2.3 | Notorious ✓

01 | courageous

 

0 1
c o u r a g e o u s

My cousin, Molly, knew something was up the day I said I didn't want to go to school.

It was senior year, you see, and I was making a huge effort not to skip any classes. I was already graduating a year earlier compared to the other kids my age, and I found myself struggling to keep up as I prepared for my SATs. So it was only natural that I maintained a fairly decent attendance rate - and by 'decent', I actually meant perfect: I didn't skip a day of school last term.

But it was different that day. The air seemed particularly stifling, the sky seemed dark even though the sun was shining brightly, a stream of sunlight seeping through the curtains and casting a warm, lovely glow in my room.

I, however, laid under the comforters on my bed, curled up into a ball with my cheek pressed against the pillow. I knew Molly was about to appear at any moment to pull me out of bed, but it was nice to savour those last few moments before reality dawned on me.

So I shut my eyes. As my breathing relaxed, I began to believe that I was safe from Molly and the impending torture that school would bring.

No such luck. It seemed only moments later when I heard a familiar thud-thud-thud on the floor outside on the landing, and then a soft knock.

"Scout?" It was Molly. "Are you up?"

I dragged the comforter over my head, but my ears remained sharp. I heard the creak of the doorknob as it twisted under Molly's hand, followed by the soft shuffling as she made her way into my room and sat on my bed.

"Come on, Scout," She shook me gently. "You're going to be late for school."

School. Had the word always carried so many euphemisms as it now did? Or was it just that day? Had I always felt this reluctant to go to school? Or was it just that day?

"Scout?" Worry seeped into her voice, and she drew the covers away from my face. "What's wrong?"

Shaking my head, I kept my eyes shut. "I just don't feel well today," I murmured, at last. It was, to some extent, true. My heart was racing, my stomach clenching uncomfortably and a sinking feeling of nervous dread that wouldn't go away.

I could feel Molly's gaze on me, even though my eyes were shut. "Want to tell me what the problem really is about?" She asked, eventually, her question more like a command than anything else.

I sighed. "It's Hell Week."

Only three words. But they were enough for Molly to understand and let the matter rest. Responding with an equally troubled sigh of her own, she laid down on the pillow next to mine. I felt the warmth of her body against me, and was comforted.

She gave a short giggle, breaking the silence. "Want to feel the baby?"

Of course I wanted to. Without a second's hesitation, I placed my palm flat against the curve of her rotund belly. There was no kick, no sudden jolt, but we both knew that it was going to take a while. It did not matter. I was patient, willing to wait.

Molly let me stay at home that day. But those twenty-four hours that I spent in the safe haven of my home did little to ease the sheer anxiety I felt at having to face Hell Week sooner or later, the thought of having to face Callum Wright in school.

That was, if he could even survive Hell Week in the first place.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