As he pulled up outside the school, I suddenly became a little nervous. My stomach was doing summer saults. I was glad he drove me in his truck. It drew less attention. Not that anyone was outside but still.
Glancing at the time on the dash I sighed. I was over an hour late and I had Mr. Laird second period. I couldn’t afford to get detention today not when my parents were going out of town.
If they were leaving late afternoon, then that meant my mom wanted to see me before they left.
“You alright?”. He asked turning off the engine.
“I’m good”. I nodded. “Thanks for giving me a lift”.
“Anytime darling. Your car will be in the parking lot for when you finish”. He spoke.
Okay so maybe it was a little awkward between us. I wasn’t really sure what to say to him. After all that stuff with Marko it just felt a little weird. I unclipped my seatbelt and opened the door.
“I’ll maybe see you around”. He didn’t leave until I had disappeared inside.
I let out a huge breath before making my way to my second class since I missed my first, I’d probably get a detention for that to. Collecting my books from my locker I didn’t like the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach.
The fear of getting in trouble.
The embarrassment of having to walk in mid class.
But I did it anyway and to my relief it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I explained what happened and he was cool about it. I took my seat and got out my work and started on what he had set out to do for today.
….
Remember when I said he was cool about it?
Yeah, well I thought he was until he asked me to stay behind for a chat. That feeling from before returned. I was packing away my stuff as the rest of the class emptied the room.
“Come up here Aubrey”.
I zipped up my backpack and made my way to the front of the classroom.
“You can sit there”. He nodded to the first desk.
“Is everything okay?”. I frowned taking a seat.
“I’m a little concerned about your absence Aubrey and I’m not talking about today. I see you have skipped out a few times”.
Well shit.
“You’re a straight A student Aubrey so I’d like to know what’s going on”.
“Nothing”. I frowned. “My grades are fine; I’m not falling behind. I don’t think you need to be concerned about anything”.
Yes, I had skipped a few times, but it wasn’t that much of a big deal. Surely, I wasn’t the only pupil that skipped class?
“Okay”. He smiled. “But one more thing before you go”.
“Yes?”.
“You’re a smart girl with immense potential and as your teacher I want you to do wonderful things. If you do start to struggle, you’ll let me know”.
I nodded before getting to my feet. “I appreciate you checking in with me Mr. Laird and just so you know I won’t be skipping school or class again”.
“That’s good to know Aubrey. I’ll see you tomorrow”.
I headed for my next class in the hopes it was a quick one.
It wasn’t it went on and on. Miss Nicol was in some mood today. No talking, no noise or everyone was getting detention. She wanted complete silence and the work she set out completed by the end of class.
If we didn’t finish it was another 10 equations on top of the ones, we already had and a double detention after school.
She wasn’t messing around. But luckily for me I only had one more to do and there was still 15 minutes left before lunch.
You could hear a pin drop it was that quiet. Nobody wanted detention especially on a Friday afternoon.
“Pencils down and listen up”. She spoke grabbing everyone’s attention. “Has anyone completed today’s work?”.
Silence.
“10 minutes to go before the bell goes. I want your workbooks on my desk before you leave. Thats all now continue”.
Weird. She had always been a hard ass, but something seemed off with her today. I finished my last equation just as the bell went. Packing away my things I dropped my workbook on her desk before heading to lunch.
I wasn’t sure if Alice was in today or not.
I grabbed a slice of pizza and a bag of chips before finding a table. Alice was here sitting with Tommy as usual. Opting for the furthest table away from them I sat down and started to eat my lunch.
Said table wasn’t empty but they looked friendly enough. I got my book from my backpack and started a new chapter. I was a few chapters in when Alice decided to grace me with her presence.
“Hey”. She smiled sitting on the seat next to me.
“Hi”. I didn’t bother lifting my eyes from the page I was reading.
“Do you want to do something tonight?”. She asked.
“Why is Tommy busy?”. I shouldn’t have said it, but it slipped out.
“Ouch”. She frowned.
“Sorry”. I sighed finally looking up from my book. “What is that?”. I made a face when my eyes landed on the purple bruise on her neck.
“It’s nothing”. Her cheeks turned a different shade of pink. “So, there’s a party tonight if you want to come”.
“I can’t”. I shook my head. “I’ve got loads of homework and I’m-…”.
“It’s the weekend Aubrey”. A sigh fell from her lips. “Don’t you ever just wanna have some fun?”.
“And I’m working”. If she let me finish, she’d know I was already busy.
“Could come after?”. She shrugged. “Please Aubrey you never come”.
“I’ll be too tried”.
“Stop making excuses and come to the bloody party”.
“I’m not saying yes but I’ll see how I feel once I finish”.
“Yes”. She grinned. “And your parents are away this weekend, aren’t they?”.
“They are”.
“So, predrinks at your house, right?”.
“What, no”. I frowned.
“It’ll just be a few of us I promise”. She got to her feet. “We’ll be there around 10”.
My mouth was ajar as I watched her walk back to her table. What just happened? And who did she think she was bringing to my house? As the bell rang, I packed away my book and quickly ate what was left of my lunch.
I think it was time Alice, and I broke up. I was beginning to think Franko was right. She was using me.
…
I felt horrible. My head was throbbing, and I had a stomachache. I couldn’t concentrate and all I wanted was to go home. Maybe the pizza I ate at lunch was bad?
A sigh fell from my lips as I started putting my books away. I had already made the decision I was going home. I would suffer the consequences later but right now I needed to get out of here.
When the bell rang instead of going to history I headed for the main doors and walked to the parking lot. Just like he said it would be my car was there waiting for me.
Collecting my keys from on top of the front tire I got in and made my way to the diner. I couldn’t go home until school finished. I didn’t need to give my parents an excuse to cancel their plans.
I also didn’t need a lecture on how stupid I was for skipping school. They had only just given me a little taste of freedom and independence. I couldn’t ruin that.
Pulling into the parking lot I found a space. My stomachache had eased, and my headache had turned to a dull thump. Turning off my engine I didn’t head in straight away.
I saw the people coming and going and in a world of my own I jumped when there was a knock on my window.
Jen.
Did she ever leave this place?
I rolled my window down enough for me to hear her clearly.
“Are you coming inside?”. She asked.
“No”. I shook my head. “I’m just trying to kill time before I can go home”.
“Skipping school?”.
“Just my last two classes. I wasn’t really feeling great”.
“Come inside and I’ll get John to make you something to eat”.
How could I say no to that?
“Okay”. I smiled. “But is it okay if I sit through the back?”.
“Hiding out in case a certain person drops by?”. She smirked.
No, I wasn’t even thinking about Franko. “If you mean my parents then yes. If they catch me skipping school, they’ll ground me for life”. I followed her inside and stopped at the lunch counter.
“They seem really tough on you”. She spoke as she poured me some coffee.
I nodded. “But their parenting skills have got me this far, right?”.
“You’re a teenager Aubrey. You should be out having fun with your friends”.
“Maybe”. I shrugged. “But I want to finish school at the top of my class so I can leave. I want more than this”.
“Leave?”. She frowned.
I nodded. “Get into a great university and go live my life the way I want to”. My parents weren’t all bad, their rules kept me grounded and focused and that only pushed me to do better.
I would always love them dearly, but I couldn’t continue to live with them.
“I see”. She smiled. “And where does Franko fit into all of this?”.
“He doesn’t”. I shrugged.