See Me After Class

seconds & hours

imagine mr. styles telling the class the world's worst joke and then going up to each desk in the front row asking for a high five, but no one will give him one, so eventually he gives himself a high five.

 ---------------------------  

that first week was a strange one. each school day was like any other i'd had before, but then seventh period would come around. you could tell everyone was distracted by how young and outgoing mr. styles was. after that first awkward class, he quickly grew comfortable around us; he even attempted some terrible knock knock jokes. his knock knock jokes were our favorite ((because they were so bad)). i think the first one that caught my attention was

'knock knock'

'who's there?'

'europe'

'europe who?'

'nooo! you're a poo!'

the grin that was plastered on his face as he giggled like a little girl and covered his mouth with his hands; it was adorable. this man who could go from serious lectures on works of literature to telling the world's worst knock knock jokes in seconds suddenly had my attention. i knew that i was going to like his class. i think the best part about the jokes was that he gave no warning. if he noticed that people were beginning to doze off, he would just throw in some dumb joke to wake everyone up.

we hadn't gotten into much learning or working yet, but he was informing us of how the year would be working for us. he talked as he tried to get an idea of how everyone felt towards reading and writing. we did a second diagnostic and also got a list of books we'd be reading this semester. we had to pick which twelve of the twenty-five we were going to read on our own. this year was going to be a lot of work.

his class was definitely what got me through that first week. usually i would have been sitting and counting down the time until i could leave. all of my other classes were enjoyable as well, but his was a game changer. lunch still sucked, but knowing that i only had another hour and a half until english helped it fly by.

occasionally i ran into my friends, liam and sophie, but the conversation was always brief. i couldn't take watching them be so giddy around each other; they were the epitome of lovesick. it was probably jealousy, though. i hadn't felt anything like that before, and i probably would've bet a million dollars that i never would. but i'm glad i didn't though, because i'd be in a lot of debt.

music and books were my only friends, but i was somewhat okay with that; writing, too. actually though, my mom and dad were my two best friends in the whole wide world. they were the only two people who had ever taken the time to get to know me. at least, they were the only two people at the time.

what sucked was that i was living the life of an introverted recluse, but in all actuality i was one of the most outgoing people in my school. in middle school i had loads of friends and i got invited everywhere, but that all changed.

now, when i walked through the front door of my house on that first friday, i wasn't as miserable as i should have been. the thought of thirty-five more weeks exactly like that one didn't upset me, but instead excited me. sure, i was drained of all energy, but i wasn't dreading anything.

my mom greeted me as i walked into the kitchen, then looked back down at a stack of papers that she was going through. she's a prosecuting attorney and at the time was working on a huge case. dad was just the ceo of some average sized company, planning to retire soon. both of my parents worked incredibly hard and, thanks to them, we lived in a ridiculously large house; some would call it a mansion.

i was born and raised in that brick, colonial revival home; situated in a small town in massachusetts and only forty minutes from boston. each of our bedrooms had their own fireplaces and bathrooms, and the foyer looked like it did back when it was built. my mom loved keeping the house in a historic feel. everything was new, but vintage looking.

dinner was served at five that night, and the three of us sat in the formal dining room. each of us discussed our weeks, none of them too interesting.

"so, wesley, what are your plans for that concert you're going to tomorrow night?" my dad asked. "and who are you seeing, again?"

having completely forgotten, my face lit up as i replied, "i'm driving into boston around four-ish, then having a late lunch somewhere. then i have to wait in line to get a good spot."

"okay, sounds good dear, but what's their name?" my mom then prodded.

"oh, right. they're that band i've been telling you about. monochromatic filter?"

i watched as recognition slowly registered on her face. they gave me the green light for a night in the city on my own. less than a month away from my eighteenth birthday, i noticed them slowly giving me more and more freedoms. after clearing my plate, i headed up to my room to work on my book.

i had finally started to write it during lunch that week, and it was already going in a good direction. it was a good distraction to have when i was trying not to think about my lack of friends. i had tried to keep in touch with everyone that left for school, but they were busy with their own lives. writing was an escape for me, and it still is; it was the one way that i could be heard.

my parents know about my writing, but respectfully stay out of it. they know that i don't want them going through it because it's personal. the day that it's published is the day they can finally know what goes on inside of my head.

about two hours of writing went by, so i began to rummage through my closet for a concert outfit. black was the obvious choice, but i wanted to change things up a bit. i didn't, though. a white button down and ripped, black boyfriend jeans were as adventurous as i was getting.

trips to boston were always my favourite, and going alone was even more fun. a feeling of being free flooded over me each time i climbed into my dad's car and made the drive towards the city. with my music blasting and the windows down, nothing could defeat me; i was invincible.

---------------------------

a/n

so i promise updates will be longer and more exciting soon. i'm just building up her character and giving back story and blah blah blah. also: i don't want to be a douche who demands reads/votes/comments in exchange for updates, so please just be lovely and boost this story :)

xx. ashton