"Can I go back to class?"
Miss Thompson looked at me. "Why won't you get a shower, there's no one, I'm not going to watch." She said with a smile.
"I know it's not that, I can't talk about it."
She sighed. "Okay." She set the clothes on the counter nearby and walked out of the room.
I went through the rest of classes. I slowly walked to Miss Thompson's classroom, waiting for Henry to finish his conversation, not really sure why I was going there. But I was.
Henry walked out as I walked in.
"Hey." He said smiling. "Rebecca, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Henry."
"Hi." I said shyly.
"Goin to the Fall dance?"
"Probably not."
"Yeah, me either. Dances aren't my thing."
I shrugged.
I walked into Miss Thompson's classroom, she was furiously typing, it looked felt like it was an angry email of some sort, I'd never seen her angry in her life.
"I'm surprised you came." She said not looking up from her screen.
"Yeah."
"So, do you want to talk?"
"Sorta."
"Okay, so; do you like Henry?" She said with a smile.
"Like, what?"
"I don't know. Just, as...whatever."
"Yeah kinda." I said blushing.
She laughed. "I knew it. But, do you trust me?"
I shrugged. "I don't know yet."
"I need you to stay away from Henry, okay?"
"How come, he seems like a nice guy?"
"They all do. I can't tell you, you just need to trust me, okay?"
I nodded.
"So, what else is going on?"
"Nothing."
"Do you know how much money your step-mother makes in a year?"
"Six figures, I know that much."
"What does she do?"
"She's an attorney."
"What kind?"
I shrugged. "We don't really talk about her work much, ya know?"
"True. So, does she hurt you?"
I tensed. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Sweetheart, that's what I was talking to Principal Oliver about."
"What?"
"You."
"I know, but what exactly?"
"Just in general."
"Oh."
"Sweetheart, I know something is going on, and the fact you wouldn't get a shower, makes me think that you're not below the poverty line, and you have access to water, but..."
"No, my step-mother is rich, I AM below the poverty line."
"I see." She said handing me a wet wipe.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"Why do you care?"
"I know where you from."
"No you don't."
Miss Thompson blinked away tears. I could tell she was holding back a secret, something I wasn't sure if I wanted to know or not.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Sorry, just...memories." She looked at the clock. "Why don't I take you home and we can talk tomorrow, I need to go pick up Devon from daycare."
"Yeah, but can you do me a favor?"
She nodded.
"My step-mom is going to ask what we were talking about when she sees me with you. Tell her that you were helping me finish up my late paper, please?"
"Why?"
"Because, that's what I told her the other day when Victoria told her talked after class, if I'm caught lying, I'm screwed."
Miss Thompson nodded. "Yeah."
The two of us sat in her car, quietly, the five miles to my house, seemed a lot longer.
We finally arrived.
As I thought. My step-mother walked out of the house to Miss Thompson's car.
"Where were you?" She demanded.
"Ma'am, I was helping Rebecca finish her paper, we just didn't have any time during the school day."
"Let me see the paper."
"We finished it, so it's at school so that it can be graded." I said quietly.
"Shut up." She said not looking at me. "Next time, let her fail on her own, we both know she isn't going to pass."
Miss Thompson sighed. "Okay, I apologize."
"Yep. Get inside." my step-mother said snapping her fingers.
I got out of the car, Miss Thompson walked to my side of the car. She embraced me tightly. "Here." She said shoving a small piece of paper into my pocket. "Call me. If it gets rough, I'll come get you."
"INSIDE NOW!" My step-mother yelled, dragging me away from Miss Thompson.
