Prep School

Chapter 43

I hurry down the stairs, pulling on my combat boots as I hop down.
I sit at the dining table, kicking on my boot.
Mom sets a plate of scrambled eggs in front of me, and I inhale it. I grab a cup of milk and gulp it down.
"See ya!"
"Bye!"
I hurry outside where Riel's waiting.
I sit down and roll down a window.
"Why aren't you at school," I ask.
"Parent- teacher conferences. Dad went."
"Ah."
We drive in silence for a bit.
"So.... Uh, everything ok at school?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, that one time, you did have all these scratches on your arm. Just wondering though. No, ah, incidents?"
"Well......I did get beat up."
Riel raises his eyebrows. "You got beat up?"
"Yeah."
"What happened?"
I quickly tell him how I got ambushed.
"You didn't tell a teacher or something?"
"I took care of it."
"How exactly did you take of it?"
"I, uh, kinda sorta beat them up. Bad."
He raises his eyebrows again. Then he holds up his hand for a high-five.
I slap his palm then say,"Aren't you, I don't know, not supposed to encouraging this?"
"If I was a responsible person, yes. But seeing as I'm not, I don't really give a damn. All that's important is that you showed them not to mess with you."
"But....."
"But this is a one time deal. I don't want you coming home with bruises again, got it?"
"Got it."

Gianna and I rush through English, scribbling out the essay Mrs. Hucks wants. I read it over, adding in details.
I walk up to the front and give it to her.
I walk back to my seat and doodle in my sketchbook.

"Uhh...... I can't. Do. This."
Gianna groans as she flips through her math textbook during lunch.
"Five pages of questions? Does he think we're robots or something?"
I take a bite of my sandwich and
say," It's Harmswell. He probably just wanted us staying up late doing math."
"True."
Gianna pulls out her notebook and copies down the questions. Rocky and Roxanne are hunched over Rocky's phone, watching a video.
"Whatcha guys doing?"
Sofia hovers over us, peering over our shoulders.
"Homework," I grumble.
"Aren't you guys supposed to be doing that at home?"
Gianna sighs. "Don't you have some fangirling to do?"
"Actually yeah!"
She plops down and starts ranting about some guy in her class and how he's positively the hottest thing she has ever seen.
Gianna and I roll our eyes and go back to working on math.
The bell rings as we answer the 15th question and we hurriedly pack up our stuff.
As we walk to History, Mrs. Hucks pokes her head out of her classroom.
"Aria! Could I talk to you for just a second?"
Gianna glances at me and I say,"You go ahead. I'll be there in a bit."
She nods slowly and walks away.
I walk into the classroom and Mrs. Hucks closes the door behind me.
"I wanted to talk to you about your essay. I had finished grading it earlier, and I wanted to talk about it with you."
"Ok."
She sits down at her desk and I sit in front of it.
She picks up a piece of paper off her desk.
"What made you describe the play that way?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
She smiles. "The prompt for the essay was to describe how character tensions affect character development. What made you describe character tensions as stepping stones?"
"Well..... When you think about it, a problem in your life can go two ways. It can either break you down or it can make you stronger."
"Well said. I particularly liked how you tied in events from the play into your essay, connecting it to that point."
She hands me the paper in her hand.
I flip it over and see my essay. With a giant A plus at the top.
I breathe out in relief. Mrs. Hucks smiles.
"The way you explained it was very poetic. I sent some copies to some of my friends, and they were very impressed. It was almost artistic the way you tied everything together."
She pauses for a minute.
"Have you thought of becoming an author?"
"No, not really. I just draw a lot."
"You should try writing. I have a feeling that you would be quite good at it."
I smile at her. "Ok, I'll try it."
She stands up and hands me something. A late pass.
"Now hurry and get to class."
I get out of the chair I was sitting in, smiling. I grip the paper in my hand gently.
I open the door and hear an "oomph" of someone hitting the ground. I look and see Gianna, sprawled on the ground.
"What are you doing here? You're gonna be late for class."
She looks up at me as I pull her up.
"I wanted to make sure you weren't in trouble."
A rush of gratitude goes through me when I think about her loyalty.
I give her a one armed hug and she smiles.
"Let's get to class."