In Your Time

Chapter 25

He stopped and stared at me in shock and awe. It was clear he didn't know what to say, and I just felt embarrassed for drawing attention to myself. Everyone was looking at me now. Granted, Torin was really good at history and an even better tutor, but I never expected him to be here: at my school in 2026.

"Phoenix... but how?" He asked in confusion. I glanced around at all the curious faces that were surely mentally eating popcorn while watching us. I cleared my throat and sat back in my seat.

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you later," I said quickly before I slouched in my chair. Torin looked at the room too before he pushed his glasses up slightly and cleared his throat as well.

"Pay attention class. I'm starting the lesson," he said before he began teaching. Him being here was too bizarre. After our history lesson ended, we took a break for lunch. Even during lunch, we stayed in the classroom if we brought our own lunch. Torin picked up hid things before motioning me out to the hallway. Merlyn grabbed my arm as I stood.

"You met him too... back then, right?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, he was my tutor," I responded quickly before I left out the back door. Torin was waiting for me in the hallway. When he saw me, he walked up and poked my cheek.

"Hey!" I said as I rubbed it slightly.

"How are you here as a student right now. How do you look the exact same as back then? Just what exactly is going on?" He asked in a rush. He looked like he was about to lose it. I sighed and hung my head slightly before I explained the time machine story for the millionth time since I got back. He sighed and pushed his glasses up.

"So you were really from a different world. I thought some of the stuff you did was weird. And now it makes sense why you disappeared in the middle of a lesson. And why Braden always kept everyone away, and the bruising," he said in realization. I nodded.

"When I disappeared, I finally got pulled out of the machine. I was in a coma for a month or two after that. I only woke up recently and started trying to get back to a normal routine," I explained.

"What about Braden? He's super famous now. Have you met him yet?" He asked. I nodded.

"He dropped me off here this morning," I answered. Torin sighed before he smirked.

"I see you two just picked up where you left off then. We actually stayed friends after you left, but I won't lie and say we were fine as soon as you left. We did fight for a bit. I thought he did something to make you disappear," he chuckled. Torin paused a moment before ruffling my hair. "I'm happy for you. Really. And if you ever need a tutor again, you already know I'm the best," he joked. I smiled before hugging him. It felt good to have another friend from back then. A lot of what happened there was hard to explain in detail. I felt better knowing Torin was actually there for it all too. It made me feel less crazy. Torin hugged me back as I released a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

"Thanks, Torin... for always being so cool about everything. You have no idea how much that meant to me," I said before I let him go. He smiled and shrugged.

"But what can I do? I totally see you as a kid now. I don't see you as a woman at all, especially here. You should've dated me back then just for fun. But honestly, even I can see that you and Braden were fated to be together," he joked. I smiled as he ruffled my hair.

"You really see me as a kid?" I asked curiously. He smirked back at me.

"I have to if I want to keep working here," he answered. He nodded towards the classroom.

"Go back inside. I'll catch up with you later," he smiled at me.

"I still have the old number. You, Braden, and I should get together and rehash those days," I offered. He nodded before he started heading down the hall. I went back to the classroom and took my seat. Merlyn was watching me with curious eyes. I chuckled as she handed me a snack.

"Just ask already," I said to her. She turned to me fully as her eyes widened.

"How did you meet every hunk of our time? How is that possible? I don't care what you say; you have to admit going back there was a good thing," she rambled. I shrugged.

"I guess," I gave in. "But Torin, I mean Mr. Rogers, and I were just friends. He's friends with Braden now," I clarified. She sighed and shook her head before pulling out her phone. She swiped around for a bit before she paused and sat up.

"Whoa... Fe, you're a top searched item on all the search engines right now," she said calling me by my nickname. I looked over her shoulder to see that she was right. The most searched items were Braden Park's mystery girl, Phoenix and Braden Park, and Braden Park with girl at Goodie High School. Merlyn handed me her phone as I clicked on various links. There was a lot of speculation about me, pictures and videos from this morning were posted from different angles, and people were losing their minds in the comments section. I sighed before I handed the phone back to Merlyn. This was going to be a hot mess before it calmed down. My old phone beeped alerting me to Braden's message.

I'll pick you up from school. We should talk about a few things, was what his message said. Suddenly, I was feeling anxious for school to end.