Chapter Seven

At the beginning of the day, Ms. Matthews let me enter in grades to the grade book. I can't help but notice that Makenna's low C has shot up to a high B. I smile to myself. She must be doing her work before the others'. She has made a brilliant decision.

When sixth period begins, I am allowed to help the students. The first half of the class is finishing up some textbook work. I walk around the room and stopping to help some of the kids. I zigzag through the rows of desks until I reach Makenna's desk. I crouch down so we're eye to eye.

"I saw your grade shot up." She sighs and rolls her eyes. She spins in her chair to face me. She does not look amused and by the fury behind her eyes, I can tell it was a bad idea to approach her. At this moment she resembles a severely pissed off lioness.

"What, so now you can check up on me whenever you want?"

"As your teacher it is my job to see your grades. It helps me know what you need more practice on and-"

"What work I need to turn in. Yeah, yeah. You're not even my teacher." I sigh.

"I am your teacher, Makenna. I have the same job as Ms. Matthews. We want to see you grow as a person and a learner. It's our job to make sure you reach your potential." She sighs and crosses her bare arms over her chest. Not that I was paying close attention. "What do you want to be when you graduate high school?"

Her pouty face remains for a minute and a half before she exhales heavily and stares at me with disbelieving anger.

"I want to be a doctor."

I can't help but remember what Ms. Matthews said. The stress piled on Makenna may be caused by her family's enormous expectations of their youngest daughter. Is being a doctor really Makenna's dream or is it her parents' dream? I don't dare push it.

"That's great. But in order to do what you want, you have to do well in school. I'm just overseeing that you are on top of things."

Makenna doesn't fight back, but she doesn't lighten up either. She grabs her pencil and scribbles answers down on the paper so harshly, the graphite snaps from the tip of the pencil. She yanks her sharpener out and begins twisting it devilishly. I sigh and stand up.

I don't bother helping her for the rest of the work period. When the bell rings, she storms out of the class without so much as a second glance. I sigh again. Ms. Matthews takes out her lunch. I stand to go straighten the desks around the room and clean up a bit.

"That's very sweet of you Caleb," Ms. Matthews says, "thank you."

I shrug nonchalantly. "Habit." It's true. As a kid my parents made sure my room was clean before I went to bed. Old habits die hard.

Voices from the hallway never catch my attention. Usually it's a bunch of jibber jabber. Bits and pieces of different conversations float around the halls until the students have disappeared around the corner. Except now.

"Did you hear that Makenna broke up with her boyfriend?" I didn't know she had a boyfriend. I walk a little closer to the door, pretending to recycle abandoned papers.

"Yeah," a second girl says. "Apparently it was sudden. He wasn't expecting it."

"I heard he cried for twenty minutes in his car this morning," a third presence says.

"No," the first girl says. "Alan? He doesn't cry. He's on the baseball team. Remember that time the ball hit him in the-" I tune the gossiping out.

A while later, I hear a completely different story. He broke up with her and she was upset because she was expecting an invitation to the prom.

Another rumor was that he cheated on her with some girl. I have no idea what to think, but I may know someone who might.

After school, as baseball practice finishes up, I walk toward one of the familiar players. I also try to listen for people talking to Alan, but he's pretty much left alone. He's a beefy guy. He is shorter than I am with really dark hair and dark brown eyes. He's handsome.

"Hey Noah." I say. He walks over to me with a smile that matches his brother's.

"What up, Mr. Prior?"

"Come talk with me for a moment." We walk behind the crowd of baseball players and their fans. I ask Noah about the rumors. He smirks at me with a look that tells me he has a lot of good information.

"She totally broke up with him. It was a surprise for him. He's upset, but he's trying not to let it show. He's focusing his energy into this last game."

"Do you know why?" Noah coughs roughly and turns to me.

"See you later." He jogs after his teammates. What just happened? He didn't answer my question, which is frustrating. I turn around to walk to my car. A few feet away is Makenna.

"Can we go to the library?"

I am taken by surprise. I didn't think she'd be up for it, let alone want to talk to me. Did I do something wrong that I am unaware of? Or does she actually need to go to the library? Her grades improved greatly in the past two weeks. I have never seen anyone's grade shoot up like that in all of my school career. The kids in my classes were never as lucky as her.

"Sure," I say. "Is there something wrong? What is it you need help with?" She ignores me and drags me away from the field by the hand. She starts toward the crosswalk when I stop in my tracks.

"I can drive you know." She stops too and let's go off my hand. Suddenly I feel cold. I don't like it, but students are starting to crowd around the crosswalk.

"My parents won't be happy." I remember what she said when I offered to drive her home before.

"I can drop you off half a block away, but I don't want you to walk home by yourself."

"But-"

"That's my one condition," I say. "If you want to go to the library, I drive you there and I drive you home." She looks at me incredulously. She huffs and begins walking in the opposite direction of the growing group of students. She shoots me an expression I can only describe as conflicted. I don't know why she is.

As she passes all she says is, "Why do you have to be such a gentleman?"

Because I was raised by Natalie and Andrew Prior.