Chapter 25 #2
Class drags on for ten more minutes, and when the bell rings, everyone leaves while I remain in my seat.
Ms. Pruitt shuts the door.
“I’m going to be late for my next class,” I tell her.
“I’ll write you a note.” She sits at her desk. “Come up here, please.”
Grabbing my backpack, I get up and go to the front. “What is it?”
“I’m concerned you’re falling behind. You didn’t pass the last two quizzes.”
“I have a lot going on.”
Her brows rise. “At home?”
“I’d rather not get into it.”
“Does this have to do with a young man?”
“No,” I say, wondering why she’d ask that. “I’m not dating anyone.”
She nods, folding her hands and placing them on the desk. “I often find boys are the reason girls aren’t achieving in school.”
“That’s not why I didn’t know the answer today. I just didn’t study enough.”
“Ms. Halliway, what are your plans for after graduation?”
“I don’t have any. I’ll probably move back to New York and get a job.”
“You have no desire to attend college?”
“If I can’t pass high school English, I don’t think I’ll make it at college.”
“Perhaps you could get a tutor. I’d be willing to assist you if you’d put in the effort. We could meet after school. I stay until five.”
“I can’t. I have to ride home with Trystan.”
She stands up, facing me, her arms folded. “Ms. Halliway, this is not just a class. This is your life — your future. You’re a smart girl with a great deal of potential, but you’re choosing to do nothing. Why is that?”
She thinks I’m smart? And have potential? I thought she hated me. Is she being sarcastic? I can’t tell if she’s complimenting me or putting me down.
“I’m not choosing to do nothing,” I tell her. “I’m just not interested in school.”
“That’s a shame,” she says as she sits down. She picks up a pen and begins grading a quiz, marking it up in red.
“Can I leave now?” I ask.
“Go ahead, Ms. Halliway.”
As I’m walking out, I hear her talking again. “There are people who pretend to have greatness and those who actually have it. The latter tend to get looked over because the pretenders get in their way.”
When I look back at her, her head is down as she marks up someone’s quiz.
I leave, confused by what just happened.
Was she saying I have greatness? Me? I’m the worst student in the entire school.
Was she just saying that to get me to study more?
To get my grades up? That has to be it. Someone probably told her to say that to motivate me to do better.
Probably Ms. Adams. I’m supposed to meet with her tomorrow, but Brock told me to cancel our session and tell her I have a new counselor.
After class ends for the day, I text Trystan telling him to wait for me, then hurry to the counselor’s office.
“Ms. Adams?” I say, glancing in the room.
She’s not there. She might’ve snuck out the back.
I think she goes out there to smoke. Just outside the door is a dumpster surrounded by a small white fence where Ms. Adams can hide and smoke without anyone seeing her.
She tries to cover the smell with perfume, but I can still smell it on her.
I open the door to see if she’s out there. I don’t see her, but I hear someone talking. It’s Kristen. She’s yelling.
“I’m telling you, she knows! She saw us!”
“Keep your damn voice down,” a man says. It sounds like Principal Edwards, but it’s hard to tell because he’s talking so low. “You’re overreacting. Even if she told someone, nobody would believe her. She doesn’t have proof. The proof would’ve been if you’d—”
“Stop!” she yells. “It’s over. We said we wouldn’t talk about it.”
“Go inside. You need to get home. Your mother is back and waiting to take you shopping.”
“My mother can go to hell! You better not be doing anything with her!”
“Kristen, she’s my wife. You have to understand—”
“You bastard!” she yells as something slams against the dumpster, making a loud noise. “How could you do that to me?”
“You’re being a child! I’m a married man. How would it look to your mother if I rejected her? She’s already suspicious of everything I do. And besides, she’s leaving tonight. I won’t see her again until the open house. Now go inside, get your things, and go home.”
“Ms. Halliway?”
I whip around, banging my elbow on the door as I go to close it.
“Ms. Adams,” I say, rubbing my elbow. “I was just looking for you.”
“By the dumpster?” she says, her brows raised.
“Yeah. I’ve seen you go out there sometimes.”
“I’m trying to quit,” she whispers with a smile as she walks past me into her office. “Did we have an appointment today? I thought it was Friday.”
“It is.” I go into her office. “But I need to cancel. I have a new counselor. Brock sent a note to Principal Edwards letting him know.”
“I see,” she says, lips pursed. “It’s nice to know Brock has taken an interest in parenting for once.” She covers her mouth. “Goodness, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s fine,” I say with a laugh. “He sucks as a parent. I think he even admitted that. Or maybe not. He might think it, but he tells everyone he’s a great dad.”
She smiles. “Sounds like you’ve figured him out.”
“Not completely but I’m getting there. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I won’t be meeting with you anymore.”
“And Principal Edwards was okay with this?”
“I guess so. He didn’t say he wasn’t.”
“Well, if you ever need to talk, I’m always here.” She takes out a file and flips through it.
I leave her office, and as I’m shutting her door, the door that goes to the dumpster swings open, and Kristen storms through it. I rear back as she stomps down the hall, eyes straight ahead. I don’t think she even noticed me.
The door opens again, and Principal Edwards appears.
“Ms. Halliway,” he says with a cool, collected tone that’s a complete contrast to just moments ago when his voice was full of anger and frustration with Kristen. “What are you doing here at such a late hour?”
Late hour? It’s only ten after four.
“I had to talk to Ms. Adams, but I’m leaving now.”
I walk off, but he follows beside me.
“I believe you were here late yesterday too. Is that correct?”
He’s quizzing me. Trying to figure out if Kristen was lying when she said I saw them together. What do I say? Do I lie? Ms. Adams knows I was here, but I don’t know if Principal Edwards would think to ask her about it.
“Ms. Halliway.” Principal Edwards grabs my arm, stopping me. “Were you here late yesterday or not?”