Girl's Love | Editing |

Chapter 15

Word of advice: if you have school the next day, try not to sleep on the couch.

My neck was bothering me throughout first period, and my concentration was even worse than it had been last night. I repeatedly lied to Amanda when she asked if anything was wrong. Not that I wanted to lie. I just wanted to tell the truth even less. 

I managed to make it through the day without too many issues. But during the literary magazine club meeting, Mrs. Mastone tried addressing me. I honestly didn't hear or even see her. For a moment, I was in a different world.

"Reese," said Amanda, nudging me.

The real world had rematerialized around me. I looked at Amanda, and then turned my attention to Mrs. Mastone.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I was just asking if you had any inputs on this piece."

I blinked. A piece of artwork was being projected onto the whiteboard. It was rather simple, a vase full of flowers. I'm sure there was meaning behind it- there had to be for our theme- yet I couldn't decipher it.

They probably said what it was, and I had missed it. Great job, Reese. 

I shook my head. "I don't have anything to add."

The rest of the meeting went by in a blur. Before I knew it, Mrs. Mastone was dismissing us. Once most of the students cleared the room, she approached me.

"Are you alright, Reese?" she asked. "You seemed distracted today."

There was no point in telling the truth. This was a one-time thing; I wasn't going to be like this again. I nodded.

"I'm fine," I said. "Oh, by the way..."

I dug through my backpack and pulled out my notebook. Flipping through the pages, I finally came to my newest piece.

"I started this last night," I said. "It's just a rough draft, and I mean really rough. It's not edited at all. But if you'd like, maybe you could look it over?"

Mrs. Mastone's jaw dropped slightly. "Of course," she eventually said. "I was actually about to ask... do you have any more work to submit to the magazine? Your first was rather good."

I smiled slightly. "Well... if this manages to be any good after I edit, I guess it could be submitted."

"Alright then! I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

I thanked her and rose from my seat. Amanda followed close behind me as we left the room and descended the stairway. We were normally quite talkative, and yet there were no words spoken between us. I guess I was usually the one to initiate our conversations. Still, Amanda was quieter than normal.

Finally, I broke our silence.

"Sorry for today," I said. "I'm just really out of it."

"I can tell," said Amanda.

She stopped in her tracks. Noticing she was no longer following me, I turned around. Her expression was cloudy.

"What?" I asked.

"You can talk to me Reese, if something's bothering you. It's not a problem. You... you helped me a lot last year with my anxiety and everything, so I don't mind repaying you."

I swallowed hard and avoided her gaze. How much have I told her before? And did I want to tell her more? If I told her, I had to acknowledge the pain, the hurt, and relive it all over again. Not to mention having a complete mental breakdown would only burden her.  But if I didn't tell her, I would just keep having more days like this one.