By Her Side

Chapter 4: Drawing Attention

~ Amelia's POV ~

I sat in the coffee shop after school with my computer and essay prompt. I've completed everything else besides the essay prompt. I sighed as I sat here, my hand is running through my hair, I looked at the time to see its already 4:00pm. I've gone through two medium espressos and I'm staring at this thing in blank. I'm trying to remember when its due completely forgetting to write it down. She handed this paper to us yesterday morning. It's Wednesday and I've been here for over two hours.

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I sat at my desk, continuing my drawing as I had ten extra minutes left before AP English ends. Looking up at Ms. Bryant, sitting at her desk, grading like usual. It's only Tuesday of the second week. The five-minute bell rang and I decided to close my sketch book and place it in my bag.

"Amelia." I heard and looked up from my bag to see Ms. Bryant calling me.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Did I ever hand out the prompt for the essay?"

"Umm no you didn't." I said.

'Okay, thanks, I'm going to hand those out now." She said. "Alright, before we go, I'm going to hand everyone a paper, an essay prompt to analyze, this will be due Thursday, I would like to you all to use the strategy I had showed you earlier. I will collect them that day and we will go over them Friday after I had taken a look over it." She said to the class and began passing them out. I took one and passed it behind me, then I placed it in my bag, grabbing my bag and heading out the door when the bell rang.

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Okay, its due Thursday. I really should have looked at this, earlier and come in at lunch to ask for a little help. Anyway, I'm sitting at the corner and I have nothing on this paper. My English binder is out and I'm still having trouble figuring this out. I can't structure this out at the moment, my mind is blank and empty on ideas. I grabbed out a scratch piece of paper to brainstorm. My eyes started to hurt so I just sat up straight in my seat and closed my eyes for a couple of minutes.

Opening them and just looked straight at the menu ahead of me from where I sat, I noticed a blonde woman walk in, the man behind the register smiled, "Hi Claire, great to see you. The regular?" He asked her.

"Yes, thank you Richard," She said.

I just kept looking ahead and my mind is just filled on how I'm suppose to do this essay. I groaned lightly and the woman turned around after paying. "Oh, Ms. Davis." She said and began walked over to me, also waiting for her drink.

"Ms. Bryant." I smiled.

"How are you this evening?" She asked me.

"Decent and struggling, how are you?" I said and sighed.

"Good. I see you're looking at your English assignment." She said as her eyes were on the table where my papers are.

"Yes, I've been inside my house so much and I want to head out, get a change of setting. So... This is the place I chose." I chuckled.

"Is it working?" She asked.

"It is for everything else. Just not English." I sighed.

She looked at her watch and then her name is called, "Let me go grab my drink and I'll help you with the assignment."

"Oh Ms. Bryant you don't have to, I don't want to take out your own time to help me." I said.

"No worries Amelia." She said and went to go get her drink. Why am I so darn nervous? I rubbed my face for a second before looking back down at the paper. She came back and stood for a second, "Do you have your prompt with you?" She asked as she set her purse on the seat to the right of me.