"Ms. Beecher?"
"Ninety."
"Mr. Harper?"
"eighty-six."
"Ms. Moth?"
I scrunched my nose at the paper, checking over the answers to see if I marked it correctly. There didn't seem to be any mistakes.
"Uh...one hundred." Mr. Grayson scoffed at my answer, typing on the computer with unnecessary force.
"She probably cheated," he growled. Once he was done with his papers he pushed back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I thought I made it clear that I do not like cheaters." He said, pouting a little. I felt like laughing at how ridiculous he looked but restrained. Instead I shrugged, handing him the graded stack of paper.
"Maybe she actually paid attention this time." I suggested, but even I knew that was a low blow. It was a known fact that Kitten wasn't the brightest crayon in the box; or at least that's what she lead on.
"Please. Earlier today I had to call her out for filing her nails during my lesson." Mr. Grayson said with a roll of his eye. I chuckled.
It had been three days since his birthday; since I kissed him, and we had yet to talk about it. I wanted to bring it up a couple of times today, but found myself too embarrassed to ask. Mr. Grayson would talk about playing more games with me someday, but he seemed to be dodging the subject also. Still, we were on good terms and I didn't feel so awkward staying after school with him. It was actually quite pleasant. I checked my watch.
Crap. It was already six. Victor would be here any minute now to pick me up. He had to do this since the distance from the school to the house was too much for my beaten down moped. Apparently, it didn't do too well with long distances. Vic said he would try to fix it, but he said it was as good as garbage now.
"I have to go, my ride will be here soon." I sighed, grabbing my backpack. I saw Mr. Grayson forensic for a second, but that was quickly replaced with a small smile.
"Very well. I appreciate your help today, Garfield." He said, pushing up his glasses. I nodded.
"See you tomorrow." I said, giving him a small way before turning on my heel. I was just about to leave the classroom when I heard him call my name. I turned around, cocking my head. "Yes?"
"Do you have your cell on you?" He asked, almost nervously. I raised my eyebrow but nodded. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, showing it to him. He nodded his head for me to come back to his desk.
I gave him my phone, a curious expression on my face. I watched as he began typing something in a sporadic rhythm before handing it back to me.
"My number is saved under Richard." He said simply. I stared at the white screen for a moment, not quite registering what he said. "If you ever want to talk or hang out just give me a text or a call. Whatever you're comfortable with." He shrugged.
I wanted to say something in rebuttal, but all I could manage was a squeak of a thank you. I quickly left the room, phone still in hand. I stared at the contact name and number as I walked out to the front of the school. There were so many questions running through my head, yet one stood out against all the rest...
How the heck did he know my password?
...
"You've been awfully quiet, what's up?" I jumped at the sound of Vic's voice. He glanced at me from the drivers seat, and I immediately blushed.
"N-nothing." I stuttered.
"You're lying. Your ears turn red when you're lying or hiding something." He said with a knowing grin. I growled.
"No they don't!" I argued.
"Oh yeah, then what is this?" He then grabbed me by the tip of my ear, giving it a not so light tug. I yelped, batting his hand away.
"Dude, both hands on the wheel!" I yelled, to which Victor simply chuckled. He put his other hand back on the wheel and directed his attention back to the road.
"But seriously man, what's been bugging you? Finally made up with your boyfriend?" He said, wiggling his eyebrow. I blushed furiously, folding my arms.
"He's not my boyfriend!" I yell stubbornly.
"Whatever you say, Grass Stain. Just know you can't keep secrets from me." He cooed. I groaned as Victor pulled into the driveway. Kori was already outside, hovering slightly above the ground with her hands clasped together. Upon seeing us, she squealed. I stepped out of the car and was almost immediately enveloped in a tight hug.
"Friend Garfield, I have not seen you in a blipnord!" She cried, squeezing me tighter.
"Kor...saw you...this morning...can't breathe..." I gasped. Reluctantly she let go, and I struggled to catch my breath. I turned to Vic, who shrugged. It was normal for Kori to be happy all the time, but she was never this excited unless something happened.
"Why are you so happy?" Victor asked, making sure to keep his distance in case she decided to pounce on him. He never really was one for flying. She giggled as she dug in her pocket. She then pulled out a piece of paper, holding it up.
"Friend Raven and I are going to have a girls night!" She cheered. I raised my eyebrow, taking the paper from her hand. It was an advertisement for a spa in Steele City.
"Uh...does Rae know about this?" I asked, knowing the only way Raven would go to something like that is if she was dragged there. Victor snatched the paper out of my hand, and I shot him a half hearted glare. He examined the paper quickly before handing it back.
"It's the same day as my car show." Victor pointed out. Kori smiled innocently, chuckling slightly.
