Number 25

Chapter 12

The week went by in a blur for Lisa. The rumor died down, but it was still floating around. Lisa still saw Ms. Kim in the mornings but they kept the conversation light. It was unspoken between them that they would talk about the heavy stuff later on today.

It was Friday and Lisa couldn't be more than happy. She knew she had a game tomorrow morning but tonight she wanted to focus on Ms. Kim. She couldn't wait to see the teacher again and was counting down the hours until she could. Lisa still had people asking if she was really with Irene. She would roll her eyes and say no. Ms. Kim hadn't said much about it, which worried Lisa but she figured they would talk about it tonight.

Lisa wasn't quite sure exactly what they would be talking about. She knew they would probably have a conversation that Lisa was trying so desperately to avoid, but she thought it was time.

Lisa avoided telling Rosé and her friends where she would be going tonight. They asked if she wanted to hang out with them but she politely declined. She knew she needed to spend some serious time with Rosé. They were still figuring out what colleges to apply to. They applied to a few around the area but Lisa wanted the best school for basketball.

At the end of the school day, Lisa waved goodbye to her friends as she got in her car. She grinned when she realized she got a message from Ms. Kim.

Aunt Luna

2:20 PM

You can just come straight in. My door is unlocked

That was all the message said and Lisa didn't need to be told twice. She quickly put her car in drive and sped off to Ms. Kim's place.

Although Ms. Kim gave her the go ahead to come straight in, Lisa was still nervous to actually do so. She turned the knob on the door and she walked in. She was met with music blasting and noise from the kitchen. Lisa immediately walked over to the kitchen and saw Ms. Kim dancing around to Cherry Pie by Warrant and Lisa smiled.

"Hey, Ms. Kim." Ms. Kim immediately turned around and gasped.

"Don't do that! You scared me!" She playfully swatted at her.

"You told me to come straight in!" Lisa said back as Ms. Kim turned the music off.

"I did, didn't I?" Ms. Kim asked rhetorically.

Lisa didn't answer. Instead, she walked over and scooped Ms. Kim up in her arms. She held her close and loved that she didn't have to ask. She loved that Ms. Kim let her do this because she loved doing it.

"How was the rest of your day?" Lisa asked as she released the teacher.

"Pretty good. What about you?" Ms. Kim asked.

"Even better now that I know you are making brownies." Lisa hummed as she looked over at the brownie batter hungrily.

"Easy girl," Ms. Kim teased. "I still have to bake them. I was just in the mood."

"Feel free to always be in the mood to bake. I will literally eat anything." Lisa said and Ms. Kim let out a full laugh. Lisa stepped back and let Ms. Kim finish what she was doing.

She watched as the art teacher poured the brownie mixture into a pan and she put it in the oven. She watched as the art teacher cleaned up the kitchen before she smoothed out her skirt and looked over to Lisa.

"Let's go to the family room." Ms. Kim suggested and Lisa nodded. She'd follow Ms. Kim anywhere, even to the pits of hell.

"So, can I use your actual name? Or do you just want me to call you Ms. Kim?" Lisa asked as they sat down close to each other.