Close Ups

2 : Ladies First

Tomorrow's the big day, when the newspapers for the week get published with my story as the headlines.

I got my club membership badge. Awesome.

I also haven't been 'accidentally' shoved into any lockers or called to the principal's office so I'd call this a win, besides my constant worries for when Olivia will get her revenge on me today hasn't been a half bad day.

Rhea and I leave the library. I head over to my Spanish class while she heads over to her French, my phone vibrates with a message from my grandmother  and I can't help but feel proud when I see no errors, she even remembered to add spacing.

Good morning sweetheart your friend called on the house phone about tutoring today.

Is what it said.

So, now would be a good time to mention the financial and health situation of my grandmother, money's short to be blunt and her health is getting better as she ages.

Yeah, yeah I know tutoring part-time isn't going to automatically start paying the water bills but a little extra cash can help take care of my needs so she can focus on hers.

I push open the door expecting it to be empty but nearly jump when I see Luke, one of the popular kids, looking as if he'd been caught trying to hide a body. He slams one of the closet doors shut . Maybe he is trying to hide a body.

"What're you doing?"

We both look up as the bell rings then go back to staring at eachother. "Get out"

I place my hands on my hips. "This is my classroom you get out"

He sets a bucket above the door so that when it's open the contents will spill out. "I'll just come back later" I laugh but freeze when I hear whistling, my teacher's whistling. Ah, shoot.

"Um, um, what's in the bucket?" I try to say quickly, he grabs my arm and says something about getting caught before pulling me into the closet next to the one he closed.

I hold my breath the walls of the storage closet seem to closing rolls of cartridge paper press against me arm and rest against the top of my head. I gasp and hold my breath again, Logan leans forward slightly and presses a finger against his lips.

I nod stiffly then narrow my eyes barely making out the shape of his face and his torso that is tightly pressed up against my breasts I cringe backwards but there's a wall stopping me.

"Step back" I hiss.

He looks down at my chest, "Oh" he laughs and leans back, "Sorry"

"It's, it's fine" Slowly my heart stops hammering against my chest and just when I think I can finally breath quietly.

Bam! "What in the!"

I gasp, "What's in the bucket?"

"Glue"

He's pranking the teacher but I'm here.

What if you get in trouble?

What if you get detention?

Or expelled!

This is it, that one day that routinely messes up my week.

A small laugh escapes Luke's lips as the teacher curses, I smack my hand onto his face missing his lips completely, he takes my wrist and slowly removes my hand from his face, "S-sorry" I whisper, I fiddle with my thumbs as metal scrapes against the tiles and the closet (which has in a few rags) next to us squeaks open.

I jump at the sound of a fan but louder like vacuum cleaner loud. The teacher yells and things beat against the door before it's finally slammed shut. I remove my ears from the door and look at what little outline of Luke bewildered  "Feathers" he whispers maybe a bit too loudly.

The door swings open my mouth forms into a comical o the professor's seething before us, he's looking a lot that big yellow bird from sesame street. "Out" he snaps.

I send a glare towards Luke smiles, "Ladies first"