"Friend Raven said we could go, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience." She apologized.
"Wait..." I said, putting two and two together. "So I'm going to spend my whole Saturday alone!"
"Stop being so selfish; you've been running around with God knows who for weeks." I jumped at the sudden voice behind me. I turned and backed away as Raven stood behind me glaring.
"You know I hate it when you do the transport-y thing!" I whined. Raven rolled her eyes.
"Teleportation." She deadpanned. I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Hey, I'm sure you can find something to do while we're gone. Besides, it's only one day." Victor reasoned. I huffed but nodded in agreement. One Saturday alone couldn't be that bad...right?
...
One day my butt! I was bored out of my mind!
Over the course of two hours I managed to play every video game inside the house (but gave up because Vic set the record too high), made a tofu pizza from scratch, exercised in the weight room, and cleaned my room (which is amazing in itself). Even after doing all that it was only noon!
I sighed, falling back on my bed so that my head was almost touching the floor. I had considered paying the patrol a visit, but the only way I could get there, or anywhere, was by flying. And I was still not permitted by law to use my powers without permission. I hadn't made any plans with anyone. I mean, I lived with my three best friends! I shouldn't be suffering like this.
I groaned, sitting up again. Upon sitting up I spotted my phone on the corner of my bed. My eyebrows knitted together as an idea popped into my head. Mr. Grayson had given me his number on Monday, and I had yet to call or text him. I was still a bit dumbfounded that he put it there in the first place.
Still, he had said I could contact him if we ever needed to talk and well...I was desperate.
I snatched the phone off my covers, searching through my contacts for his name. After a few good scrolls down the page, I managed to find it. I hesitantly opened his inbox.
12:06
Uh...Hey this is Gar
My fingers shook as I typed the message. Was I really that desperate for someone to talk to? How did my text even look how nervous I was? What if he gave me the wrong number?
I stared at the text for a few more good seconds before looking away as I pressed the send button. Immediately, it felt as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I let out a sigh of relief, placing my cell on my bedside table. I found myself agonizing over his message return, and tapped my foot impatiently. Luckily I didn't have to wait long.
12:08
Good afternoon, Garfield. Is everything alright?
It felt as if my heart was doing backflips. I read the message over and over again. Even through text I could picture just how he would've said it, the slightest trace of worry on his face. I smiled.
12:09
Yea just bored out of my mind
This time I did not put my phone down as I waited for his text. I stared at the bright screen in intimidation.
12:10
Oh, are your friends not with you?
12:11
No. Vic's a car show and the gurls are a spa
12:13
Grammar, Garfield.
I rolled my eyes at the comment, smiling a little.
12:14
Dude its txt not skool!
12:15
That's hardly an excuse to misspell school.
I laughed a little to myself, shaking my head before typing again. Before I could send my text however, Mr. Grayson sent another.
12:15
So I take it you are home alone, yes?
I erased my previous message, typing in a new one.
12:16
Yea y?
12:18
Should I come over?
My smile instantly dropped, and was left with a shocked expression. Had I read that correctly, or was I just imagining things? I sat there, jaw slacked, for what felt like hours re-reading the text.
12:24
huh?
12:25
You're bored, correct? Why else would you text me? I can only type for so long until my fingers give out, you know?
12:26
I don't really think that's a good idea
12:30
Too late, I'm already in my car. I'll be there in 15 minutes.
I shut off my phone, seeing no point in sending another text back. This took a different turn than what was expected; still I couldn't bring myself to be angered at him practically inviting himself over.
Instead, I was washed over with an unknown fear. My...dare I say...crush was visiting me alone. Somewhere in the messed up part of my mind thought this was a good idea. I mean, this is every teens dream. But the more reasonable side of my brain knew better. He is my teacher and I have to remember that (even if said teacher seems to forget himself).
Seeing no point in arguing with myself, I hopped off my bed and made my way downstairs. I remembered I didn't exactly clean up the mess I made from earlier, and I was sure Mr. Grayson wouldn't really appreciate tofu stains all over the counter.
I quickly cleaned up the mess, and by the time I was done I knew he would be here any minute now. I tapped my chin, scanning the pantry. I wanted to at least have something made in case either of us got hungry.
I sighed, settling on a bag of chips and soda. I placed the snacks on the coffee table, making sure everything was nearly placed. Suddenly, there was a knock at my door, nearly causing me to knock everything off the table.
I sighed again, running my hand through my hair. I walked to the door, peering through the window. Mr. Grayson stood on the porch and seemed to be examining one of the plants we had displayed.
I opened the door, and Mr. Grayson immediately stopped what he was doing to look at me. I felt my face heat up at the fact that his attention was on me.
"Uh...hi." I breathed.
