look after you ( andrew bazzi )

XVII

"hey, guys! quiet down, please." adeline spoke to the class, trying to catch their attention. "we have a new student, this is katherine honoret. please welcome her to our class."

rosalia tried looking over the other students to see the new kid, the child getting nervous when she saw adeline walking over to her table.

"rosalia, can katherine sit with you for today until i find other seating arrangements?"

rosalia stared at the girl, seeing the way the shy child refused to meet anyone's eyes. rosalia nodded, noticing the soft smile adeline sent her.

it was silent between the two, katherine just sitting in the seat, staring at the color sheet in front of her. rosalia watched the girl with curious eyes. she thought she was very pretty. katherine had light brown eyes with long, dark brown hair. rosalia felt her heart speed up when the two made eye contact for the first time.

"my names rosalia, but my family calls me rose." rosalia put her hand out towards katherine, the later looking to her.

"i—i'm katherine, but my family calls me kat." the two girls shook hands, rosalia smiling brightly.

"i'm six and four days, what about you?"

"i'm 5 and three quarters." katherine smiled.

"can we be friends? i've never had one besides my uncles, but i don't think they count."

"i've never had one either besides my brother, but i don't think he counts either."

rosalia put her crayon down, pushing her hair out of her face. "i don't have any brothers or sisters. i have a lot of uncles and my dad, but that's it. i want a little brother."

"my brother is almost eighteen! but it's only him and my mom. i don't have a dad." katherine said, a frown coming to her face towards the end.

"i don't have a mom." knowing katherine didn't have a dad made rosalia feel like someone could understand her, that she wasn't alone in the category of missing a parent. "she left when i was four."

"my dad left when i was a baby, i never met him— or i don't remember meeting him, but my brother does. he says he misses him, but i don't have anything to miss."

"i miss my mama, but she hurt my daddy a lot when she left so i'm mad at her." rosalia handed a red crayon to the other child, katherine taking it. "what's it like having a mom?"

"she paints my nails and does my hair for me," katherine put her small hand up showing the purple nail polish painted on her finger nails. "and we talk about boys," the child let out a small laugh. "i love her. what's it like having a dad?"

rosalia had a frown on her face, the child thinking about how she never had anyone to do her hair nice unless it was a special occasion and she asked ana to do it or how she never had anyone to paint her nails for her and talk about boys or anything in that department because she was surrounded by men. in situations like this, rosalia really missed having her mom around.

"rosalia?" katherine asked, tilting her head.

rosalia shrugged her shoulder. "there's nothing special about having a dad."

the child put her head down, adeline walking over and taking notice to the quiet child. the woman had saw the two talking and the sudden mood change from rosalia left her confused. she bent down, rubbing rosalia's back. "rose, come talk to me." adeline whispered in her ear.

rosalia nodded, keeping her head down so her curls could cover the majority of her face. adeline walked out the classroom with rosalia by her side, worry building in the woman. when adeline closed the door to the classroom, rosalia let out a sob, automatically catching the teachers attention.