Everett | HS |

Four.

Her presence had grown on me every single day. She skipped out on lunch every day since the party, spending the solid thirty-five minutes with me, cooped up in my classroom, talking about any and everything that had nothing to do with this building. I enjoyed making her laugh during those times, the way her eyes would crinkle at the sides and light up in the most beautiful manner I had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. She was a darling girl, oh so sweet in personality, I couldn't even stand the thought of looking away from her as she spoke. She spoke so dear of others, she spoke so dear of things that caught her eyes. She even spoke dearly of her hag of a mother and it took everything in me not to let a scowl adorn my face every time she brought it up. I hadn't even thought about Maryann and what we were doing behind the backs of everyone, I didn't even want to. I wanted to think about my baby girl and taking her far, far away from this place, even though I knew that wouldn't happen. Not in this life time, anyway.

I only had Everett for one period of the day, but she always managed to stop by my classroom during passing breaks and speak to me. I had to admit that I knew she had grown comfortable with our friendship, even though I never sensed anything awkward in her being since I proposed a friendship. I never liked any of my students enough to build a friendship with them. They were all children in my eyes, but for some reason, Everett seemed different. She wasn't immature, she could hold adult-like conversations, and she wasn't shy about admitting things that were embarrassing to most. I had only had the pleasure of meeting a girl like Everett in my high school days. She was a beautiful girl, very sweet, too. She fell in with the wrong crowd and according to Louis, she's now a recovering meth addict, serving time in a correctional facility. I can't deny that the sudden revelation didn't make me laugh until I was red in the face, having had no sympathy for the same girl that made me look like a hopeless fool in front of our entire graduating class. I know it wasn't her fault and she had to reject me, but in front of everyone? It was too much.

"Hey, Harry," the same warm voice chirped as the last bell rang for the day to end. Students filed out of my class and I was just about to erase the board, when she floated into my room with the largest smile on her face. "You won't believe the day that I had," she said. I offered her a seat and grabbed something from my bag, holding it behind my back as she spoke. "I fell down in P.E, but I got an A on my essay in English, so I feel pretty confident about the gash on my elbow," she laughed, lifting up her arm high enough for me to see the large bandaid on her skin. I frowned at this, walking closer until I could see her face nearly touching the fabric of my shirt. Close enough for me to kiss her, too. But, I had to refrain from that. "Do you think it'll heal?" She asked in that same sweet voice that sent me shaking from my head to my toes.

"It's a tough gash, Angel, but it'll heal," I smiled faintly, gripping onto the item in my hand, before slowly revealing it. It seemed like the perfect time. "I remembered how much you like mangos—" my sentence was cut off by a loud squeal as the fruit was snatched from my hands. I smiled at this, not once looking away, as her big eyes stared at the fruit in awe. She was such a delicate creature and I couldn't believe, for the life of me, that she was standing right in front of me. Her eyes were so bright and it was over something as simple as a fucking fruit, while you couldn't get most women to smile like that unless you spent an abundance on material items. A lot of girls didn't possess the light that Everett has. Most of them were too busy dumbing themselves down for men who could give a rats ass about them, and it was saddening. She was the type, as far as I could tell, that didn't need anyone to take care of her, but I wanted to be that person regardless. I wanted to show her new things, hold her at night, and be able to kiss her until my heart is content. And it wasn't until moment that I realized the position I've placed myself in, was going to be a tough one to get out of.