[Bad As Ever || Book 2]

15°

» "feels like you don't got me, so it feels like you been by yourself..."

[one day later]

Miami, FL;

Paris and Bryson hadn't talked much since she got herself another room to stay in. She finally decided to go down at about 8:30 pm. To get the keys was her excuse but she honestly just wanted to check on him.

Bryson opened the door for her and let her walk past him. He remained quiet and sat back at the desk, where he had been before she came down.

"Um, I came to get the keys. I'm going back to work tomorrow." She said trailing her finger across the counter.

He let out a deep sigh, "Good luck."

She bit the corner of her lip and tried to find something else to say, some type of conversation to strike up but nothing came to her. She grabbed the keys and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I love you, Bryson." She bent down beside his chair and kissed his cheek. He turned and look at her in the eyes.

"I love you, too..."

She left the room and headed up the stairs to her new home for the time being.

She hated being like this, away from Bryson, not communicating. It seemed that the only thing that could fix them was space but that was hard for her when all she wanted was him.

When she got to her room, she started to eat some left overs from good she had earlier but it was making her sick.

It seemed that the situation was affecting her mentally and physically. She threw it away and took a long shower.

It helped her clear her mind a bit and when she got out, she went straight to bed, wanting all her energy for work tomorrow.

>>>>>

[the next morning]

"We missed you, Paris." A math teacher greeted her as she unlocked her the door to her classroom.

"Aww, I missed you guys, too." Paris smiled. The teacher's face then turned sympathetic.

"I know it must be a hard time for you and Bryson, if you ever need anything, my door is right there." She smiled and pointed.

"Thanks, Dianne. I really appreciate that."

Paris went inside the the classroom, which was extremely cold, and sat her bag down. She sat in her desk and looked at the picture of her and Bryson from high school.

She sighed at the picture and pulled out papers for the day. Slowly, students from her homeroom started to pour in.

"Mrs. Tiller, you're back!" A six grader, Alina, gasped once she walked into the classroom.

"Yep, I'm back. How have you guys been?" She asked getting up to greet them at the door.

"The sub was so boring. I'm so happy you're back." She confessed. Paris laughed.

"I'm happy to be back."

As the day progressed, Paris wasn't as piped up as she usually was towards the students and they definitely noticed it.

"Hey, are you ok?" Josh asked as he turned in his drawing assignment. Paris snapped out of her daze and looked at the young boy with a tired smile.

"I'm fine, Josh. Thanks."

"You sure? You're not playing music or making jokes and you look tired." He observed.

"Yea, I'm just a little mentally tired. That's all." She sighed and stretched in her seat.

"Well, when I'm mentally tired, I get really down. I start thinking about all the bad things in my life, it mainly happens when I get a math packet." He started, making Paris laughs.

"Really?" She asked crossing her arms.

"Yea, then I just ask to go to my aunt's house." He said. She tilted her head.

"What's so special about your aunt's house?"

"She lives in north Florida and its peaceful. She doesn't live with anyone so it's quiet and I can think, I don't take my math packet with me tho..." He said shaking his head.

Paris sat back in her chair and nodded. She really had absorbed what he had said.

"Thanks, Josh. Nice talk." She smiled and gave him a high five.

Maybe she needed to go in order to clear her mind. Maybe it would help Bryson to be by himself, also.