Evergreen

guidance

The early evening sun illuminated the photography club room through each of the designated glass windowpanes, shining freely. In the middle of the room, gently cleaning the dirt off of his camera lens, Zahri sat, his mind reliving the events that transpired earlier, including his talk with the Guidance Counsellor.

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"Oh Mr. Asghar, you actually came! You have no idea how proud I am of you!" Exclaimed a strangely heartwarming voice from the other side of the desk. This voice undoubtedly belonged to Mr. Grantis, the school's Guidance Counseller, so full of life he was, it was impossible to deny his positive energy...something that Zahri hated. Zahri really didn't have anything personal towards positive people, but the way Mr. Grantis carried about himself irked the boy to his core. Why? The answer to that was simple, his kindness was insincere.

His home room teacher soon after departed the office once he was settled and left him all alone with another demon to deal with.

"So... Mr. Asghar.... how are you  feeling?"

"Pretty...Normal I suppose..." He responded, a tang of hesitation in his voice.

"Are you sure? Not bottling up the feels are we?"

"That would be unnecessary..."

"Hm....Well, if there's anything you'd like to tell me, just go on ahead and let it all out! Of course, this would all be confidential..."

"You're lying."

"Ah yes...wh- huh?"

Mr. Grantis was a plump man nearly in his fifties, grey hair bespeckled almost every visible surface of his skin and there was always a certain smell to him that you could pinpoint from any location, not to say that it was bad per se, but most definitely distinct. He had eyes that were so small and beady under the folds of his fat that from far away you would think that he was always squinting.

If there was one thing Zahri absolutely knew was off with that man was the fact that he was always smiling, morning, noon and night, whatever the situation... Mr. Grantis would always wear that "heartwarming" smile on his face, so it truly did make Zahri a little giddy inside to see him in a state of confusion when he spoke out on something he didn't want to hear.

"I'm sorry Mr. Asghar, my hearing just...isn't what it used to be you know! I don't believe I heard you properly...run that by me once more-"

"Oh no Mr. Grantis... you heard me well, high definition to be exact, you really think you misheard me given this small distance between us? Come on now... you know the facts- You're lying...once you hear something negative from me, you're gonna run to tell my parents...."

For the first time in his life, Zahri saw that smile quiver and strain. It was almost like the thin strings that greasy man used to pull them up with began to tear. "What an.... interesting thing to say Mr. Asghar... You take quite a bit from your father hm?" Those thinly veiled words, coated in, what anyone at first glance would call fondness, rang in Zahri's ear...as nothing but acute silence followed.

It wasn't long before the clicks of his keyboard filled the empty void of silence surrounding them. Zahri stared daggers into the middle-aged man, growing restless the longer he typed, to the point where he was sure he could bore a hole into him...but instead of waiting for such a thing to occur, Zahri took a better approach. 

"What's going on with the investigation.... you know, with Miss Penny...?" He asked indifferently, his expression as blank as a sheet.

"They've begun the primary investigations...well- so I've heard...I also heard you'll be in for questioning tomorrow."