To Be There

chapter thirteen | small talk and kind smiles

"You're leaving now?" Angela asks.

Lia nods back as she grabs her phone, slipping it into her pocket.

"When you stop by our lockers can you grab our donuts since I thought I'd survive without them?" Angela admits with a cheeky smile.

Lia nods with a knowing smile. She remembers before they went to English, Angela told her she'd not need their donuts after their breakfast at Lia's place. She wanted their snack to be a fun treat for them to enjoy throughout the day. But looks like she couldn't hold back on her guilty pleasure any longer by asking Lia that question.

"Of course, I'll grab it," Lia kindly replies as she rises to a stand.

"Thanks, Li," Angela winks as she goes back to reading her book.

Lia moves away from their table. As she passes by she sees Mrs. Pattinson. Her teacher sits at her desk relaxed in her chair. She holds the class book in her hands as she reads along with the class. With her glasses on her face, she looks intrigued by their book but then looks away at the sight of Lia.

"Hi Mrs. P, how are you?" Lia smiles.

"I'm good Li, I'm loving my coffee with a nice book this morning. so I have no complaints," Mrs. Pattinson smiles.

"No worries since it's a relaxing vibe for today," Lia notes. She's happy to say this since this morning gives off that calming atmosphere.

"Exactly, it is a peaceful vibe for today. How's your morning been?" Mrs. Pattinson asks as she reaches for her cup of coffee. She sips her drink with a soft hum.

"Great! I can't put our book down since I love it that much."

"Well, that just means I've done a good job of picking a great one."

"You did, so no complaints from yours truly," Lia teases back, causing Mrs. Pattinson to laugh.

"I'm happy to hear that," Mrs. Pattinson agrees as they part ways now by sharing a smile. Eventually, Lia reaches the door and slips out into the halls.

Early quiet mornings at Rosemary are something Lia has been used to over the years. Being around 8 in the morning, the hallways aren't too lively but have a mild atmosphere. Lia thinks it's this way because everyone's still trying to wake up for a new day. But that known bright energy will be back in no time as the day goes by.

Taking her time Lia walks down the hall. Her light footsteps echo against the clean marble floor, as that's the only sound you hear. Reaching the end of the hallway she turns and enters a hall that has a staircase. Taking 2 steps at a time she went up the stairs to the second floor.

After stepping off a second flight, Lia enters another hallway. From, far off to the left side in her peripheral vision is the main locker section for the senior class. With a soft hum, Lia walks over as her eyes skim. Her eyes land on her locker as she walks on. Reaching her locker Lia scrolls her combo as it clicks off. Holding the lock in one hand she opens her locker. She sees her English notebook lying on the top shelf.

"There you are," she whispers as her spiral notebook slips into her hand. Slipping the object under her arm Lia closes her locker. She puts her lock back on, locks it then steps over to Angela's which is right beside hers.

But as she turns she sees a few feet away, beside another column of lockers is a boy. He stands with his back against a locker. With his phone in his hand, he scrolls through whatever he's looking at. He's relaxed as he's wearing a green crew neck sweater paired with dark jeans and black lace-up boots.

Awe falls upon Lia as she stands still at seeing James. But she doesn't walk up to him. Instead, she turns away to lean back against Angela's locker. She's lost for words. It has her wondering if what she's been hoping to come true since thinking about it lately is real now.