Tell Me The Truth -H.S. AU

51

"So," Mrs. Smith says, leaning back against her desk. "what's next for you?"

Mrs. Smith is my favorite teacher, her classroom has always been sort of a safe space for me. She's in her thirties, listens to the same music we do and lets us read the books we choose, instead of all the old ones like every other English teacher. Her and I formed a bond in my four years here. I'm going to miss her.

"I really don't know." I sigh and pull myself up to sit on one of the student desks across from her. "But now that I have this," I wave the diploma in my hand around in the air. "I guess I have to figure that out."

"I know you turned down SCU, is there anything that you want to do?" She raises her eyebrows at me, genuinely curious.

"Well..." I purse my lips, remembering what Harry said, and I know that I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since he said it. "My boyfriend said I should pursue interior design, since it's always interested me, and he says I'm good at it."

"Hold on..." She says, throwing both her hands in the air. "Boyfriend? Tell me everything...now."

"He works for my dad, that's how we met." I feel a flush creeping up my face as I talk about Harry. "He was really there for me when I was going through all the shit with Johnny, and my family, and a relationship blossomed from there."

"He sounds like a good guy." She smiles softly and me and I nod my head, agreeing. Suddenly, the classroom door opens and we both turn to look at who it is.

"Speak of the devil." I mumble and smile at Harry who is leaning up against the doorframe, smirking at me. He's early to pick me up. "Mrs. S, this is Harry, my boyfriend."

"Violet, you're graduated now, please call me Angela." She winks at me and pushes off her desk to meet Harry in the middle of the room as he walks toward her. He reaches out to shake her hand and she takes it firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Harry."

"The pleasure is mine." Harry says and bows his head slightly.

"Quite a charmer." She laughs softly, turning to look at me, a little shocked, and releases his hand. "Before you go," Angela says, stepping behind her desk and rifles through the drawers. "Take these."

She walks back around her desk to hand me a handful of pamphlets. I glance through them quickly with wide eyes and whip my head up to look at her.

"Interior Design Institute of New York?" I whisper, shocked. "Are you crazy?"

"There's still time to apply for the Fall, Violet." Angela crosses her arms over her chest.

"You just happened to have these in your desk?" I cock an eyebrow at her.

"You got me hooked on that stupid home makeover show, and your nose is always buried in a book about the importance of color palettes or what upholstery texture can make or break the feel of the house."

I glance over at Harry, who has a soft smile on his face and he nods slightly in encouragement.

"How could I ever afford to go to a school like this, especially in New York." I grip the pamphlets tightly in my hands, wrinkling them slightly.

"Do not count yourself out, young lady." Angela says, using her teacher voice on me now. "With your grades, ambition, and work ethic, you'd be a shoe in for the program and I'm sure we can find a scholarship or grants to help with the cost."

I inhale deeply, a new world of possibilities filling my head as I look at the photo of the campus.

"You don't have to decide now, admissions close at the end of the year." Her tone softens and I look up at her again. "Just think about it, yeah?"