Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ADELAIDE BIRCHWOOD FIVE YEARS AGO:
* ˚ ✦
Adelaide's drummed her fingers against the desk as she sat in Miss. Jennings classroom. The young teacher had asked her to come in to talk about something and here she was. She had no idea what it was about, but she knew it couldn't be anything bad. Adelaide was perfect. Her grades were in the hundreds, she was polite, and the type of girl you brought home to your parents. There was no way she was in trouble.
"Well, you're here, I suppose," she heard her say from the hallway. "Come in."
Adelaide straightened up in her chair as Miss. Jennings entered the classroom accompanied by Damon Torrance. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What is he doing here?
Damon Torrance had a scarily pretty face while a personality to match. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark heart. Adelaide would be a fool to say that he didn't intimidate her. He did, very much so. It scared her how she couldn't ever figure him out, she could figure everyone else out, but never Damon. He was too wild to fit into one category.
The smirk that played on his lips quickly disappeared as soon as he saw her. His hand was on the lock, but he dropped it. They'd never really talked, the only connection they had to each other was Will. Adelaide's mother and Will's mother were first cousins, which lead to them being cousins. It was actually quite ironic when you look at it because they all lived next to each other. She'd seen Damon enough at Will's house to know that he held a fondness for him.
"Do you two know each other?" Miss. Jennings asked as she set a pile of papers on her desk.
"By association." Adelaide said politely, a tight smile on her face. "One of his friends is my cousin." She didn't look at him as she forced herself to relaxed her shoulders.
"That's...good." She turned around to look at them. "Damon, why don't you take a seat." He listened as he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.
"Miss. Jennings, I don't mean to be rude, but how long is this going to take?" Adelaide smiled, but it was all fake. Everything about her was a standard to be met and there was nothing real. She was who people needed her to be.
"It's not rude at all, Miss. Birchwood." She said. "I understand you're a very busy person." It was true, Adelaide was a sophomore and president of five different clubs. Student council, key club, national honors society, debate club, and chess club. She never stayed anywhere for long because she always had somewhere to be. "Which is why I'm sure you won't be happy with what I'm about to ask you."
"What-" Adelaide tried to say, but was interrupted.
"Please, do not interrupt me. I know you're a smart girl, Miss. Birchwood." Miss. Jennings tried to say sternly, but it didn't faze the high school student. The twenty three year old teacher barely out of college didn't intimidate the sixteen year old who should be a junior.
