing them out.

"You know the drill" He walked to the front, turning to face us.

"What do we do?" I turned around to Mack and Kit.

"It's an anonymous thing" Kit answered "You write something personal, to vent I guess, he says it helps with your mental health but nobody takes it seriously."

"Oh, okay" I nodded, turning back around in my seat.

After everyone was finished writing Kenner collected them in, putting them in a brown pouch. He stood at the front of the class, looking threw the papers.

"You know the 'your mom' jokes are getting old" Kenner sighed, scrunching up a ball of paper in his hand and throwing in it the bin.

Nick gave Isaac a high five like it was some accomplishment. "Okay who you wrote this?" Kenner looked around the class, looking slightly annoyed.

"What's it say?" Nick asked.

"The very thought of you has my legs spread apart like an easel with a canvas begging for art" He read aloud, everyone in the class began to laugh.

I liked it, although it maybe wasn't appropriate it had a special type of romance behind it.

I couldn't help but glance back to Mack, she didn't notice me, I think she thought nobody was looking because I saw her wink at Kenner, his jaw clenching but he ignored her.

Kenner sighed, dropping the paper onto his desk and picking out another. "Oh I love this one" He nodded "Your name is the strongest positive and negative connotation in any language, it either lights me up or leaves me aching for days."

Yes, I wrote that. I'm not into all the cheesy poet stuff but it's true. When I heard Mr Kenner say her name that day I felt hopeful, but also scared.

"What is this, Shakespeare in the park?" Mack laughed "Where for out thou Romeo!"

"Okay, that's enough for today" Kenner chuckled.

After class Kenner told Mack to wait behind, he didn't say why. Annie, Kit, Isaac and Nick were waiting on her outside so I decided to wait with them.

"What you think it's about?" I asked.

They all shared a look, not knowing how to answer. But Annie did, I noticed she loved to judge Mack's decisions, like what she ate or how she dressed or even how she talked.