Beyond the Ordinary

Chapter 65

AXEL 

My heart raced inside my chest as I waited for her response.

Why had I said that? I thought to myself.

But I knew it was true. She was the one person, besides Mya, that actually seemed to care about me. It wasn't that my mother didn't, or Jace, but they were both so... irritating. I know, it sounds awful, me saying that about the only family I've ever had, but it's true. Jace's sole existence was trying to do whatever he can to get me into trouble. While my mother, she always took his side, believing he was actually a decent kid. I was sure she didn't even know about the things he'd done when he wasn't at home. Fucking random girls, drinking underage, you name it and he'd done it.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't even realize that she'd already responded, saying,

KATE - I love u too, cutie.

My pounding heart slowed back into its normal rhythm, and I was finally calm enough to breathe. I'd been so worried that it was too soon to say.

AXEL - Fuck, ur so amazing, u know that, right?

I could just imagine her smiling on the other side of town, sitting in a small desk in the back, or front, of some classroom. Or maybe she'd just gotten out of class? I wasn't sure, but I was sure as hell happy that she felt the same way about me as I did about her.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class and I headed out once everyone had left, but I turned around when I caught the teacher calling my name. It was Mrs. Woods again.

"Hey, Axel, could I talk to you for a second?"

I nodded, tucking my phone into the side pocket of my khaki shorts. "Yes, Mrs. Woods?"

Shit, why do I always sound so formal when referring to a teacher? I scolded myself.

But when I looked up, Mrs. Woods looked pleased and not at all uncomfortable.

"Axel, I'm not going to lie, I feel a little weird allowing you to call me that," She admitted with a smile that was much too friendly for a teacher to give a student.

"Uh, isn't that what I'm supposed to call you?" I questioned her, my voice sounding tight. I adjusted my shirt around my neck.

"Yes, but I just admire the effort and precision that you put into this class every single day that I feel strange when you call me that like everyone else does," she said, making me raise my eyebrows in confusion.

"I'm not sure what you're saying, Mrs. Woods," I replied.

She sighed. "Axel, I'm giving you the option to do an extra credit assignment for me, and if you do it, you'll get the opportunity to meet with me one-on-one once a month to go over what you've done, and during those meetings, I'd feel much better if you'd call me Jen. Mrs. Woods makes me sound old when you say it," she said, giving me another friendly smile.

I brushed off her kindness and just looked at her as if she were a customer of mine. "What's the assignment?" I asked, my voice remaining neutral and stoic.

"It's an interview. I want you to interview someone you really care about. It can even be two people. It will be an assignment that won't be due until the end of the year and it would look amazing on your college resumé," Mrs. Woods explained, handing me a paper with all the criteria written on it.

"And like I said before, I can even meet with you one-on-one once a month to make sure that you're on the right track. I think you're really talented, Axel," she said with another soft sigh, "and I want to make sure that other people see that too."

"But why would I call you Jen?" I asked her.

She sighed again. "In those meetings, I feel like I would be helping you out as more than just your English teacher. I'd be helping you out as your teacher, but also as someone you could go to if you needed anything. Almost like a friend," she smiled.

I nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll do the assignment," I responded and took the white paper from her hand before heading out into the empty hallway.