The Phantom of Scranton Hill

9

Days flew by like a blur. Every night she'd dream of shooting stars but never the same scenes. And every night Justine would fall asleep beside the open window with remorse, crying or sniffling or just staring at the stars and wondering what they meant, if they were mocking her. But every morning when she woke up, Justine would find herself tucked within her bed sheets with the window frame locked shut, curtains closed. Millions of times, she had thought about the possibilities, but not once had found a reasonable answer.

She couldn't understand.

Justine hadn't missed a day of school since Dax's funeral. She admitted her complete self and devotion to education, full-time. Her grades were slipping and she couldn't bear to take summer classes with all the idiots who failed them the first time and magically expected to pass the second time around.

Strange things had been happening at school: respect from teenagers. A sort of shrine had been dedicated to Dax around his locker and their old lunch table was always empty. No one dared to sit there. Not when threats from the team breathed down their necks. She continued to sit underneath the tall oak tree anyway, smiling warmly at any players that crossed her path, especially Max. He had just broken up with Mandy. Again.

Justine perceived it as one of those tutor stories. A smart girl--what was her name? Rosemary? Oregano? Well, she was tutoring him a couple of days after school so she wouldn't have to take the chemistry final, and one thing led to another, and suddenly, Max has a new girlfriend.

"Justine? May I speak with you after class?" Her chemistry teacher, Mr. Markowitz whispered as he bent down beside her, his hands held behind his back. She finished bubbling the last question on her exam and walked to the front of the class to place it in the pile with all of the others.

Justine nodded at her professor and pondered why he would want to see her. Her leg began bouncing lightly, uneasily. Her eyes wandered around the room and met the piercing blue eyes of a curly brunette across the room. He smiled. Frightened at his gesture, Justine's attention was caught by the front of the room straight away, and for the next seven minutes and twelve seconds, never faltered. And neither did his stare.

Once the bell rang, Justine approached her teacher's desk. "You wanted to speak with me, Mr. Markowitz?" she asked, tapping her foot quickly from excited nerves.

The Russo's hair was darker than usual and he had grown his mustache out, the tips curled. His eyebrows were even more bushy as if the hair on the top of his head crawled halfway down his face.

"Yes," he spoke, his voice higher than normal and pants tighter around his not-so-thin-anymore waist. "Justine, your grade in this class has been dropping, as you well know. Now, I fully understand why," he paused and steadied his breath. "I can't say I haven't been affected. So, I shall propose a deal. I will give you an extension of a week's time, but that is it. No more, no less. Deal?"

Justine had well more than ten missing assignments, and she knew it. Not every teacher would do this for a student. In fact, no teacher would. But Dax was his favorite student.

She watched the minute hand on the clock tick by slowly and against her wishes, it continued to move. And he continued to talk. As his words began to draw to a close, Justine nodded her head enthusiastically and thanked him softly before racing out of the classroom. She was almost free when her body hit that of another. And it was solid.

"Ow," Justine muttered as her bottom hit the gray marble tiled flooring. She slid backwards a couple of feet and collided with the sandstone slick walls.

"Wow. Didn't realize how fragile you were," the body's voice chuckled. It was deep yet welcoming. He reached down and gave up a hand, helping her up.