The sound of the screaming voice had sent a chilling tremor through Nylockee's bones. He hoped that once he finally opened his eyes, that the sound of the voice would belong to someone he could bare to make eye contact with. This was the one thing he had always been afraid of; getting caught in the act.
He was about to open his eyes again, welcoming in the sight of whatever nightmare was soon to steal his gaze, when he heard the zipping of pants and running footsteps. This did not just happen, he willed himself to believe.
"Have you lost your mind," the voice said, crackling like the sound of pop rock candy.
"I can explain," Nylockee said, fluttering his eyes open, a cry escaping him.
Mrs.Brooks had now returned to the classroom, her face distorted in a disapproving stare. She still had her red dress on. It was adorned with fresh specks of sweat down the bright red sleeves of the armpits. Her hair had escaped the tight grip of the hair tie atop her head, leaving the blonde strings of hair dancing down her back. Nylockee locked his sad hazel brown eyes onto the floor, freeing himself from her stifling gaze.
"Um, you can't be serious Nii," she said, pinning her hands up in front of her face. "I leave the classroom and this is what you're doing... at school?"
"I know how it looks and.. and I'm not proud of what I've done." Nylockee sniffled. "I didn't think you were coming back and if it means anything I was careful to shut every blind and light off. No one saw anything."
"Oh so that makes it better does it," she said, seeping her teeth into her bottom lip, biting into fresh flesh. "You know I have to report this, right?"
Nylockee paused, taking in the scene of the room. The classroom was box shaped with desks and chairs displaced all over the bright egg-shelled colored floors. On the walls were what looked like pictures of maps, globes, and quotes from cheesy old antique shops. At the front of the classroom a lone stool stood on it's four legs, eager to welcome a patron onto it's unscathed, plastic face. On the opposing wall of the classroom stood Mrs. Brooks, the door of the classroom closed tightly behind her.
"You remember last year you had told me that no matter what, you'd always have my back," Nylockee said as he walked over to face Mrs.Brooks. "You promised me that I would always ...always have a friend in you no matter the situation."
Mrs. Brooks dropped her arms to her sides, slapping the palms of her hands onto her thighs.
"This is different, Nylockee," she said.
"Mrs.Brooks I am just really trying to enjoy this day, have fun and live a little." Nylockee looked at Mrs.Brooks, trapped in her look of utter shock and panic.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more use to you. What you're saying to me begs the question of if I'm willing to forgo my own integrity and years of training to protect your actions," Mrs.Brooks said, throwing her hair back over her left shoulder.
"Oh, this is about integrity? Is it?" Nylockee restrained himself, swallowing down the budding frustration in the pit of his stomach. His hands had lost their brown, glossy tint in exchange for a distinct blood red.
"It is, and you know that this isn't something I can sweep under the rug, I accept your frustration but I'm not risking my job to save you," Mrs.Brooks said dismissively, stepping away from the door.
"You don't have the faintest idea as to what this could do to my life, how dare you come in here and judge me," he yelled, gritting his teeth.
Mrs.Brooks inhaled a huge breath of air. "How about you leave my classroom?"
YOU ARE READING
Sophomore Sadness
Non-FictionHeightvillage High was a place where no stone was ever left unturned. Every corner you cut, someone was on the brink of exposing a secret they had meant to keep hidden forever. The lives of each student came with a tantalizing twist that caused...
