Wow! I cannot believe I’m a junior in high school. My school counselor told me if I wanted to graduate with my class next year, I needed to work and study like my life depended on it.
“Because it does……” Ms. Kemp said.
No pressure there.
Summer flew by, the only good part of it was spending time with Milton, rebuilding the Straud. Milton, he’s getting worse every day, he still refuses to go to the hospital or doctor.
My mom suggested he have a nurse stay at his house, just in case he needed anything. Of course, he refused that suggestion as well.
Now I'm back in school, sitting in my science class, my book open in front of me, but I see nothing.
In a blue button down with a crazily patterned tie, my teacher, Mr. Roberts, is droning on about the rules and expectations in his class. All I hear is the teacher on Charlie Brown, “WHA WHA WHA”.
I keep checking my phone to see if there's a text from my mom about Milton. My legs are jiggling under my desk, my fingers play an invisible keyboard over my open book. I check my phone again, nothing.
Mr. Roberts clears his throat, “Chase? Do you have somewhere else to be besides here in my classroom? I see you checking your phone, is there someplace more important than school right now?" He pauses for a second, “Especially for you?”
My defenses go up immediately, my face heats up. I can feel all my classmates staring at me, wondering what I would say or do.
“What the hell does that mean?” I say quietly.
Mr. Roberts looks like he might regret
what he said, but all he says to me is, "Quit looking at your phone and pay attention."
He turns back to the board and I sneak a quick peek at my phone. OK, I need to focus on class, but being back in school just reminds me of all the drugs, reminds me of all the ways I can get them. How they'll make me feel, help me forget, to sand the hard edges so they're soft and smooth.
I take a deep breath and shut my eyes, try to clear my mind. My therapist said to do this exercise when I feel like I’m about lose it.
Mr. Roberts clears his throat, “Falling asleep now, Chase? Too busy doing…… other things to get proper rest?”
Is this guy for real?
“Give him a break, man. He’s dealing with some crap, ok?”
I turn around, surprised to see Brody in my class, surprised to hear him speaking up for me. I didn't notice he was in this class.
He continues, “It’s the first day, we’re all in a daze, dude.”
Mr. Roberts, a scowl on his face, walks over and stands in front of Brody, leans over his desk and says, “First of all, call me Mr. Roberts, not dude, not man. Can you do that for me? Second, this is my classroom, I’m in charge, ok dude?”
He straightens up, walks back to the front of the room, his dirt brown, stiff scotch-guarded pants making a whispering sound. He continues droning on.
I roll my eyes, what a freak of a teacher. I glance back at Brody, give him a head nod in thanks.
He smiles back. I realize with that smile how much I've missed him.
I think back to the time when I took my first pill, Brody’s face was as shocked as I was that I swallowed it. He grabbed my shoulder hard, whipping me around.
“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted at me. His eyes were panicked, like I might die from this one pill.
If only...
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The Truth About Life
Teen FictionChase and Audrey's lives are turned upside down by their parents' divorce. Chase turns to drugs, Audrey feels like there's no one to turn to, until a new boy moves in next door, showing her life is still full of goodness, if we only look up. Olivia...
