Beyond the Lesson (TXS)

Agreement

Tuesday

I wake up to the sound of the front door closing. I sit up in bed and grab my phone. 7:40. What the fuck?! I rush out of bed and find the first thing I see in my closet. Blue baggy jeans and black hoodie and white air forces. No need for a shirt when your best friend will literally kill you for making her late. I go to the bathroom and quickly brush my teeth and wash my face. Beep! Beep! I hear her car and grab my book bag and lotion to moisturize.

I get out the door and lock up. I see her watching me and I get in the car releasing a breath. "You just woke up didn't you?" I nod. She shakes her head laughing. "God you and time are just non existent." She says and I sigh.

"I set it wrong. I set it for pm instead of am. I'm sorry." She waves it off.

"It's fine. You weren't technically late since you made it out by 45." She says and I smile nodding. "So?"

I groan. "I should've asked Lucas!"

She laughs. "Oh come on Talia! Just for like an hour, please?" She says and stops at the stop sign just by the school.

"I could just walk from here." I say and she begs more and I sigh. I hate this. "Fine." She yells and shakes me. "Just drive please and just one hour Maira. Then I'm gone and no drinking." I say and she crosses her heart promising. I roll my eyes and shake my head. Beats being at the house by myself anyway. Tyson always goes out with his Professor buddies on Fridays. What they do? I have no idea nor do I want to know what a collective of nerds do on a Friday night.

We pull in the parking lot and I get out. "It's going to be so fun! I can't wait to tell Lucas." She says and I shake my head at her excitement. I look up from the short girl as she talks details of the night and see Ms. Romano getting out her car. I watch her as the brisk air blows her hair back and slightly in her face. She's wearing the same trench coat from last night but I can tell she has on pants since they're covering the top portion of her heels. I watch as she goes to her trunk and struggles to get something out while she has folders and her purse in both hands.

"I'll meet you at class." I tell Maira and she nods and goes ahead in side and I run towards Ms. Romano. "Need help?" I ask and she turns to me over her shoulder and smiles.

"Oh uh hi Ms. Kingston. Um sorta. I just have too much and this box is heavier than I thought." She says sounding embarrassed and I nod putting my bag on both shoulders and grabbing the box.

"What do you have in here, bricks?" I ask as I hold the box. I'm pretty strong because of basketball but even I can tell there's a lot of weight in it.

She chuckles. "No. It's just stacks of papers. Lesson plans, I somehow found in that mess he called a file cabinet." She says and I nod. We walk inside in silence and it's irritating me.

"Um how are you liking Colorado so far?" I ask and cringe at it sounding like a cliche question on a first date.

She shrugs. "It's cold." I chuckle and she laughs. "But it's beautiful so it cancels out. I haven't been somewhere it snows so I'm excited for that." She says and I nod.

"It snows a lot here. So I hope you get your fill. You'll get tired of it eventually." I say and she shakes her head. We make it to her class and she goes to look in her purse for her keys as I lean against the wall beside her. "You don't think you will?"

"No. I've always been in either sun or rain in California and Washington, so it's definitely something I'm looking forward to." She says and I nod.

"You lived in California?" I ask curious.