When Bunny Knocks on the Door

Chapter 3

She watched Martha opening the cosmetic bag and sat in front of her. She closed her eyes; the feeling of being gently touched on face was really comforting, reminding her of the afternoon when her mom braided her hair while Austin and Dad practiced pitching in the garden. Martha patted her hand and told her to get up. For a moment, she almost couldn't identify herself in the mirror. But this was her; even though she couldn't put her finger on the specific differences, she had become prettier. She smiled widely and hugged her friend.

The first half of the show was the solo performances, followed by the orchestra's ensemble. She was the first, not because she was the most skillful, but because she had happened to draw the worst in the lottery--or the best, according to Cara, because she could just get it over with. Her palms were sweating as she watched the host finishing his speech. Her friends were pumping her up from behind. She nodded to them, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stage. The intense spotlights made her zone out for a second. But she knew it was only an excuse she found for herself. Her palms were now all sweaty.

Oh god, she heard herself screaming inside, why is Miss Kloss sitting in the center of the first row?

She bowed, trying to recover from the surprise. This is not a big deal, she said to herself, just finish playing the whole piece. She sat in the chair; her legs slightly bent around the cello. She leaned it against her neck and raised the bow. The beautiful notes started to linger in the air; the clear music traced back to her youth. Her fingers were dancing on the strings; her blonde hair fell on her shoulders. The soft light from above gently covered her body. She seemed to have returned to her childhood. She was immersed in memories and smiled unconsciously.

She slowly put down the bow. The audience was silent for a few seconds before bursting into a storm of applause. She stood up and bowed again, avoiding making eye contact with Miss Kloss, but she still failed. Let's say first that that teacher was way taller than ordinary people, and the aura she projected was authoritative. She was not the only one who was afraid of Miss Kloss. It was no exaggeration to say that few students could confront the Devil without their legs trembling.

However, what made her unable to move was the smile on Miss Kloss's face. Though buried in the darkness, it was really a smile! She almost wanted to pinch herself. Was she dreaming? She was sure that she was the first one, at least in their grade, to see the smile of the Devil. Those sarcastic sneers didn't count. Last year, a senior won the first prize of a national programming competition. The Devil just curved up the corners of her mouth as she presented him with the award. And even this was had become a story told throughout the school.

But now, she was not only smiling, she was grinning, she was grinning to her, she was grinning to her while applauding. Alright, she dared to say at the moment that no one had ever seen a grinning Miss Kloss. Was this only because she had played well? Could this be proof that she was special? No, it couldn't be, she laughed at herself. How could she be special? Among all those students who were prettier than her, brighter than her, more sociable than her, she was especially ordinary at best.

Her friends were cheering backstage. "Tay! You did such a great job!" She put her cello back into the case and shyly accepted the praises and hugs. "Not at all. I prefer Martha's and Ed's performance more..." She was interrupted by Cara, who was shouting excitedly, "I can't wait for Thanksgiving break next week! Just think of the delicious dinner: turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie..." She couldn't stop her mouth from watering as she indulged in her imagination, whilst the others were laughing so hard on the side.

Why do breaks past so fast every time? Taylor sighed as she stepped into school again. Another Monday. It seemed like the break just slipped away. She only went to the beach with her family and went shopping with Selena. Speaking of Selena, that girl had a family reunion during Thanksgiving. Her grandparents brought her so many snacks, which made her over the moon. And soon came the karma. She was hit by such a bad toothache and was dragged to the dentist by her parents. Taylor shook her head helplessly; it seemed like she had to have lunch by herself today.

She carried her lunchbox towards the swing under the tree in the yard. The freshmen who finished their class early had already occupied a bunch of tables. Austin was gorging himself with his friends. He waved to his sister when she passed by. The coldness of the late autumn should have been heavy, but fortunately this was a Southern Californian town; the sunshine and the breeze were crispy warm. Taylor wiped away the leaves on the swing, sat down and opened the lunchbox while dangling her legs. Today's lunch was chicken spaghetti and grilled vegetables. She took a glance and immediately frowned. Mom always played those little tricks, mixing the food she didn't like to try to make her eat it. She pouted and concentrated on picking out the green peppers, mushrooms and celery. She put them on the lid of the lunchbox.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps rustling in the grass, as if someone was coming near. As she was pondering, a voice sounded above her head. "Can I sit here?"

She looked up, and almost bit her tongue.

It was only after Miss Kloss sit down right beside her when she finally came to her senses, as if woken from a dream. It wasn't without reason that everyone called her "the Devil". Even if she hadn't done anything wrong, Taylor felt too nervous to eat. She had never been so close to her teacher. For the first time, she realized that Miss Kloss was really tall, even taller than she had thought. She was the tallest girl among her friends, although Cara was always concerned about her thinness. She wasn't that skinny! But that little lion was indeed very strong. Even Ed couldn't necessarily win against her in arm wrestling.

Taylor stole a glance at her side. Her height could probably surpass Miss Kloss's shoulder, but might still be too short to reach her teacher's chin. Moreover, Miss Kloss was really on a balanced diet. The tomato, broccoli, and salmon were neatly placed in her lunchbox. Did she make those by herself? Can she cook? Does she like sweets?

Random thoughts almost overflowed her brain, but the words of Miss Kloss woke Taylor up. "Are those all you have for lunch?"

She looked down at her lunchbox and stuttered, "I... I get full really quickly. These are enough."

"You eat as little as a bunny." The Devil arched an eyebrow and pointed at the lid, "Are those what you don't eat?"

She suddenly remembered all the vegetables she just picked out, and she felt even more nervous. Would Miss Kloss laugh at her? Criticize her for being a picky eater? Or teach her the disadvantage of being a picky eater?

None of those were right. She watched as Miss Kloss placed the vegetables into her own lunchbox. "I can help you." Then she took out a box of fruit. "Want some strawberries?"

Taylor nodded stupidly, and the box was put in her hand. "Eating more will make you strong."

She gathered up her courage to answer, "I can take care of myself..."

The well-known Devil reached out one hand, gently patting her head. "Don't push yourself too far. Sometimes you have the option to seek help from an adult, Bunny."