I wasn’t precisely the ideal high school student.
However, don’t make the immediate assumption that I’m the stereotypical airhead just because I was a natural blonde. In actuality, I managed to get an A in my five subjects besides Trigonometry – Trig was just a pain in the butt and I hated math with all my well being.
I just wasn’t as committed or as prideful as Paige, who was an ex-cheerleader, the captain for East Carteret High’s dance team, and a National Honor Student. Or I wasn’t as popular or as triumphant as Leon, who was well known by the in-crowd and had many athletic medals to be proud of.
Unlike my two best friends, I was as mundane as a student could be. I didn’t engage in many school clubs or organizations and although I loved to run and exercise, I didn’t try out for the Track team or any athletic teams for that matter.
I wasn’t as popular as Paige or Leon, but that didn’t mean I was socially impaired either. I’d like to think of myself as fairly friendly and confident when it came to conversing with people.
It was easy to talk, but I often stumbled when it came to sharing what major accomplishments made me outshine from the rest.
“So, tell us about yourself,” Natalia, a rather friendly woman with an aristocratic face and a pixie haircut, suggested.
Discreetly, I wiped my clammy palms on my pencil skirt while I thought of what my answer would be. Although the couch I was sitting on was incredibly comfortable and Natalia and Paul had been nothing but friendly, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
This would be my first time being interviewed for a semi-actual job. When I saw the flier pinned up to the bulletin board and the huge amount of money they would pay me for simply babysitting a seven-year-old girl, I was beyond ecstatic at the great timing.
Living with Evan, my twenty-nine-year-old brother, has definitely been hard on him financially. About three years ago, I moved in with him in my deceased grandparents’ house while my dad and mom filed for a nasty divorce. It was only supposed to be temporary, but Evan refused to let me live with my mom – who was hardly home because she was zealous to her work. Evan wouldn’t even dare think of shipping me to live in a house with my dad’s boyfriend – who hated Evan and I for no apparent reason.
My grandparents’ house was one filled with memories – a safe haven when my parents had their huge divorce. I knew I had to grow up and help Evan with the costs when he implied that we should sell the house and move into an apartment and announced that he sold one of his cameras. There was absolutely no way I was going to sell my home and have my brother sell another one of babies.
“Uh, I love kids and would love to know more about how to deal with them,” I answered, although not entirely true. “I love to sing and my goal is to be on Broadway. If that doesn’t go so well, my second choice is to become an elementary teacher.”
“Oh, wow, I love your aspirations,” Natalia commented, placing her glass of water on her obviously expensive coffee table.
“We would love to hear you sing some day,” Paul stated, straightening his neatly pressed suit and giving me a big smile.
It was palpable that Natalia and Paul were very well off. Their house was beautiful, very spacious, and decorated with class – it looked as if the house came straight out of a magazine. Even if Paul didn’t share that he owned six car businesses in the state, you could tell they were filthy rich.
It was no wonder why they offered such a huge amount of money for babysitting their baby girl. However, I didn’t understand why I was the only one who applied for the job when the pay was tremendously huge for the type of job they were offering.
“Yes, Maia loves to play the guitar. She’s very talented,” Natalia spoke with pride about her daughter. “Maybe you two could put on a performance some day.”
“She sounds wonderful,” I complimented, smiling brightly. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I’m sorry she isn’t here for you to meet. She’s out with her older brother,” Paul apologized.
“Oh, it’s fine,” I said as I shook my head. “I have an older brother too and I love spending time with him.”
“Maia loves him! She’s attached to him in ways that are mysterious to us,” Natalia giggled. Natalia looked back at the small, yellow paper in her hands. “I always digress! Anyways, I have to ask you a particular question just in case anything shall happen. We’re very overprotective when it comes to our kids.”
“That’s totally understandable.”
“If someone breaks into our house with guns and ski masks and planning to hurt anyone in their way while you and Maia are home, what would you do?”
