Hi! Guess what? I've been summoned to jury duty. Yayyy! (sarcasm)

So, because my upcoming schedule is unknown, I don't know when my next update will be. Depending on how tomorrow goes, there may be a delay, there may not be. If there is a delay, you'll know why. But I'll be back to writing and posting ASAP.

Thanks for all your support, my lovely readers.

Word Prompt: Threat

Dialogue Flex: "Are you always so competitive?"

Using the provided snippet of dialogue, explore what comes to mind, be it a scene, a thought, or something else.

Something True

Threat

Last Winter

"Nice dress," he said after helping her out of her coat. He hung it on the hook and closed the door. "A lot has changed since I was in high school. We had to wear uniforms."

"You went to a private school?"

"No. Public school. Back in the nineties they were experimenting with uniforms, thinking the style of dress caused more problems at school. Arguing against uniforms was a popular persuasive topic for essays back then. Similar to the popularity of the cell phone topic now. You know, like the essay you wrote for Newton?"

Taking her usual seat at a desk front and center, Bella studied the fake woodgrain.

"Oh, right, you know nothing about that. I forgot."

Smiling, she looked up at Mr. Biers. He sat in the desk beside her, first turning it around to sit sideways like he usually did.

"Yeah, so, we had to wear uniforms to-" he cleared his throat, his voice deepening "-discourage problems at school, yet we used to get high with our teachers. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Your teachers got high with you?" Bella studied his face trying to guess his age. Creases only really settled in when he smiled. Under forty. If not for the few gray hairs she'd noticed in his beard before he shaved it, she'd guess under thirty-five. But she wasn't so sure. She had the feeling he appeared younger than his true age.

"Not all of them. Two of them." He leaned in closer. "Rumors ran rampant, and while everybody talked about it, only the few involved actually believed it."

"So they never got caught?"

"Not to my knowledge. I probably shouldn't be talking to you about this. In fact, this might be the last thing I should be talking to you about."

Bella felt her face and her palms heat up. "It doesn't bother me."

Mr. Biers loosened his tie. It was a dark blue tie over a pale blue shirt, both accentuating his eyes. "No, it wouldn't, would it? You're a lot more mature than the average student here. Newton, for instance, what would he do with that kind of information? Forget it." He held up a hand. "Don't tell me. But listen, I don't do that stuff anymore. That was... I was troubled back then. My parents divorce knocked me down. Actually, it wasn't just the divorce. That I could've dealt with. It was that they had me choose the parent I wanted to live with. How does a kid make a choice like that?"

"I'd choose my dad in a second."

"Well, that was easy. You and your mom don't..."

"No."

Bella looked at Mr. Biers, and he looked back at her. Then, after seven years held under lock and key inside her, she freed her secret. And while the first few words were hard to get out, after that, they seemed to pour from her.

He reached forward, took hold of her hand on her lap, and squeezed, the backs of his fingers grazing her thigh. "That's quite a burden for a young girl to carry. You must be incredibly strong." He let go of her hand. "Is this something that's still going on?"

"I - I'm not sure. I stopped paying attention. I didn't want to know. I haven't seen or heard anything that would prove it in a long time."

"Maybe it's behind her. A temporary lapse in judgement."

Looking down at her lap, Bella threaded her fingers together. Maybe he was right. Maybe.

Mr. Biers cleared his throat and changed the subject, changing the feel of the air in the classroom. There seemed to be more of it, and it seemed to move even with the door and windows closed. "Why haven't I seen an entry form from you for the essay competition?"

Bella shrugged.

"You are planning on entering, aren't you?"

"Haven't decided."

He went over to his desk, slipped an entry form from a file in his drawer, and offered it to Bella. "I want to see you enter."

"I already have one."

"Here's an extra one. You still have over a month to get your essay turned in. Plenty of time."

"Is Tanya entering?"

"Her entry form was the first to come in. Why do you ask?"

"I just want to see what I'll be up against, and she'd be my biggest competition. "

"You know this through assisting me?"

Bella nodded.

"Are you discounting the seniors?" He leaned against the front of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest and one ankle over the other. "I had some great writers last year."

"Who?" Bella uncrossed her legs, feet planted firmly on the floor and sat up straight in her seat.

Mr. Biers laughed. "Are you always this competitive? You're the best writer in the school. Is that what you want to hear?"

"That'll do."

...

On her way home, Bella sat on her tree, and by fading light filled out her entry form.

She didn't walk through her front door until nearly five. Her mother was in the kitchen cooking dinner, stirring her vegetable saute.

"What did you do today?" Bella asked. Her mother's eyes widened like she was bewildered.

"You're interested in my day?'

Bella nodded.

"Well... I refinished the back deck railing. This winter really did a number on it. Took me all day. I had to strip it and sand it down first."

"Why did you quit your job?"

"Is this an interview? You writing a book?" She turned the stove off, lifted the pan and shook the vegetables around. "I quit because I felt like my family needed me around more. That job took so much time. I couldn't even go on vacations with you guys. Though you didn't seem to mind much, did you?"

"Dad did."

"But not you?"

"Need help?"

"What's gotten into you?" She reached into the cabinet for two plates and handed them to Bella. "It's just us girls tonight. Your dad's on duty."

"I know." Bella set the table. Over dinner, she told her mother about the contest, that the top three persuasive essays chosen by the English department would be entered in the Seattle competition. The winner would receive a $5000 college scholarship.

Her mother dabbed at her lips with her napkin, revealing a smile when she dropped her hand. "I'll help you with research, the internet, take you to the library if you need to go."

"The internet might be enough, but thanks."

Her mother leaned forward, a slight frown taking over her brow before her face relaxed. "You're welcome, sweetheart."

That weekend, when Bella returned from the sleepover at Jessica's, a sheet of paper was waiting for her on her bed. She picked it up and read it: a list of persuasive topics on current events ordered by importance, according to her mother.

After that, Bella watched her mother when she could. Called her at random times. Expecting voicemail at first, she learned she should come up with an excuse for the call ahead of time. "Can I go to Rose's after school," and "I forgot what i called for," could only work so many times.

...

"Mr. Biers?" she said as she entered his classroom. He looked up from his computer.

"Miss Swan?" He side-smiled.

"I think my mom stopped her affair. She's different than before, around more. Kind of happy. I think."

He swiveled his chair around to face her. "Perhaps she's seen the error of her ways."

"Maybe she does still love my dad."

He stood up. "That's important to you, is it? That she love him?"

"He loves her." Bella's voice cracked, her eyes welling up.

Mr. Biers spoke in a near whisper. "Okay. Okay." He squeezed her shoulder. "Maybe she does love him. It's certainly possible to falter in a relationship and still be in love."

Tears trickled down her cheeks. Mr. Biers pulled some tissues from the box on his desk and brought them to Bella.

Wiping her cheeks, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Biers."

"Hey, when it's just the two of us," he ducked his head to meet her eyes, "you can call me Riley."