Author's Note: I still have no idea where this is going. I won't just stop and leave all those lovely reviewers and readers out there stranded. I'm not that mean. Princeton High School is a real school, no idea what it looks like, though, and am taking the description from my own school. Also, another note, my uncles are both doctors, but that doesn't mean I'm destined for a medical future, so don't look to see a complicated disease. Please, I don't have that much time on my hands. Oh, and one more note, even though this is getting out of hand—I'm really breaking this down into chunks and it will jump. Just trust me here.
And the weight of their smile's just
Too much for you to bear.
—Problem Girl, Rob Thomas
Foreman guided the car into the parking lot of the Princeton High School. The sprawling, two-story, yellow-brick building was set back from the road slightly and had around it a grassy area with some large oaks growing on the lawns, to provide shade in the summer and an impressive allusion for those prospective adults who were looking for some place to send their "adorable" children.
Cameron flipped her phone shut. She had just finished her conversation with the teacher, Greg Anderson, who had agreed to meet them to discuss his student.
"So, do we have to head to the main office first? I'm sure you're better at this whole school thing than I am."
"Of course. He said to go down there, get passes so we can go through the halls and then his room is on the second floor, 228."
They exited the car and walked up the concrete steps to get into the school.
"Why is House so interested in this case?" Foreman asked as he opened the door to Cameron.
"No idea. She's not sick, other than the fact that's she pregnant. I don't know. She's not my ideal patient, though."
"House's maybe."
Cameron shook her head in agreement.
They walked through the door of the office and saw a woman with a gray bob sitting behind a desk answering the phone. They approached the woman.
"…Of course. No, no, she'll be fine. Yes, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodbye."
The phone was set down gently and the woman gifted them with a smile.
"How may I help you folks today?"
"My name's Dr. Foreman and this is Dr. Cameron. We talked to Greg Anderson earlier and he's expecting us."
"Alright…"
The lady scanned the paper in front of her. Her coral pink nail landed on their names and she smiled once again.
"Here are two visitor passes and a map of the school. Greg's room is up those stairs you saw when you came in and on the right. You won't have a problem finding it. If you need anything, you can just come back here."
"Thank you so much," Cameron told her.
"Anytime, my dear."
The two doctors left the room and proceeded up the stairs.
"Isn't it kind of unethical for us to find her diary like House wants us to?" Cameron asked.
"House has no ethics."
Cameron sighed as they arrived outside the door. The classroom was full of lab tables and the teacher's desk appeared to be at the front of the room. The room was empty of students and Cameron pushed open the door first.
The man she had saw the day before with Emily Williamson sat at the front of the room immersed in grading papers.
"Mr. Anderson?" She inquired as she and Foreman slipped into the room.
"Dr. Cameron? Nice to see you again. This must be Dr. Foreman."
He had put his pen down and come around the desk to shake both of the doctors' hands.
"So, I'm assuming you're here to ask me some question about Emily?" Greg Anderson asked as he let his hands rest in his pockets.
"Yes, we do. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" It was Cameron who ventured first.
"Forty-five."
"You had Emily as a student?" Foreman asked.
"Yes, first semester. She was in my second block honors' class. Great student. She was fun, too. I like to tease the girls in my classes that men are superior to women—to get them angry, to get them to think. Emmy loves to tease me right back about how women are better than men. She plays pranks on me all the time. It's kind of nice to have a battle of wits with someone, you know? Nicest girl, though. I had to go visit her in the hospital. I know her parents are dead, so…Just a great person," he told them with a tone of wistfulness in his voice.
"Do you know if she had any boyfriends?" Foreman's question.
"None that I know of. As I said, very smart, very opinionated. Guys don't like that in a girl at this age."
"Does she have a lot of friends?" Cameron's inquiry.
"She doesn't have many close friends, that was my observation. She has the respect of many of her classmates, which makes her well liked, but she doesn't seem to trust many people. She does talk to her other teachers, though. I don't know why you're asking all these questions, but they might be able to help."
"What are their names?"
"Lemme right them down for you, Dr. Foreman."
The teacher took a piece of paper and jotted down a few names and their room numbers.
"Okay, Mrs. Keller teaches English, and Em has her for homeroom this semester. Mrs. Mackenzie teaches geometry honors and she and Em seemed to bond. Annie Arnold is her closest friend and I actually think she is in Mackenzie's class right now. You can see what she knows," Greg Anderson offered helpfully.
"One more question before we leave," Cameron ventured.
"Of course."
"Are you married?"
"No."
He looked at her quizzically before she smiled and with Foreman left the room.
"Why'd you ask that?" Foreman questioned.
"My curiosity got the better of me."
She grinned at him and proceeded onto the next classroom.