SETTLE DOWN, matty healy

Chapter 27: You

I nodded understandingly. "Yes, well, my mistake. That's all this is about right?"

She shook her head, causing me to sink deeper into my seat. "The book was found this morning after the same student had noticed you had left the faculty parking lot and considering the only entrance through realistically without jumping the fence is by a faculty member having driven you-" Mrs. Robinson looked to me apologetically. "Emma if this is going on-"

"I'm too stressed about convincing my parents I can go to college as an English major with my average grades and their own thoughts on the matter for me to find myself in such a mess like that," I lied beautifully, "I do hang out at the field benches in the morning, yes. But whatever accusations someone is trying to make about me without any actual proof is unappreciated."

"Considering there's no such truth to the matter besides word of mouth, I only hope what you're telling me is true Emma." She began writing me a note to excuse me back to class, without any suggestion being made again. "Good luck with exams then, Emma. And- I do hope you're being truthful with all of this."

"I am, and thank you." She nodded solemnly again, handing me back my journal as my heart racing throughout the conversation began to sulk deeply within me as I made my way out of the office. Slowly opening the doors to a classroom already either asleep or bored and on their phones, I made my way back to my seat still in shock of what had occurred.

Matty sat up in his seat immediately upon noticing me come in, but I couldn't bring it to me to look to him after what had occurred. "Do they-"

"No," I interrupted her to say, biting my nails out of habit, "But they almost did."

***

Already dreading the conversation over this I'd have to have with Matty about this, walking out of school to Anna's car with her and Ryder proved to be a dreadful act. Ryder looked to me with a small pout, tilting her head to me. "What's wrong with her?"

"Vice Principal had her journal and- and that's the extent I think of Emma needing to relieve it," Anna mentioned for me as I only looked up to the two of them, "Sure she'll be alright with some rest...and a coffee run before I drop the two of you off."

Noticing the guilt now running through Ryder's own face as I opened the door to the backseat of the car, I furrowed my brows. "Ryder did you know about this."

Upon hearing me ask this Anna hesitated in starting the car and turned to Ryder as well, putting our friend at the centre of this investigation. She took a deep sigh and shut her eyes for a moment, seemingly to collect her thoughts as I looked on in betrayal. "Look Em, you had gotten off of someone's car? A faculty car?" Ryder turned her back to me from the front of the car immediately to question me. "Now I didn't tell Mrs. Robinson any of this because I figured if you were in trouble you would say something, but the state you're in now? You're hiding something."

Anna shook her head and looked taken aback as well. "Why couldn't you just ask her yourself?"

"Because if it's true, it's illegal?"

I covered my face in my hands for a moment, collecting some form of a statement to be directed to Ryder to only find nothing running through my head except for the state of security I was now probably in over all of this. "Skip the coffee for me, Anna can you just drive me home?" I asked as softly as I could, to see her only nod slowly and begin to back out of the parking space.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

Ryder chuckled under her breath at this, obviously annoyed. "Are you dating a teacher?"

Yes, but considering the scene, you're making out of it I'm obviously not going to tell you.

"Dammit, no! And if you suspected anything, maybe have a little respect for me and come hear my truth about it first why don't you!" I told her, Anna already making the very short drive to my house at the last right turn. Pulling into the driveway I stepped off immediately, Ryder not even turning to look to me and I sighed deeply out of anger to leave the two of them back at the car as I stormed into my house in a mild fit. Falling into my bed with my face into the pillow I groaned deeply and continued to think of ways in which any of this could get any worse.

***

Knocking the door to the familiar apartment, Matty opened the door quickly and pulled me inside in a rush, not even allowing me to catch a breath. Looking around to see him picking up the small cigarette buds at the balcony, the smell of them didn't disgust me as much as they used to as I only folded my arms to watch him. "Someone saw me leaving the parking lot, Matty." He sat at the couch immediately, pushing back his curls up as he thought through this. "If they had seen me-"

"I know." He lit another cigarette and I only sighed to sit beside him, hoping for the best out of this. The sky soon began to mix with the lavender and scarlet, the situation I was currently in not allowing for me to appreciate much of it.

"I just can't be staying over on weeknights that's not-"

Matty shook his head at this immediately and stood up away from me with his back turned. "Emma, you know whatever we do, you're going to be watched just a lot more closely."

Tearing up for a moment at where this was going, I still hoped for the best to come through; the usual pessimist of the situation doing her best to be the optimist. "What are you saying?"

To be continued...