Briar Preparatory Academy: International

Begin Again

Celeste POV

"Celeste, was it Melvin Purvis or Charles Winstead that took down Dillinger?" Kate asks, twirling her pen in between her fingers.

"Winstead but he never got full credit for it. Something happened with his chief, I think..." I say and chew on my straw.

"Thank you." She drawls out and scribbles something down in her notes.

"What class?" I ask, leaning back in my chair.

"Rochester." She responds with a sigh. I suck air in through my teeth. Kate nods without looking up from her paper.

"I know, 2 weeks in and he's already given us a research paper."

"You know," another voice comes from behind me, "If you want to get along easy with that then you should just do J. Hoover. There's a ton of info on him." Preston plops down in the chair next to Kate and sets a mug of coffee down in front of her. Kate mutters her thanks and takes a sip. "Everyone is going to do Hoover though. I want to be different."

"You would be different because your paper would be the best one, guaranteed." Preston flashes her a grin with pearly whites. I catch Kate smiling as well. She sits up and plants a kiss on his cheek. I watch them for a few seconds before cutting a section out of my cinnamon roll and stuffing it in my mouth.

"Didn't they enforce a rule about no PDA in the mess hall?" I say. Preston's eyes dart towards mine.

"Says you," he crosses his arms, "Don't think I haven't seen you sneaking off behind a building with that trainer."

"Well he isn't just a trainer to me." I shoot back. Kate puts her pen down and looks over my shoulder.

"Speak of the devil." She grins. I glance behind me and catch a shock of blonde hair in the doorway. Half the eyes in the room turn to look at the latest addition to the BPA staff. Some tense, some sigh, others just chew their food.

Joe's eyes land on mine and he makes his way across the room. He pulls a chair up next to mine and sets a folded piece of paper on the table. Preston reaches for it and I slap his hand away. He chuckles and leans back.

I must say that it has been odd having Joe around twenty-four-seven, and that he's now considered one of my teachers. Lockharte hired him as the new Physical Defense trainer after we lost Coach in the attack back in April. I'll catch some of the other professors giving him odd looks from time to time.

Everyone knows where he came from.

"You're not supposed to be in here." I say quietly and try to conceal a grin.

"Oh what are they gonna do? Fire me?" Joe mutters.

"You never know."

"Your granddad loves me."

"What proof do you of have of that?"

He glances at me out of the corner of his eyes and runs his eyes down my form, and back up again to meet my eyes. I slap him on the shoulder.

"PDA." Preston whispers from across the table. We both shoot him a look that could kill.

"Anyways, I came by to drop that off," Joe motions to the paper. "I gotta head to first period."

"All right." I say. He stands and plants a kiss on my forehead, then he is gone. I catch at least four girls staring at him as he disappears out the door.

"So what was that thing I was saying about you guys sneaking behind buildings all the time...?" Preston taunts.

"Shut up." I say and point a finger at him. He's about to bite back when Kate lets out a frustrated grunt and crumples up the notebook paper she was scribbling on.