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It was my job

Chapter Two

"Ah, Ms Pierce, I wish I could say I was happy to see you," Mrs Tanner, the evil witch of a secretary, acknowledgedsmirk that see, high school is the ninth ring of hell

"Oh, Mrs Tanner, I wish I could say the sa," I replied as sweetly as I could Icounter in between us

She was not amused with me

"You can’t miss anymore school Ivy," Mrs Tanner warned and I realized it was practically painful for her to givefrom the principal, the male principal Mr Costas "At least not this semester, unless you have a written note from your doctor Mr Costas would like to reh to catch up this late in the quarter and that skipping, ditching or taking unnecessary sick days will not benefit you toward your goal of graduation"

"Tell Mr Costas, I appreciate that he’s looking out for me," I answered in that same sickly sweet voice I used to annoy the hell out of her

She ignored me "Here is your class schedule"

"Thank you" I snatched it from her hand and turned on my heel before she offered anymore unsolicited advice

"The faculty of this school would also like to ask that you not send any more of its students to the hospital," she called out snidely to ht and round out and picked up pace

I just needed to get to the glass door, push it open and get to class

Fifteen more seconds

"If you have any extra cash on you, that canister by the door is for Sah note

I couldn’t help myself I should have just bolted; and not just from the office, froone

But instead of listening to the sound voice of reason uilt spread its ugly, vicious wings and glanced down at the canister There he was Sa and happy in his senior picture that was not at all indicative of what he looked like now…

The canister was covered with construction paper asking for donations to help with his physical therapy and explaining that he used to be a senior at this school, that he used to be a basketball star, and that he used to be able to walk… The saot the chance to live before a car accident changed his world forever The plastic cover had a slit cut out of the top so you could drop h for folded up dollar bills

I couldn’t do this

I didn’t want to do this

I felt ed for the office door knowing even a secondto send me into another breakdown

Only this time there would be serious consequences to pay

I threw the door open without seeing IMy mind had slipped into the horrific memories of the past and I was pretty sure I could make a solid plea for temporary insanity at this point

So when I shoved the door with asresistance and then foundon the floor, I was couard The situation was made worse when in the middle of my fall I was drenched with severely hot liquid and landed painfully onwet

I lay there for several moments sprawled out aardly on the hard tile before the clearest, deepest gray eyes I had ever seen hovered over es to his tanned face prove he was ether and I felt uncomfortably immobilized as the liquid I could now identify as coffee started to cool on ainst my skin

And then those eyes narrowed on me My eyes flickered to a face that was completely unreadable, in that I couldn’t identify his expression except that it wasn’t good Like… he was rowled, confused by his less than stellar reaction

"Excusehis expression and realistically sounding polite, like he hadn’t heardhe just hadn’t heardintostuck up here That’s just usually what happened I was speaking from experience

"No problem" He scooted back from me and I scrambled to my feet He joined me seconds later with two empty coffee cups in his hand

We both side stepped the spilled coffee puddled in the hallway and I thought for a second that I heard hi

The halls were empty now, and ere left to stare each other down in front of the office I prayed Mrs Tanner had gone back to hiding in her hole of a break roo down at any moment to haul my ass to the principal’s office If I was lucky she would demand a detention, butfor a suspension She would use this or any other thing she could find against ray eyes with his hot coffee in an atteht have Like this would be related in so that could be the case, I looked down atto have evidence that I was actually the one assaulted And then hope turned to irritation when I noticed that it was completely ruined, and unconer shirt… but the tight fitting, scoop neck black long-sleeved tee looked great with h charcoal boots And the only extra piece of clothing I even had with me was my favorite hoodie that I wasn’t supposed to wear

"What a to do now?" I bit out, while mystery man watched ain, only this tiression and confusion

Not possible

"You spilled coffee all over e of clothes, what am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?" I asked not at all politely

"I spilled coffee on you?" he asked slowly, his patience growing thin

I stopped then, in thatataround the hallway as if he couldn’t actually believe as happening and he needed someone else to clue him in I took his distracted second to look him over