School Spirits | I Don't Do Friends

20- Lady

Wally and Caroline have been awkward recently. Maybe it is because Caroline accidentally slipped past the barrier and disappeared for a month. After a very unpleasant conversation that happened last spring.

"I can't fucking believe this!" Caroline slammed the papers back down on the faculty desk.

Every so often she'd snoop through reports, she liked knowing what was going on around her home. Which was sadly a public high school.

Wally flinched, just a second before she was silent. He didn't realize the look on her face while she was reading the donation log, it was terror.

"What is it?" He looked over to the paper she was reading.

She was livid, practically pulling her hair out.

"4th column down!" Caroline paced.

Wally read the entry. "Shannon Otev donated $1,000 dollars?" He read, he didn't understand.

"That's my fucking mother!" She kicked the door. "And to the goddamn library of all places!"

The blood running through her veins was hot and angry. Never in her life did she expect her deadbeat mother to donate to anything, 
let alone to the school. Let alone a thousand dollars.

He knew she loathed her mother, that she was a drunk. That's about it.

Caroline knew that it was enough to get her name written on the door of the library. Right next to hers.

"That bitch."  She mumbled. "She's gonna get a fucking plaque."

Caroline looked to him, for comfort. For him to tell her that everything would be fine, that she didn't have to panic. That her mother couldn't touch her.

He wasn't comforting at all.

"I don't get why you're so upset." He shrugged.

Wally would do anything for his mother to give something to the athletics department, so his parents names could be written outside the gym. He didn't understand.

"I'm upset because whenever I'm in the library I'll be reminded of her! I'm moving my shit out of it right now!" She stormed out the door.

Wally wanted to talk the anger down, so he followed her.

"What did she do? Why do you hate her so much?" He trailed behind her.

She shook her head, too pissed to speak.

Caroline never told him what her dreams were about. Why she ended up glad her mother left when she did.

"Caroline!" He called as she swung the door open. "Why are you so upset?"

She closed her eyes, and tried to calm down before she spoke, but she couldn't.

"Because she's a fucking monster! Now she donates money? Like that'll make up for everything she's done?!" She whipped around.

"Maybe she's changed." He reasoned.
He should know reason was not the right direction by now.

Caroline gapped at him, like it was the stupidest thing he's ever said.