Like Father Like Son

Dont Give Up

I missed another week of school because of my recovery, but at least I was able to get out of the house during that time. The problem was, I did no school work during that time, so I knew I was falling behind. I just hope that I could catch up enough to still graduate, otherwise my summer would be ruined. I got ready for school and headed downstairs. Dad was getting ready to leave as well.
"Need a ride?" He asked. I thought about it and decided I still felt unsafe walking alone after what happened.
"Yes, please" I said nervously.
"No need to be ashamed. It's only your first day back, It's okay to be nervous" dad said as we walked out together. I'm glad he understood.

The car ride was pretty quiet. Between feeling tired and being nervous about school, I didn't have much to say. Dad must have figured that out because he didn't do much talking either. When we got to my school he dropped me off by the front doors.
"Have a good day" he said as I stepped out of the car.
"I'll try" I mumbled to myself as I walked inside.

Daisy rushed over to me as soon as I stepped through the doors.
"Parker! Are you okay?" She frantically asked as she grabbed my shoulders.
"Let go of me" I pushed her hands away. "I'm fine"
"Where have you been then?" She put her hands on her hips as she asked.
"Sick" I started walking towards my classroom but she grabbed my arm.
"I'm serious Parker, are you okay?" She asked again.
"Look Daisy, I missed a lot of school lately and need to focus on that right now" I pulled my arm away from her and kept walking. Part of me felt bad for talking to her that way, but I was too frustrated to care.

I hope I didn't miss too much in Biology, as that would be hell to catch up on.
"Ah Parker, good to see you're face again. Senioritis kicking in?" Mr. Brown asked as I walked into the room.
"No sir, I had medical reasons for not coming in, but I'm better now" I explained.
"Well I'm glad your feeling better. You missed a lot you know" he said.
"I know sir, is there a way I can catch up?" I asked. Mr. Brown looked at his computer while thinking.
"I believe if you keep up with the class from now until finals, that doing well on the finals will be enough for you to pass" he said.
"Thank you Mr. Brown. I'll make sure to do the work and pay attention" I said as I went to my seat.
"You mean no more naps in my classroom?" He asked with a smile.
"Nope, not anymore" I smiled back at him before placing my bag under my desk  and sitting down.

I did my best to keep up with the notes Mr. Brown gave us. Once the bell rang I started putting things away in my bag.
"Parker" I looked up to see Mr. Brown standing by my desk.
"Yes sir?" I asked as I stood up.
"If you need help with anything, stop by and ask" he said.
"Thank you sir" I said before exiting his classroom.

I started straight for my next class but was stopped when Daisy and David stepped in front of me. How did she always find me?
"Parker, you're hiding something from me" she said firmly.
"Daisy I told you earlier I have to focus on my school work today, I'm sorry" I tried pushing by them but David shoved me back.
"Gently with him David" Daisy scowled her boyfriend. "Parker, please tell me what's wrong" I started to get angry. She had no right pushing me and pressuring me.
"Nothing Daisy! Now leave me alone!" I shouted, getting the attention of a couple students around us. Daisy's face turned red with embarrassment, so David let me continue on my way.

I was relieved to see Mrs. Hanson when I walked into history.
"Oh Parker, feels like I haven't seen you in forever" she said warmly.
"Sorry ma'am, it's been rough, but I should be here everyday for the rest of the year" I said as I walked to my desk.
"I hope so. I want to see you do well on the final and pass mister" she said as I sat down.
"Me too" I said nervously, unsure of myself.

I did a lot of textbook reading today to catch up while the rest of the class worked in groups on a fun project. I didn't mind my independent work, especially after the mood Daisy put me in. I was happy to hear that bell ring though, as I worked none stop and needed a break. Then I realized that bell meant lunch, so I probably had to see Daisy again. Well, I'm going to have to face her eventually.

I started walking towards the cafeteria but stopped myself. I remembered the picnic tables outside the building seniors could use for lunch, and bring a senior, I decided sitting out there would be better than dealing with Daisy and David, and whoever else was with them. I turned myself around and started walking towards the courtyard.

Not many kids chose to sit outside, so I managed to get a table to myself. The fresh air was probably good for me, especially during a day like today. I took out my biology notes and began studying. I figured this was a great time for final preparation.
"Parker? Is that you?" I heard someone ask. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now, so I kept my head down in my notes. "Parker, what happened?"
"Leave me alone" I snapped as I turned around. Cody stood there looking shocked. I took a deep breath to relax. "Sorry Cody, I'm just going through a lot right now" I explained. Cody took a seat next to me. Despite wishing he wasn't here right now, I didn't stop him.
"Everything okay?" He asked.
"Just a lot going on caused me to miss a lot of school. I don't want to talk about it, but now I'm stressing over my grades" I explained.
"Sorry about that. Hey, if you ever need help studying, let me know" he said with a smile.
"Thanks" the bell rang before we could talk any more about it.
"See ya later Parker" he said as he walked inside. I packed my notes back into my bag before walking in my self.

I went to English right away so I'd have time to talk to Mr. Dost.
"Hey Parker, how are you?" He asked as I walked into the room.
"I'm doing alright sir. How much did I miss?" I asked.
"Well, we started a new book a few days ago. If you can catch up with the reading you'll be all set" he explained. He handed me a copy of the book. "I'll quiz you on the last book later"
"Thank you sir" I took my seat and started reading, giving myself a head start to catch up.

After English I headed to my last class of the day. I didn't need to pass German to graduate, but I still wanted to at least try. Here Knight greeted me when I walked in, but he spoke to me in German. I was too stressed to understand what he was saying.
"Sorry sir, it's been a long day so I don't know what you're saying" I admitted.
"If you showed up and payed attention you would, now go take your seat" he said. I decided now wasn't a good time to ask about my grades so I just went to my desk.

Here Knight started a movie for us that was all in German. I used that time to read as I didn't understand the movie anyway. The bell ringing pulled me away from the book so I put my things away and headed out. I was almost out the door when Daisy stopped me.
"Parker I'm starting to really worry about you" she said.
"I got to go Daisy, my dad is waiting outside" I said as I tried to get by.
"I'm serious Parker, why are you acting like this?" She asked.
"Maybe if you didn't push me so hard to talk, I would've told you by now. But now I really don't want to tell you" I snapped. She let me go after that and didn't say anything else as I walked out.

I found dad sitting in his car out in the parking lot. I walked over and put my bag in the backseat before getting in.
"So how was it?" He asked. I turned away from him and looked out the window.
"Alright" I mumbled.
"You sure? You seem sad" dad said as we started to leave.
"I'm mad at Daisy" I said as I leaned my head against the window.
"I'm sure you two will work things out" he said. I just hope he's right