Breaking The Rules

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Meghan's POV:

"Hey, Meg. Ariana left early for chemo," Demi says as she walks into my room and sits in a chair near my desk. I'm

"Okay," I simply reply. She skeptically looks st me up and down as I can't wipe the smile off of my face. She narrows her eyes, and I let my smile widen.

"What's gotten into you?" she asks carefully. I look at her, and I smile with my teeth showing.

"Charlie," I sigh with happiness. She smirks, and I giggle at her.

"You should tell him how you feel," she says.

"I've been here for a week and a half," I sigh. "He probably doesn't even feel the same way."

"He looks at you differently. He looks at you unlike anyone he's ever looked at here. I just don't know why," she sighs. I shake my head.

"Just drop it. I don't have time to think about this. I have to grade all this," I sigh in frustration. She nods.

"Yeah. I have all this, too," she says as she gestures to the stack of papers she brought over with her. I sigh, again.

"Better start."

***

"Okay, everyone. We are going to have a fire drill at some point today. I don't know when, but when we do, we'll go outside and line up on our number on the pavement," I tell my classroom. Some mumble 'okay', and others nod their head. Not 30 seconds later, the blaring alarm goes off.

"Speak of the devil!" I say as I stand up, excited to get away from my work. I lead my kids out of my classroom, and they follow me outside. I stand outside, count my kids, and I write it down on a slip. I turn to the girl standing in the front, and I ask her to take it for me.

"Corin, will you take this to Mr Puth, please?" I ask. She nods her head with a smile, making her caramel hair bounce a little. I'm about to give her the slip when I hear a familiar voice.

"No need. I'm right here," I hear him say from behind me. I smile, and I turn around to face him. I hand him the slip, and I turn to Corin.

"Thank you, anyway," I smile with a giggle following. She just smiles at me in return, and she turns around to talk to her friends. I turn to look at Charlie, and he's already staring at me.

"How's Ariana doing?" he asks me seriously. I curl my lips in, and I cross my arms over my chest.

"She's okay. She's strangely not reacting like Demi and I thought she would. She's so calm about it," I say as I shake m head and think about Ariana.

"She just might not understand it, yet. She probably doesn't understand the severity of her disease. She probably just doesn't want to face the music, and she wants to live her life like it was before," he sighs. I ponder his words for a moment, and I nod my head.

"That's probably right. I feel so bad. She doesn't deserve this," I sigh as I tuck my hair behind one of my ears and glance over to see her counting her kids.

"I hope she gets better, but we should probably go back in," he says. I nod my head, and he yells out instructions and directs the classes in one by one. I walk my class in, and I continue with what we were doing earlier. When lunch arrives, Demi and I meet up with Ariana at Chipotle.

"Hey," I smile as I sit with my bowl of food next to them. They both smile at me, and they start interrogating me immediately.

"What's going on with you and Charlie?" Ariana asks through a mouth full of food. I almost choke on the sprite that I was drinking, and I cover my mouth. When I regain my composure, I speak up.

"Nothing," I giggle. Demi raises her eyebrows and give me a look that indicates that she doesn't believe a word that I say.

"You two talk so much. It's obvious that he likes you. He's head over heels," Demi says, followed by plopping a bite of food into her mouth. Ariana nods, and I shut my eyes. I shake my head in disbelief, and I put my hands against my forehead and rest my elbows on the table.

"Nothing is going on, guys. I'm telling the truth," I say as I let a chuckle of nervousness out of my mouth.

"Meg, nothing may be going on, but he's into you," Demi says. I groan.

"Why me? There's so many other people, and he chooses me. What's so special about me?" I ask in confusion. I sit up in my chair and lean back. He could've chosen Taylor, Selena, or even Hailee, but I can definitely see the reasons he wouldn't choose them. He could've chosen Ariana or Demi. They're just like me, but what's so special about me?

"Meg, you're unique," Ariana says. "You light up every room you walk into with your silliness and compassion for others."

"Not to mention the way you treat people. I've never seen you get mad in the two weeks that we've known each other. You're one of the nicest people that I've ever met. You care for people so much, and it's a blessing and a curse. I can't find a thing about you that a guy wouldn't like," Demi says. I blush deeply.

"You're so sweet, but you guys are like that, too. I just don't see how he's into me," I shake my head, refusing to believe them. I just don't see how Charlie could like me.

"Meg, you can believe what you want. I just want you to know what I think," Demi says. She stands up to throw her food away, and she comes back to get her stuff. I pack all my stuff, and I think about what she has said.

I walk to my car, and I begin to drive back to the school. When I get there, I teach my class for the rest of the day. When everyone goes home, I sit silently in my chair and grade papers. I suddenly hear a blaring noise in my ear. I look up and see the fire alarm going off. I put my pen down, grab my purse, and I head towards the door. When I open it, all I see is red. My eyes widen, and I close the door.

I begin hyperventilating, and I walk back to my desk and set my purse back down. I sit in my chair, and I take a few deep breaths. It was obvious that I couldn't get out of my room because there was fire everywhere out there. I look down at my shorts that I'm wearing, and I realize that if I don't cover them or do anything, they could be blistered easily. I grab the tight, skinny jeans out of my purse, and I slip into them, so my skin isn't exposed. I grab my smooth, green jacket, and I slip it over my arms. I let my hair out of the pony tail that it's in, and I grab the thick toboggan that I brought in for the winter. I basically protect all the skin that I can.

By the time I look up into my room, there is fire spreading along the desks and posters on my walls. I start crying while I'm sweating my ass off, and I curl up into a ball in my chair. I start screaming for help and to let people know that I'm in here. Smoke starts pervading my lungs, so I sit on the floor under my desk, and I pull my jacket over my mouth. I close my eyes, and I begin to pray that everything will just be alright, even though I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be.

AN: you hate me I know I might post another if it's too suspenseful.