Slowly, slowly Lily walked to school. Rocks crushed under her feet as she walked on the sidewalk. It wasn’t too hot outside, but it was unpleasant enough to make sweat seep through her dark blue dress. She stopped and looked up at the sky. Her fair-haired bangs were stuck to her forehead. Her dress was almost welded to her back. She remembered the day she first came to this school, her mother had disappeared and she moved in with her aunt. Her aunt wasn’t the worst at taking care of her. She was rarely there and Lily had to cook her own food. It was lonely until she met her friend Elle. Speaking of Elle, where is she?
“Lily!” Someone called.
She turned around to find a small girl with red hair running up to her.
“Hey there Elle,” Lily said. “Where have you been?”
The red-haired girl was wearing a bright pink dress with flower designs all over it. “Sorry…” Elle said panting. “My little brother was throwing broccoli at me again! This time I had to clean it up!”
Lily smiled. Her bright blue eyes shimmered in the sun. “Well,” she said, “that’s what little brothers do.”
Elle put her hands to her sides and started marching forward.
“Let’s go, we’re gonna be late!” She looked determined. Lily was wondering why she was so determined to go to school. Even though Elle was excellent at math, she never wanted to leave her little brother.
“Actually you're gonna be late. I don’t have a second block, remember?”
“OH SHOOT!” Elle yelled and started running south.
“Elle! Wait!” Lily shouted, “You’re going the wrong way! That’s the way to the ice cream store!” She pointed left. “That’s the way to Three Lakes High School!”
Elle stopped in her tracks and she turned to look at her friend. Her confusion was as good as Lily’s. She was going to the school, not the ice cream store. She started running down the street toward Lily, sweat dripping down her arms. “Sorry,” she said when she finally got to her. “I really like sweets…”
“I know,” Lily grinned, “You’re like cookie monster. But be careful, if you eat too many cookies you’ll look like him too!” She laughed at Elle’s annoyed expression.
“C’mon,” Lily smiled, “We’ll be late.”
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*****
The bell finally rang in Lily’s ears. She was sitting in the lobby for the entirety of the second block. What has it been, like two hours? She thought. The next block that was happening was fourth. Lily’s favorite class, English. Excitement rose in her stomach. Finally! She’ll get to read! Her English teacher was the nicest too. His name was Mr. Collins. He would give Lily book requests, and good ones too. He’s the one who taught her to write. Lily loved to write stories. She never shared them with anyone though. She didn’t know what she would do without Mr. Collins. Lily didn’t think she would have ever finished one book without him. It was so hard to get her to read. Her mother struggled to get her to read before she disappeared.
Lily hopped on her feet and marched toward English. Her feet padded the ground as she stepped on the worn stubby carpet. She wondered if Mr. Collins would’ve worn those wacky ties. If so, which one? He had so many. It was like it was endless. They were so odd because they had really weird designs all over them. One day, Lily saw him walk in with a tie that had kittens wearing sunglasses. It was so adorable. Mr. Collins was the sweetest too. He gave Lily candy when she stressed over final exams the semester before. Lily loved her school and everything in it. She mainly loved the people. Yes, of course, there was Nadya who was the brattiest kid in the class. She loved to tease Lily. It was one of her greatest tasks.
Lily turned around a corner and continued to march down the hall. Her English class was so far away from the place she hung out during her off block. It was all the way across the school! She had to go through the maze halls and run up the stairs. Two flights of stairs. Lily was always breathless at the top. She should probably stop running up the stairs. It wastes energy. More maze halls to walk through until she arrives at her destination. Lily slowly walked down the halls that were starting to be packed with people. She walked for what felt like hours, turning corner after corner. When she arrived in English she felt a rush of surprise then it settled down to disappointment. There was a sub standing at the teacher’s desk. He looked down, stacking papers. Lily couldn’t see his face. Well, she thought, there’s always Thursday… Lily walked over to her desk and sat down. The coolness of her chair dug into her skin. She sat under the AC vent. It was pleasant sometimes in the summer when it was two thousand degrees outside, but in cooler weather it was horrible. The vent never blasted warm air. It was always cold or it acted like a fan. An empty seat was always next to her, waiting patiently to be taken. Lily didn’t know why, but her classes had assigned seats. She sat under the AC vent. Elle sat behind her. No one ever sat at that poor empty desk ever since that one girl sat there. Lily could remember her brown hair that stopped at her shoulders. That girl disappeared the semester before though. Lily always wondered what happened to that girl. Everyone just seemed to think she moved.
