Quiet Not Innocent | ✔︎

Chapter 42:

S A I N T   ♡  B L A C K
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10:24...10:25...10:26.

The bell finally rings.

I shoot to my feet, throwing my bag over my shoulder before hightailing it to the door. I wasn't interested in getting caught up with all the people chatting in the hallways or blocking the doors.

I'm almost the first person out the door when Mrs. Cook calls out my name. I look over my shoulder where she's sitting at her desk and she curls her index finger, beckoning me over.

"I'd like to speak with you for a moment, honey."

The students who were still in her room stop chattering for a second to exchange looks. A few of them voice their surprise out loud at the possibility of me being in trouble and it's not long before Mrs. Cook yells at everyone to get out.

Once the room is empty, I move over to stand in front of her desk. Mrs. Cook turns around in her fancy office chair and clasps her hands in her lap.

"Saint, I've been looking over your assignments for the past few days and it really surprised me. Your Unit 6 and 7 analysis and the progress check essay did not meet any of the requirements on the rubric, nor did it match the efficiency of your usual work. Your other three assignments were all late and two or three of the write-ups were not completed when you submitted it. Are you feeling okay?"

What do I even say to that?

"I'm sorry, it won't happen agai—"

"Honey, no." She cuts me off, shaking her head with worry lines wrinkling on her forehead. "I'm not looking for an apology. You're my star student, Saint. You've never gotten lower than an A in any class for the past three years and now you're dropping to below average. I know something is wrong and I'm very concerned about you. Is this...related to Miss Wilson's disappearance?"

My body stiffens. It's been two weeks, three days, and fifteen hours since she left. Yes, I've been counting. She took half my heart with her, how could I not have been?

"I don't...I'm sorry, Mrs. Cook, is it okay if we don't talk about that?" I sigh. "I'll do better, I promise."

She stares at me for a long moment before nodding her head. "I believe that, I really do. Which is why I'm allowing you two days to redo all your assignments and turn them back in for a better grade. And for your final term project, we can work something out if Miss Wilson doesn't return to school in a week. That sound okay?"

No, nothing is okay.

"Yes, thank you." I offer her a small grateful smile before turning around and walking out.

It was lunch time but I was definitely not heading back to the cafeteria. Not without Wilson. It felt wrong to walk in there and sit at our lunch table by myself. The thought of it, the thought of everything going back the way they were before she came into my life, makes me me sick.

I can't do this without her. I've been walking around, living and doing well on the outside, but inside I was crumbling. Aspen was good for me. She made me happy, happier than I'd been in a long time.