Willow's Tree

9

The next morning, I woke up freezing even though I had pulled my thick blanket up and over my head. My alarm clock was beeping and I let a shiver run down my spine before I flipped the covers off and let the rush of cold air help awaken me.

After I turned off my alarm clock, I got ready and wore my school clothes. I went outside to warm up my car before I ran back into my bedroom and lay on my bed. My body heat from last night was still sort of present on my bed and I allowed myself to shut my eyes for a few more minutes.

When I realized that I wasn't going to get any warmer, I got up and walked over to the thermostat and turned up the temperature high. Hopefully by the time I got home from school, the whole house would be hot and I could finally stop feeling cold.

In the end, I decided to leave when there were only a few minutes left before the first bell would ring at school. As I was driving down the road, my cellphone suddenly rang. I reached into my coat pocket and answered the call.

Isaac answered on the other line. "Hey, Willow. My car broke down and I really don't want to walk to school...so...can you pick me up?" I stayed silent and he began to beg. "Please! I would skip today if I could, but I have a chem test and I'm already failing the class!"

"It's not like I was going to say no, Isaac." I said flatly. "I'll be there in a few." Then I hung up and looked down the road from both directions. There weren't any cars in sight, so I did a U-turn in the middle of the street and headed towards Isaac's house.

When I reached it, he ran out of his front door and I looked at the clock. First period had already started.

Isaac entered the passenger seat. "Sorry, Willow. And thanks." He grinned at me and I just nodded before we drove to school.

By the time we got there, fifteen minutes of first period had already passed by. We had to get slips at the front office first before going our separate ways to class. I took my time going to my locker to put my coat away and grab my books. Since I was already late, there was no need to rush.

I ended up arriving in my first period by the time half of it was done. Mr. Taylor was shocked to see me come in late and just blinked as his hand stopped writing on the white board. I placed my slip on his desk and he didn't say anything as I took my seat. Olly's desk was empty and I assumed she skipped for the day.

The class went by like normal, and Mr. Taylor forced us to partner up again and solve a problem together from our previous homework. Since Olly wasn't here, I turned to Trey, who had his head down on his desk like usual.

Even though we weren't looking at each other, I spoke anyway. "Did you do it already?" I asked and he nodded his head. "Okay." I said quietly before turning back to sit facing forward in my desk and I began to doodle in my notebook.

Students around me were talking about the problem as Mr. Taylor walked around the classroom. He arrived at our desks and looked between me and Trey. "Did you two already solve it?"

"Yes." I answered for both of us and Mr. Taylor just nodded his head before turning to observe other students.

Of course, my thoughts eventually wandered back to Dog. The weather today was colder than the previous days, and I wondered if he was okay. He said he liked my house because it kept him warm, but I was sure there were other places he could go to.

My attention was pricked by the guy who sat behind me and next to Trey from the right as he whispered, "Trey. Don't you hear Drew calling your name?"

He was a horrible whisperer because I heard him loud and clear. I glanced behind me in confusion while Trey nodded his head. It didn't make sense. We didn't have this class with Drew–after all, he was a senior.