"Hello, Garfield..."He said slowly. I saw him look me up and down before stifling a laugh. "I never took you one for ponies." He said with a smirk.
I cocked my head to the side, confused. I looked down and almost screamed from embarrassment. Had I really forgotten to change out of my pajamas? And it didn't help with the fact that the pants had stencils of unicorns on them. I blushed madly.
"Kori bought them for me!" I said in a feeble attemt to defend myself. I opened the door wider, stepping to the side so that I could let him in. "You can come in if you want. I'm going to go change real fast." I mumbled the last part.
He nodded stepping inside. I directed him into the common room, and quickly made a dash upstairs. I made my way to my room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a graphic tee with some band on it before quickly running back downstairs.
I peeked over the wall, hoping Mr. Grayson hadn't heard me. He currently had a picture frame in his hands, an almost content smile on his face. I instantly recognized the photo as the one that I forced Vic, Kori, and Raven to take freshman year. It was the first group picture we ever took, and it was one of my favorite.
I coughed, walking into the common room. Mr. Grayson looked up, almost shocked to see me come in.
"These are your friends I hear so much about?" He asked, setting the picture frame exactly where he found it. I nodded, taking a few steps closer to him.
"Yeah, they're great." I said, looking at the photo myself. I had been the only person in the photo smiling; given I took it while everyone was off guard. Raven was glaring at me, Victor's expression was shocked, and Kori was confused.
"And you all bought this house together? I'm impressed," he mused.
"Yeah, been saving up since freshman year."
"I'm glad you all don't have to worry about money anymore then," he said. I raised my eyebrow, confused for a moment. Then I remembered the check. In all honesty I forgot all about it; it was probably still hidden away in my wallet. I hadn't even mentioned it to my friends yet.
"Are you hungry?" I could tell Mr. Grayson was confused by my change of subject, but I doubt he would question it. "I made a mean tofu pizza earlier and there's still slices left. I just have to put it in the oven."
"Sounds delicious." He said, with a small smile. I nodded, turning on my heel.
"There's chips on the table!" I called over my shoulder as I quickly made my way over to the kitchen. Grabbing the left over pizza, I placed it in the oven. After turning on the temperature and putting on the timer, I made my way back to the common room. Mr. Grayson was sitting on the couch, looking around the room. I smiled.
"Hey, want to look around? I could give you a tour." I said. Mr. Grayson turned around, nodding. He stood up, and walk towards me.
"Lead the way." I nodded. We walked through the downstairs portion of the house first, and the whole time I was showing him the different rooms he complimented it in some sort of way.
"This is the weight room...and over there is the basement. Vic's usually in there making some tech thing. And that pretty much is all for down here." I say, smiling. Mr. Grayson nodded approvingly. I lead him to the stairs, which curled around and had a pole through the middle. Vic thought it would be a good idea once we start crime fighting.
"This is Kori's room." I say, opening the door just enough for him to see inside. Her room was decorated in pink and purple, with stuffed animals everywhere. Honestly, it hurt my eyes just to look at it. "And this is Victors room." I said, as we made our way down the hallway. I opened his room in the same fashion I did Kori. His room didn't have much in it, and it was pretty much just a place for him to recharge.
"And this is Ravens room. But I'm not able to show you inside; last time I broke in I was attacked." I said. Mr. Grayson seemed taken aback, but chuckled slightly nonetheless. We passed Raven's room and trekked a little bit further down the hallway.
"And this is my room. You can come in if you'd like." I say, opening my door and stepping inside. Mr. Grayon closed the door behind us, and suddenly I felt giddy. Of course, I tried to seal it the best I could. "Um...sorry for the mess."
"It's not a problem." He said, looking around. I watched as he spotted a photo on my dresser, picking it up to examine it. Gee, he must really like pictures. "Who are they?" He asked, showing me the photo. It was a picture of a man, a woman, and a child. The two adults were swinging the child by his arms while the child laughed happily.
"Those are my parents." I say. I usually didn't have a problem talking about them, but for some reason I felt nervous discussing it with him.
"Oh. And is this your brother?" He asked. I laughed, shaking my head. I walked beside him, pointing to the boy.
"No that's me." I chuckled. Mr. Grayson gave me a confused expression, looking towards the picture and me. "It's a long story."
"Do tell," he said with honest curiousity. Then he furrowed his brows, as if having another thought. "If you don't mind that is." He added.
"Well I was normal at one point of my life until I was bitten by a green monkey. I almost died but my parents saved me. But as a side affect it gave me my powers and appearance." I say. "Huh, I guess it wasn't that long of a story." I say grinning.
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said, placing the photo down.
"Don't be. I'm kind of glad it happened." I say honestly.
