Bridge To Her Heart <3

Chapter 9 (Stop)

“Cleo? Cleo?”

Cleo looked away from her gaze out the window and remembered she had been talking to Mr. Crawf. She messaged her forehead as he gave her a worried once over. She was barley able to mumble a coherent “Huh?” before he restated his questions. 

“I was asking you if you have completed your short story for the writing contest?” he said sincerely, moving behind his desk and taking a seat. “I would like to revise it and make sure it’s in top shape for admission.”

The contest! She had completely forgotten! With everything that had been going on in her life, Cleo had abandoned her writing pencil, leaving her notepad to swim at the murky depths of her book bag. 

She licked her parched lips and rearranged the strap of her book bag, “What if it’s not done?”

Mr. Crawf sighed and leaned as far back as possible on his swivel chair. Placing two fingers on his temple, he tried to be patient with Cleo, “Well I hope you’re almost done. You have five more days before the deadline.”

Cleo nodded her head quickly, hoping it showed how determined she was and not the fact that she wanted to hurry up and catch Anthony before he ditched. Mr. Crawf saw the eagerness in her eyes and sadly mistook it for the writing contest. “Well get to your next class,” he shooed, “but remember Cleo, life is full of deadlines and if you don’t learn to meet them now then you never will.”

“Of course Mr. Crawf,” she said quickly, heading for the door and grabbing the cool metal handle in her hand. 

“Oh and Cleo?” Mr. Crawf stopped her, easing forward in his chair, “Try not to skip anymore classes.”

Cleo stopped, frozen in her tracks, and tried to pretend that she didn’t hear him. She slipped out into the hall to see kids scurrying to class, books pressed to their chests and shoulders anchoring heavy book bags. The first place her feet began to carry her was Anthony’s locker. 

She could already see his thick black hair atop his head and eyebrow piercing glinting against the sunny rays streaming through the window by his locker. A striped black and grey sweater sucked unto his upper torso and black jeans hugged his legs as he spun in the combination to his lock. 

Cleo didn’t know what she would say to him if she even mustered up the courage to speak first. The bell rang fiercely as Anthony slammed his locker shut, unaware of a watching Cleo as he turned and headed for the front doors. She wasn’t going to make him get away that easily. 

“Tony?!” she called, causing him to turn his head in surprise, “Wait up!”

He stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the awkward conversation he was going to dread. He was surprised though, when he got the opposite. “Where you going? The front doors aren’t your usual route..” Cleo asked casually, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“A couple of guys are picking me up,” he said under his breath, ignoring her pointed gaze as he walked through the front doors. She wasn’t about to get shoved to the outskirts though. 

“Can I come?” she asked innocently, fallowing him out. She ignored Anthony’s aggravated sigh. “What? I can’t meet some of your friends?”

“They are not my friends Cleo,” he stated firmly, looking her directly in the eye. His voice was livid as he announced that simple fact. Cleo took a step back at the look in his eyes and nodded. She had never seen him so stressed. 

“Well if they’re not your friends, what are they?” she asked quietly, searching the silent parking lot for a waiting monster truck or a giant black pick up truck with heavy rock metal blaring through the speakers.