A fresh start is exactly what London McLaren needs in order to forget the demons of her past. A new last name, a new town and a new school.
She's about to start her final year of high school, ready to obey her parent's orders to keep her head down a...
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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020
I bypass my maths class without a second glance. I was on a mission, a mission that involved getting to the other side of the school.
My feet pad heavily against the empty corridor floors and my heart starts racing. It reminded me of last November, of how deserted the corridors were that day. I try not to panic.
I turn left and stop short, almost crashing into Mrs Thornbury as she comes out of her office.
"Oh, Lonnie," she smiles. "I've been meaning to email you. I was hoping you'd come back to speak with me."
"Oh."
"Were you coming to see me now?" she asks.
"Um, well...yeah."
She nods, stepping closer to me. "I just have to take some of these past student folders to get filed but I have about half an hour free before my next session. Why don't you wait in my office for me, okay?"
"Okay," I nod, meekly.
She rushes off, her floral dress blowing out behind her, almost like a cape.
I close the door behind me, taking the opportunity to get to work.
I knew it was wrong. I knew that Mrs Thornbury had trusted me enough to sit in her office unattended. I guess that was her fault.
I rush over to the filing cabinet, knowing that I had limited time. I only wanted to read two files.
All the files are in alphabetical order, which means that I see Harry's first.
Coleman, H.
I walk back over to the couch, laying it out on the coffee table.
I clench my fists before opening it. I know that this was a huge violation of privacy but I just needed to make sure he didn't know.
The first page just states the basic information. Name, birthday, age. I skim over everything until I flick to the third page.
CONFIDENTIAL, the title of the page reads in all caps. I gulp, but continue on regardless of how shit I feel for doing this.
The entry is dated from early December last year. It's Mrs Thornbury's thoughts on the session.
"Harry has had a significant amount of loss inflicted upon him in the past year. He lost his cousin, Liam, who he referred to as his brother. In the moments when he wasn't completely distraught and had the capability of voicing his issues he was able to talk openly and fondly on Liam."
I take a moment to breathe before I can read any further.
"Despite it being less than a month since Liam's death, Harry shows no signs of anger, only sadness. He never once mentioned Phoenix McLaren, the teen who murdered Liam. Harry does not seem to be vengeful in any way. He only seems lost, like he's missing the best part of himself."