Lily took the moment before the bell rang to look up at the sub. He had blonde hair that reached the base of his neck. It didn’t have any dark roots. So, maybe it was natural.
Over the last couple of seconds, students rushed into the room and settled in their seats. One of those students happened to be Elle. Lily wasn’t shocked. That girl was always late.
Elle placed all of her notebooks and computers on her desk and settled down in the seat behind Lily. Right as Elle sat in her chair, the bell rang.
Scattered chatter about the new sub spread across the room. Kids wondered if Mr. Collins was sick or maybe he was just taking a day off. Teachers get to relax too you know. “Hello, Class.” The sub looked up from his desk. His eyes glowed a dark purple. It was very noticeable to Lily, but she didn’t hear any other kids talking about it. Clearly contacts. She thought. The sub also wore a bright green polo shirt that made his skin look dark. And brown subtle khakis flowed down to his ankles.
“I’m Mr. Mattews. I teach English Language Arts for sophomores and juniors.” He placed his elbows on the desk and leaned on the wood. It didn’t look anywhere close to how Mr. Collins would act. Maybe Mr. Mattews was younger so he didn’t have that professional experience. “We have a new student today.” He looked at the door and waved his hand lazily, indicating, come in.
A tall boy came into the room, he had short brown hair and bright green eyes. He wore a blue t-shirt that said “chick magnet” on it. He was very cute, Lily thought. His brown hair curled at his forehead. Clearly, he was out in the sun like Lily was. He looked at Lily. Their gazes locked. His glowing green eyes sent a welcoming gaze. He smiled softly. He smiled like he just read her mind. Lily’s heart pounded. She quickly looked away, her face burning with embarrassment. She wanted to be lost in his gaze. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was tempting to stare at him forever. Why do I feel so… light inside? She thought.
“Is it just me or has that cute boy taken an interest in you?” Elle whispered in Lily’s ear. “I know him. He lives in my neighborhood. You should get to know him. He’s really nice.”
“Ehh….” Was the only thing Lily was able to let out.
Jason walked to the empty chair that rested right next to Lily. He settled down onto the cool chair. Lily wondered if he wanted her to look in his eyes as well. She could feel his eyes burning at the side of her head. She wanted to return his gaze, but she was afraid to. She didn’t know why. Even though her face was burning with embarrassment, she still couldn’t escape the feeling that something was off about this whole situation.
“Okay, class.” Mr. Mattews said. “As you know your teacher ‘Mr. Collins’ is not in today.” He looked directly at Lily who just decided to look up at the front of the room. “That is because he got into an accident and was killed. So, I’m your new English teacher.”
A shockwave of disbelief and horror plunged into Lily’s chest. Wait… She thought. He’s… he’s… Mr. Collins is… She breathed shallowly, dead…? Her favorite teacher was dead. The one who taught her to read and write… dead. The one person she wanted to count on when her mother disappeared… dead. It couldn’t be true, could it? How did he…? Why? Lily didn’t understand. HOW AND WHY? It didn’t make any sense… Was it a car crash? Was he murdered? Did he kill himself? But… Why would he kill himself? He had a wonderful life with his students and family? If he was killed… Who would want him dead? Why would someone want to kill him? It didn’t make any sense… It didn’t make any sense… It didn’t make any-
“Hey, there,” Jason said. Lily looked up at him. Her eyes were hardened in fear. “Are you okay?” His green eyes shone with concern.
Lily was speechless. Fear and shock clogged her throat, causing her to gag. She couldn’t breathe. It was too much. It was all too much. It couldn’t happen… It wouldn’t… It shouldn’t! He was a bright and cheerful human being! He didn’t deserve to die! Why? Why? WHY?
“Do you need to go to the counseling office?” Jason asked.
“I… need… to go take a breather….” Lily whispered. She stood and walked out of the classroom, staring at the ground the entire time.
She was in shock. She was terrified. That must’ve been big news. Jason stood in his seat. He looked over at Elle who was drawing something on the desk. He sighed and shook his head. The one time your friend needs you, you don’t pay attention. Jason looked at the front of the classroom. Mr. Mattews was sitting at his desk, looking through paperwork. All the other students were doing something in their notebooks. Jason must’ve missed the instruction. He shook his head. That girl… She needed support.
Jason walked out of the classroom, hoping to find where that girl went.
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