Suddenly, You

three

Tessa

Upon arriving at school, I decided to head to the art studio to continue working on my piece before first period. I smiled at Ms. James as I passed her on my way there. She is so beautiful, it's shocking to know that she's not married already.

I saw her with Mr. Young last night and he is notoriously single. Every teenage girl is obsessed with him and every young mom wants him. He's the school's most eligible bachelor, which means Ms. James is the most eligible bachelorette. Not saying I knew it was a date, but the fact that it was just the two of them, made it seem just like a date.

I worked on my art, then proceeded to my scheduled classes, until lunch. I got to see her again. Ms. James, I mean. She's so young and pretty, it's no surprise that so many students love her. I think she could be someone I really can trust. I mean, she's read all of my most inner thoughts and never pushed for anything more. She seems like someone I can really talk to.

I sat on the couch in the reading nook area of her classroom, which was next to her desk. There were no other kids in the room, so the spot was up for grabs. It goes quick, so I didn't hesitate.

"Hey, Tessa." Ms. James greeted with a cheery voice.

"Hello." I smiled at her.

"Did you have a good night?" She kept the conversation going.

"I did actually. We had a study group meeting for a project in science. What about you?" I bounced the question to her.

"I, uh— had a good night as well. My favorite show just released another season on Netflix, so I admittedly stayed up a little too late." She smiled.

"What about your date?" I smirked.

"My— wha— the dinner I had with a friend was fun." She told me.

"Mhm— friend." I nodded.

"Friend, yes." She confirmed.

"Well, that friend is known to be the school's most single teacher, so you just signed yourself up for a fun time." I told her as I turned my attention to my notebook.

"What do you mean?" She grew quiet.

"I just mean that the kids are probably going to tease you about it." I kept my eyes on my paper. I started reading my work before starting to write again.

"He's just a friend." She reiterated.

"Alright." I replied in a singsong voice.

"He is." She sounded defensive.

I looked at her and nodded slowly. I don't know why she had the need to say it so many times, but I could hear the desperation in her voice. She was desperate for it to be known that he was just a friend to her.

As more kids entered the room, she recollected herself and faced her computer screen. I returned to my writing. This piece was about my quickly approaching unwanted birthday. My mom hasn't celebrated my birthday for the past three years, fifteen was the last birthday she acknowledged. This year I will be nineteen and have nothing to show for it. I've had the same room since Claire died, I haven't had a proper haircut since then either. If it weren't for Savannah, I truly believe that I would be a total slob by default, because my mom doesn't provide for me in any way.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ms. James get up to move around the room to the other kids.

"What are you working on?" She whispered as she sat next to me.

"Just personal stuff." I shrugged, glancing at her then back to my paper.

"Can I read?" She asked softly.