Maybe it's Destiny [needs MAJOR editing]

16 | I Was Feeling A Little Off

«Flynn's POV»

I watched the trailer I had worked on and edited for the past week, but I wasn't paying attention. Too much was on my mind. Gaige had tried to ask me how I'd been doing, and I told him that I was dealing with it. Truth was, I WAS NOT dealing with it at all. My mom and I might've not been very close, but that didn't matter now that she was gone. I lived in a very large and now very empty house... all alone. It was kind of depressing at times, and definitely lonely. But I wanted to keep to myself. Madeline didn't seem to understand that. She kept trying to break down my walls, which were pretty much built with fifty layers of cement. I would not open up. I refused to. I was not going to break down in front of her. That would be totally embarrassing.

I realized that my presentation was over. It probably had been for a few minutes. The whole class was looking to me, waiting for me to say something. "So, yeah. That was that. Um, any questions?" I asked, running my hand over my cast nervously.

Madeline raised her hand but I ignored her to call on Fawn. "Do I get film creds?" She asked.

I laughed for the first time in a while, and it was strained. "Sure, Fawn the Fantabulous filmed this amazingly amazing trailer."

A shy girl named Sabrina in the back raised her hand. "How did you add the special effects?"

"Special effects?" I asked, pretending like I had no clue what she was talking about. "What are those? This entire thing is real. This whole thing happened. For real life."

Sabrina arched an eyebrow.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." I smirked, and answered several more questions until Madeline's hand was the only one raised. Yet, I still ignored it. "Okay," I said. "That's all for today."

"There's still one question left, Mr. Chaste." Mr. Clyde remarked.

"That's all for today." I repeated and looked Mr. Clyde straight in the eye, hoping he would understand. Man-to-man. Bro code. But, he was like fifty years older than me. Whatever.

"Okay," Mr. Clyde relented. "On to the next presentation, that would be by Steven Chaffing."

The rest of the class went by in a blur. Nobody else that I really talked to went, so I spent the whole period on my phone, texting Devan. He didn't know what happened; he didn't treat me differently. That's what I really hated about this whole thing. Fawn, Gaige, and Madeline treated me as if I was some fragile glass vase that could break at any moment. News flash: I wasn't going to. I was strong enough to get through this by myself. At least, I thought so.

I stormed out of class before anybody could approach me. I had been thinking. It was time for me to go see my dad. Like, for real. Whether he wanted to see me or not. It was happening. I needed to leave. Soon. Tomorrow. I would pack that night. I would leave without telling anybody. There was no need to tell them. I was so lost in my thoughts, I ran smack into the principal.

"Sorry." I apologized, still distracted.

"Flynn," Mr. O'Thomas called after me. "Just the man I was looking for."

"Yes, sir? How can I help you?" I asked. I was such a kiss-up. It worked though.

"I heard about your mother." He admitted. "I wanted to see if you were okay."

Great. Soon the whole world would know. I just wanted to be left alone. "I'm fine," I lied straight through my teeth.

"If you need anything, I'm here for you." He offered.

The situation with my dad was pretty much a secret. As far as all the administrators at the school knew, I was getting through this with my dad. But my friends knew otherwise. "Thanks for your help, Mr. O'Thomas. I'm really grateful."