"I'm glad. Green suits you." I found myself blushing at the compliment, looking away. I heard Mr. Grayson inhale sharply, and I turned back around to see what had happened. I followed his gaze to the wall.
"Oh, I almost forgot that was there." I said, chuckling nervously.
"You...you must really like Robin." He said, a bit stunned. On my wall was a huge cut out poster of Robin, and on the desk beneathe it were figurines and comics of the boy wonder. It was my own private shrine and I couldn't ever imagine getting rid of it.
"Sorry if it's a bit creepy," I say, rubbing my neck. "It's just...Robin is my idol, you know? Has been since I was a kid. He's helped me through a lot of hard times." I say, moving toward the area. I picked up one of the figurines, staring at it in thought.
"My dad gave me this the first time I heard about him. Since then I wanted to be just like him. I mean...he got to fight crime along with the most infamous superhero, save lives, and everything. I wanted to be just like that when I grew up."
"After my parents died I was homeless for awhile...didn't have anywhere to go 'cause no one wanted me. The only thing keeping me sane was Robin. I would catch him on tv sometimes, see magazines, and newspapers of everything he did and I thought 'if Robin could do it, I can do it too'." I placed the figurine down, but had yet to take my eyes off of it.
"That's why I refuse to believe he just quit. I know he's out there somewhere...doing something good. If he wasn't then..." I shook my head. "Sorry if I sound silly." I looked up to see my teachers reaction. He had an almost unreadable expression on his face. He seemed to have grown stiff, and his face had flushed slightly.
"Garfield...can I tell you something," he said quietly. "Something...that I haven't told anyone before?" The seriousness of his voice startled me. I slowly nodded, waiting for him to continue. He took in a shaky breath, closing his eyes. "I'm-"
Just as he was about to say whatever he was going to say, a loud buzz rang through the house. We both jumped.
"Oh no, I forgot about the pizza!" I said, just now smelling the scent of burning crust. "I'll be right back!" I quickly ran out the room and down the stairs, to the kitchen. The whole area was filled with smoke.
I quickly put on some oven mitts, taking the pizza pan out of the machine. I groaned. So much for leftovers. I threw the burnt pizza in the trash, and opened a few Windows so the smoke could escape.
I ran my hand through my hair, now being able to think. My heart was still pounding over the conversation I just abruptly left. I had never seen Mr. Grayson look like that. So unsure and doubtful, yet fearful at the same time. He was usually cool and collected, and hardly ever let his emotions show. Just what did he want to tell me?
Finding no use in wondering, I made my way back upstairs, but not nearly as fast as it was my way down. I walked back in the room, prepared for whatever Mr. Grayson had to throw at me; but instead I was met with emptiness.
I walked into my room, and noticed my window was open. I quickly ran to it, looking out the window. If he had made an escape this way he was long gone by now. I furrowed my brows, stepping back inside the room.
He wouldn't just leave like that without a reason, would he? And how would he be able to escape out of a two story window without being unscathed? It wasn't like there was anything to cushion his fall.
As if my prayers had been answered, I spotted a single sheet of paper of my bedside table. I quickly grabbed it; noting that it was indeed my teachers handwriting; though a little rushed. It read:
I'm sorry I had to leave you on such short notice. I heard a vehicle pull in and assumed it was one of your friends. Wouldn't want them finding me here, now would you? I hope we can talk again soon,
Richard
As if on cue, my do swing open. I jump back in surprise, hiding the note behind my back.
"Man, I'm not even gone for a full day and you already almost burned the house down!" Victor yelled.
"I thought you had a car show." I said in shock. He rolled his one good eye, crossing my arms.
"Got cancelled. What have you been up to?" He asked, stepping fully into my room. "Didn't have anyone you weren't supposed to, right?"
"Of course not!" I said, and blushed at how quickly I did.
"Chill man, I was only teasing. Since I'm home, I was thinking we could go do something together." He suggested.
"Sure dude, just let me give me a minute." I said, putting on a false grin. He eyed me for a second, but shrugged.
"Alright, but in five minutes I'm leaving your green butt," he made it seem as if he were about to walk out but stopped. "You sure you didn't have someone over?"
"I already said no." I frowned. He grinned.
"Whatever you say, but your ears are giving you away." He teased, before walking out. I pouted, resisting the urge to argue back. I quickly ran to my door, closing and locking it behind me.
As soon as I did this, I allowed myself to slide to the ground. I rested my head on the door, clutching the letter to my chest.
Just what was the big secret?
...
This chapter took a slightly different turn but I guess I'll save my initial idea for the next chapter. I feel like this chapter was a bit rushed, but I wanted to get it out there. School starts in literally a week, and I'm dreading it!
Be sure to leave a review, and thanks to those who have been leaving them! You guys make my day, you don't even know :)