Assisting Victoria

Part Eleven

            The tutoring center was on the opposite side of the building and I was thankful for the long walk. Every once in a while I looked over at Tori. She didn’t seem to notice, or maybe she just wasn’t acknowledging the fact that I was. I couldn’t tell. I faced forward and kept walking.

            Every now and then I was inch closer in her direction. I tried to do it when she looked over at something, or at least seemed not to be paying too much attention to me. Eventually, we were walking so close that I could feel her arm brushing up against mine a few times. She didn’t move away, although I saw her look once, so I knew she noticed.          

            Huh… that’s strange, I thought to myself. I wasn’t going to think too much about it though, because I still didn’t want to get my hopes up too much. I had a habit of doing that and I needed to stop.

            “How long have you known Heather?” I asked.

            I didn’t know why I just asked her that. I hoped she didn’t think I was inappropriately snooping in her business. She looked over at me with an unexplainable look on her face. I think it was a mixture of confused and shocker with just a tad bit of worried.

            “I… uh… a while. Why?”

            “Just… curious I guess. I don’t know… maybe I thought that you and her….”

            She looked away.

            “That me and her what?” she asked rather quietly.

            I wanted to say that I thought they were together, that I thought she was like me. I wanted to say it so badly, but I knew I couldn’t. It would have been a mistake. I sighed and looked over at her.

            “You said you had a rough time before too. I thought maybe she was like Lauren, my best friend. We’ve known each other since 4th grade and she’s the only one that’s really stuck by me throughout the years.”

            I was disappointed that I couldn’t explain to her what was really on my mind. This was good enough for now though, or at least, it had to be.

            “Oh… yeah… not that long. I met her when I first started teaching here.” She told me. “I guess you could say she’s my best friend.”

            She half smiled at me and before I knew it we were standing outside of the tutoring center.

            “Thanks. You know, for listening and showing me this place.”

            “Not a problem!” she replied. “Do you want me to go in with you? I could talk to the guy that runs the program or something.”

            “No, but thank you. I’ll be okay.”

            I should have told her to come in with me. What was I thinking? I could have given myself yet another chance to spend more time, and all I did was send her walking in the other direction. I shook my head in frustration before walking into the room.

            “I’d like to set an appointment for tutoring,” I said to the lady behind the front desk.

            “Well then you’ve come to the right place. What subject are you making it for and when are you available?”

            I picked math, because it was honestly my worst subject. English wasn’t going so well, but that’s just because I never took the time to actually write my papers, which reminded me that I needed to do the one about the important person in my life.

            I also made the appointment for an hour after school got out. I could have made it right after school, but the later the better. I wanted to avoid going home and this was a good way to do just that. The only problem I was going to run into, was finding something to do to fill the hour before my session. Maybe I could go to the library and read, or actually get homework done before I got home for once. I wouldn’t stress too much about it. There had to be something I could find to do.

-

            The next day started off better than the day before. I should have known that wouldn’t last though. I swear it was like Mitch knew exactly when I was going to be in a good mood, because he was always around to bother me only on those days. I thought he took it just a little too far that day. I didn’t even expect what was coming.

            I opened my locker and started to grab the books I knew I’d be needing for my first two classes. I normally had pictures taped to the inside of the door of bands I liked, and cute quotes, so it wasn’t expecting it to be empty. I didn’t even look at it any more actually, not until I heard people giggling all around me.

            After a few more seconds I looked up at everyone around me. They were staring at the inside of my locker. I looked over and my heart sank, my breathing stopped, and my eyes widened. Taped to the door and covering the pictures I put there myself, was a picture of Tori someone had taking from her Facebook page. At the bottom there was a quote.

            “Roses are red. Violets are blue. What I wouldn’t give, to sleep with you.”

            “Say cheese!”

            I turned around to see Mitch and his friends standing behind me. Mitch snapped a picture with his iPhone, making sure to include the little prank he left for me in my locker. I was horrified. How would I ever hear the end of this?

 Everyone that happened to be walking by in the hallway had seen what was there. They all laughed as they passed by and I couldn’t even think to move. I just stood there like an idiot letting more people get glances. Mitch and his friends finally came left a minute later and I looked over at the picture still taped to my door. I could feel the tears starting to roll down my cheeks as I tore it off and ripped it into a million pieces. When I was done, I threw them into my locker and watched them fall to the bottom like confetti before I ran to find somewhere quiet to hide.