Holding Back [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10 - "Cal, ninjas! Hide!"

On Monday, Haley stepped into the school office and found it just as it always was. She figured it would look the same for the next hundred years. The walls were painted a light brown and were covered with inspirational quotes posted on landscapes and dramatic photos. She had already memorized these quotes as she passed the time as an office aid.

The waiting area was filled with neutral toned chairs and a coffee table that held exactly three magazines that not even the most desperate people would even glance at. The dark wooden front desk sat off to the right and stretched across half of the room. Doors - with black nameplates - led to the nurse's and counselor's office. Down a short hallway were the Vice Principal's and Principal's. All in all, it was a quiet and normal place.

Haley dropped her bag under the desk and plopped into a cushioned armchair.

"Hi, Dana?" she said.

The gray-haired receptionist looked at her over the top of her glasses.

"How was lunch?"

It was the exact same question Dana had asked Haley every day that year and Haley responded with the same exact answer.

"Fine. So what do you need me to do?"

With a smile that was given to everyone, Dana pulled out four narrow strips of pink paper and handed them to Haley.

"These need to be delivered to their rightful students."

Haley took the notes and moved to a filing cabinet. After checking where each student would be at the moment, she left. The sun was hot overhead but there was something wonderful about feeling its first wave of heat after being in an air-conditioned room.

The grounds were mainly empty, classes in session. Occasionally, Haley would pass the wandering student who had been given a bathroom pass. Most of the time they never needed it, wanting more to just avoid learning something new for a minute or two.

As she approached a bottom floor classroom, she could hear a deep, passionate voice slipping out from underneath the door.

"...that is why you have to remember that even though Alexander Hamilton-"

The male teacher's voice cut off as Haley pushed the door open. He was in his late twenties with black hair and seemed to be bursting with energy. It was for this reason that, though History had the effect of putting most people to sleep, the classroom was alert. The teacher looked at Haley with expectant blue eyes.

"How can I help you, Ms. Owens?" Mr. Scholar asked.

She handed him the pink sheet of paper. As he read over it, she glanced at the room. It was full of juniors, some of them taking the brief pause to whisper comments to their neighbors or check phones. Haley was looking back to Mr. Scholar when she spotted Isaac in one of the furthest rows. He met her gaze and gave a quick smile. Without realizing it, she was returning the look, if not completely matching the strength of his.

"Beth Jones," Mr. Scholar said, "you're needed in the office. Hurry back when you can, history is a story no one should miss."

Before Haley could be trapped into that awkward situation of walking alongside Beth for even a moment, she left and continued to deliver her slips of paper.

She had finished giving out her final slip and was heading back to the office when the sight of a black puppy stopped her. The dog was trotting in through the front gates, its nose tilted into the air as if searching. When it spotted Haley, its tongue fell loose and it seemed to grin at her. It was then Haley recognized Isaac's dog. For a second, she racked her brain searching for its name.