The Watching

Chapter 1

Vanessa Crawford flipped her long brown curls over the shoulder of her silky purple Alice and Olivia dress. She clicked her black Calvin Klein Stingray ankle strap skinny heel sandals together and leaned forward in her chair. Every girl in Heckler's Elite Learning Life for Girls Preparatory School (A.K.A. HELL) Mr. Drew's twelfth grade English class was playing with their hair, their gum, and, of course, there was the one mismatch girl that was playing with her Salvation Army suspenders.

Vanessa, on the other hand, bit back a laugh, knowing damn well that Mr. Drew wasn't interested in them, at all. He glanced up from his version of The Color Purple and smiled at Vanessa. She blushed at the flirtatious expression and looked away.

Damn him, making her less confident. No one noticed, thank God. And if they did, no one would dare say a word; Vanessa, as innocent as she was, could destroy their social lives forever.

"Okay, gu-err, girls. Before I dismiss you, remember you have two chapters to read and the questions in your notebook to answer. No pink pen, ladies. I've gotten that way to many times. Black or blue pens only!" The bell rang. "Alright. I'll see you all tomorrow. Have a nice day."

Vanessa stood, gathering her books into her Louis Vuitton school bag. As she began to walk out, Mr. Drew stopped her. The brunette turned on her black heel, facing him with a raised eyebrow.

"Vanessa, what happened?" he asked, once the last girl was out and the door was closed.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You know damn well what I mean. After the wake. When Daniel introduced us-or so he thought. You ran out crying."

She held her chin high. "So? A girl's not allowed to cry when one of closest friends dies?"

"That's the biggest bullshit I've ever heard from you, Vanessa. You won't let anyone seen you upset, much less crying. No matter what."

"Look," she said, keeping her voice even as possible. "I'm seventeen and slightly overwhelmed with everything that's been going on. It's been a month, Mr. Drew, since Meredith was found. She was one of my closest friends. I had ever damn right to cry."

He sighed and dropped his head. "You're right. You did have every reason to cry. I'm sorry for the accusations."

She exhaled heavily. "It's not your fault. There's just a lot going on."

The second period bell rang and Vanessa internally groaned. Mr. Drew noticed her hidden irritation and excused her, handing her a note. She refrained from smiling and strutted out of the room.

On her way to second period, she ran into someone. "Daniel?" she breathed, looking at her late friend's old boyfriend. "What are you-?"

"I'm visiting my uncle. I start at Clancey next week, so, I was just dropping by to say hi."

"Oh, well, his class is right over there. I just came from there. I can take you...?"

"No. It's alright. I know where it is. Where's your class?"

"Math, but I'm gonna skip. I'm not in the mood to listen to my Calculus teacher go over whatever we're studying. There's just too much going on right now."

"I understand. Well, I can always visit my uncle. I won't always have a chance to talk to a pretty girl like yourself."

"You're too sweet, Daniel." He smiled. "Well, I always have time for a cutie such as yourself."

"Great. Can I get a campus tour?"

"This is the girls' school. I could check, but I'm pretty sure you're a guy," Vanessa flirted.

Daniel chuckled and, his Southern voice husky, "Why don't you show me around and you can check later?"

"Is that a promise?" Vanessa asked, running her hand along his arm.

"If you want it to be."

"Definitely."

"Then we should get walking."

Vanessa's phone went off, indicating a text. Her stomach dropped. "Sure. Just give me a second, okay?"

"Of course."

Vanessa feigned a smile and excused herself. She pulled out her phone and looked at it.

Shouldn't you know that being friends with benefits with your dead friend's ex-boyfriend after a breakup with your new friend's uncle-slash-your teacher is a bad idea? But, I'm not stopping you! It IS better than dating your teacher.

-M