Seeking Hope

Seeking Hope: Chapter 8

As I made it quickly into homeroom and placed my books on my table at the back corner, right behind Claire, I heard Therese call out my name. “Hey Mike, come here!” I look up at her to see her sitting on her table, smiling at me with her white turtle neck sweater and dark blue jeans and flats, I walked over as she waves at me to come over there. “Glad you showed up. Running late I’m guessing?” She says. I let out a small laugh. “Yeah something like that. I see your not wearing your cheer uniform yesterday?” I replied, trying to start up a conversation. “I know right! It’s a first. I get to have practice off today, so I thought what’s the point when I don’t have cheer practice. Do I look good?” Therese jokes at the last part, as she sits up straight and flips her shoulder length layered hair out of the way. “You look more than just good.” I flirted. I could see her blush a little as she looks down. I heard miss walk into the classroom, welcoming everybody as she tells everyone to sit down. “Settle down everybody, settle down.” She says as she was wiping off the work from yesterday on the white board. Everyone scatters to there seat and I started walking to mine. “Hey,” Therese whispers to me. “See you around?” I smiled and whispered back. “Definitely.”

I could see that warm smile appear on her face. “Mike, please tell me why you’re still standing?” Miss says as she turns around sitting at the front of her room behind her desk. “Just walking back to my seat mam.” As I dropped my bag to the side and lean back into my seat, she started calling the role. Just as she said Claire’s name, Claire walks in the room looking tired and grumpy. “Here” She mutters. Her hair was tied back, still showing her side fringe, her hands were tucked into her thin black hoodie as she was wearing normal color blue jeans to match. “Ah, Miss Daniels! I see you’re late, again. As usual.” She just raises her eyebrows. “You know me to well Miss.” Claire states, everybody must have took it the wrong way considering they were “oooh”-ing. Creating suspense. “Excuse me? Wanna try that again?” Miss replies back. Claire just seats down and folds her arms, shaking her head. “Alright then…” As miss continues marking the wall, I lean forward in my seat and whisper to Claire. “Hey, how come your late?” I ask. I see her shrug. “Just problems.” She replied back, with no hateful tone at all. It wasn’t because we became friends recently; there was something else she was hiding. “Like what?” I lead on.  It seems as if she was going to go on, but as I see her clenched her fist together, it looked like she was pulling herself back from it. “It’s nothing.” Miss finished marking the role. “Alright, that’s about it. Chat among yourself guys. “ Everybody shifted in their seats, facing towards their friends. “So, what do you have now?” I asked her. She turns around and speaks up a little. “Erm, American history. Boring.” “You and I both.” I sighed.

“Hey Claire! Did you have a nice fall yesterday? HAHA!” Someone joked. Claire turns around and acts like she doesn’t care at all. “Hmm?” Therese’s friend, Lea, joins in as well. “Don’t act all innocent! We saw you falling down yesterday working. It’s funny! And it’s not just because of you falling.” Everybody laughed along and Claire just shrugged, not giving a care what everybody thought. I knew I should of stepped in and done something, but I just couldn’t. “How’s it feel knowing that you’re the laughing stock at the whole, entire school?” Chase says, pulling out his iPhone 4, ready to film her do something embarrassing like they say. As I gazed between the both of them, I happen to see Claire clench her fist once more, almost as if the nails were really biting deep into her skin. I don’t think she can hold the anger and embarrassment in any longer. As she just stares blankly at them while they continued to make animal noises, waiting for her to finally crack, the bell went. I never saw anybody get out of their seat, grabbing their books and walked out of class so fast. I hesitated getting out of my seat as soon as she walked out, thinking I should play it safe and ‘fit in’ or help the poor girl. After all, we did have a deal. “Aye Mike! Ready for class? See how fast she ran out?” Chase says, coming up and giving me a pat on the back while scrolling through his phone. “Yeah, I did.” I didn’t even bother waiting for him; I walked out of the room by myself surprisingly, hearing him catch up with the sound of my name, heading to class.

The first 2 periods were truly awkward, especially when Claire was sitting in front of me for the first period and beside me for the second. I wanted to talk to her, but something was pulling me back again. However, I did know that I was going to talk to her at lunch and set some things straight. Once the bell went for lunch, I know how slow she can be to get to her lockers. So I rushed to mine shoving all my books in and went straight to hers. By the time I got there, her locker door was still open and she was still packing. I lean on the side of the lockers and hide behind her door, waiting for her to notice me already while I was also folding my arms. I heard a small sigh come out of her as she closed, almost walking into me. She looked a bit shocked as she gasped. “Mike! Don’t do that you idiot.” She warns as she pushes me a little hard in the stomach, I raised my hands. “Woah, take it easy there tiger. Are you okay?” Claire just licks her lips and walks down the hallway, more like power walking though. “I’m fine.” I rolled my eyes, trying to keep up with her pace. “You sure about that? You seemed… tensed.” I paused, she stopped walking, looking up at me. “And what’s that suppose to mean?” Claire hissed trying to think of a proper way of answering her, she yet again rolled her eyes and started walking away. “Nothing! Claire come on don’t act like this,” I begin to say, catching up by her side. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant that you looked hurt from what everybody was saying to you this-“ before I could go on any further, she stopped again and looked up at me. “It wasn’t that!” She yelled, almost a few people glancing by. I raise my eyebrows with a concerned frown on my face. It looked like she was about to say something more as she looked from sideways, to up, and to down then me. She hesitated and sighed. “Trust me on this one.” Claire states calmly and walking away, looking embarrassed, hurt and apologetic. Me being so curious, instead of heading to lunch with the money mom gave me – which is in the hands of Chase now considering I lied to him – I thought I chase after her as I see her head outside to the front of the school.

I paced quickly through the halls and just saw Claire almost to the exit, I caught up just in time as I saw her clearly walk outside, pushing the door hard. I opened it quickly with force and called out her name, we were the only people outside. “Claire, where you going?” She turns around and looked a little startled with her hands in her pocket and earphones in her ears. “Hmmm?” I walked up to her. “Schools this way… it’s not even half the day yet. What’s the deal?” I asked, she just shrugs in response. “I’m hungry.” “So?” “So, that means I can wonder off and get food. Besides my bitch of an aunt is making me work a little throughout lunch today and from 4 to 9 tonight.” As I raised my finger at her, I was going to ask if Jacklyn was her aunt, considering they both work at the same place, or maybe it was just a coincidence. Whatever the case was, I left it and blabbered out something else. “So… what makes it think it’s okay to ditch school?” I assumed that she was going to argue back, biting my head off for asking such a “dumb” question, but the rage never came. Instead she smiled a little and rolled her eyes playfully and shrugs. “Come on, you gotta break the rules once in a while.” Claire starts swaying her body from side to side a bit, my mouth tightened as my hand rested against my side. She pushed me gently this time and started walking down the street.  I know I should have been a “good boy” and returned inside the school, but hey? Like she said. You gotta break the rules once in a while.