Hard Times

2

Stacie sat at the desk in the back corner, staring out of the window. She couldn't focus on the teacher's boring lecture about Shakespeare. Hayley sat to her left, scribbling notes furiously into her notebook as she listened to the teacher.

A soft knock on the door finally pulled Stacie's attention back into the room. She sighed softly.

"Enter." Mr Reece said from behind her desk, clearly a little annoyed that his lesson had been interrupted.

Miss Shaw, the school's principal, opened the door and stepped in. "Mr. Reece, could I have Miss Williams, please."

Upon hearing her name, Hayley stopped scribbling in her notebook and lifted her head to look at the two teachers.

"Of course." Mr Reece said, unable to deny the principle of her wish.

"Bring your things, Miss Williams." The head teacher said, addressing Hayley.

Swallowing thickly, Hayley snatched her bag from the floor and stuffed her notebook inside before making her way to the front of the room and out of the door with the principal.

Stacie watched her leave, wondering what was going on. She stuck her hand in the air. "Sir, I need to use the restroom. I'm having woman's issues." She said, knowing who couldn't deny her this.

"If you must but be quick." Mr Reece said irritably.

Stacie got up from her desk, rushed to the front of the room and left. She looked left and right and saw Hayley's orange hair along the corridor. She followed them to the principal's office where she lurked outside, listening to the conversation between her friend and the principal. She saw Benji's silhouette through the blurred window.

"Take a seat Miss Williams, you should be sitting down for the news I'm about to tell you." Miss Shaw said softly.

"What's going on?" Benji asked, he sounded confused.

"Benji, Hayley, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but your parents are dead." Miss Shaw said calmly.

"W-what?" Hayley's voice came out in barely a squeak, her brain unable to process the information from the principal.

Benji went silent, the shock hitting him full force. "What happened?" He asked after a few minutes.

Miss Shaw cleared her throat. "Your neighbour, Mrs. Watkins, knocked on the door. She wanted to borrow sugar, when she found the door was open, she went in to investigate and found your parents dead in their bed, they'd overdosed on some sort of drug." She explained softly.

A soft sob sounded through the door, Hayley was crying.

Stacie had heard enough, rushing away from the door to get her brother and Beca. She had decided she wasn't going to tell them about what was happening to her. At least not right now. How should she get Beca and Taylor out of class, that's what she had to figure out. She stopped in front of Taylor's class first, seeing him looking in the direction of the door. She quickly waved for him to join her. She watched him ask the teacher to use the restroom then move towards the door.

"Hey, what's going on?" Taylor asked as soon as he closed the door.

"Hayley and Benji need us, I'll explain more after we get Beca." Stacie told him softly, already moving down the hall toward Beca's classroom.

Taylor frowned worriedly and followed her. What could possibly be going on? He wondered.

Stopping in front of Beca's classroom, Stacie frowned when she realised the brunette wasn't looking toward the door but instead out the window. "Dammit." She muttered. "How do we get her attention without alerting her teacher?"