“Darling, I think you’re over thinking the negative again,” Paul interjected as I resisted the urge to raise my eyebrows at her question.
It was a valid question. I, however, just didn’t know the answer to that question. I didn’t even know what I was going to do if that happened to me alone.
With the best answer I could muster, I said, “I’d protect Maia with my heart and do whatever is plausible in a dangerous situation.”
“Great!” Natalia seemed happy about my response even if I didn’t fully answer her question. She turned to her husband, gripping his hand in her small one. “So, what do you say, Paul?”
I tried my best not to scream and horrify the couple with my atrocious dance moves when Paul announced, “You got the job!”
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“You what?” Evan asked in bewilderment, running his hand in his golden hair. Panic was clear in his brown eyes. “You’re kidding, right? Tell me you’re kidding, Ems.”
“Nope, I got a job babysitting. They pay one-hundred dollars every single day even if I just work for thirty minutes,” I shrugged. Looking down at my baked chicken in disappointment, I wasn’t expecting this type of reaction from my brother.
“Is this because I suggested we should move into a smaller apartment? Because if so, I’m sorry if I sent the wrong message and made you think you had to get a job.”
“That’s part of it,” I defended. “Lauren told me you sold one of your cameras because you needed the money.”
“Lauren wasn’t supposed to tell you that!”
Lauren Brayer – also known as my Psychology Education teacher who defended Noah Callaway – was my brother’s best friend. Somehow, I believed they were meant for each other because my brother helped her when her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder was really bad and she was constantly helping my brother out with random things. Evan’s crush on her was undeniable. It was easy to tell especially when he mutters her name in his sleep.
“You sacrificed so much for me, Ev. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your dreams for me too,” I sighed, not feeling hungry anymore.
Evan currently worked as a cameraman for the local news station. He has always wanted to become a co-director and work for North Carolina’s See-Gate movie production that was known worldwide. However, there hasn’t been an opening and Evan has been practicing with cameras he worked hard for.
“You’re only seventeen and you’re still in school! You shouldn’t be working,” Evan said. However, his reasons weren’t logical enough for me to change my mind.
“It’s just babysitting.”
“I can handle things on my own, Ems. You’re too young to be worrying about this type of stuff.”
“Ev, our monthly allowance from dad only covers food. You basically pay for everything else. My school stuff, my gas, the bills. You even make Lauren buy me clothes when I refuse to spend your money. When was the last time you bought yourself something you would enjoy?”
“I bought cookies from the vending machine this morning,” Evan stated proudly. “You should know how hard it was for me to do that, but it was enjoyable.”
I bit my lip in an attempt to stop my laugh, but the amused smile was still visible on my face. “Did your abs turn into flabs like you were scared it was going to?”
“Surprisingly, no, it didn’t.” Evan chuckled before leaning over to ruffle my hair.
I punched his arm hard. Ignoring his snide comments about me being an abusive sister and turning me in for domestic violence, I said, “That doesn’t count. That probably cost only a dollar.”
“A dollar and forty-nine cents,” Evan corrected.
“Wow, what a treat!” I commented sarcastically. Getting up from my seat to put the dishes in the dishwasher, I announced, “Whatever you say, I’m not quitting that job.”
“I’m not going to take your money.” Evan shook his head, determination in his eyes.
“Come on, Ev! I’m perfectly capable of balancing my time between work and school. I’ll be fine. I need to learn how to grow up. Quit babying me,” I cried, my arms flailing around me as I tried to get my point across emphatically.
“Do I really baby you?” Evan asked, his forehead creasing in worry. “Man, even Lauren says I do that.”
“Listen to your girlfriend. She’s a smart woman.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Evan shot out quickly. He scratched the back of his neck in clear embarrassment and cleared his throat. “She’s my best friend.”
“Yeah, right,” I snorted. I leaned against the counter in our quaint, but comfortable kitchen. It was silent as I stared at him in mockery. “You know that all the boys at school think she’s a hot teacher – young and beautiful with long black hair, luscious pink lips, and curves in all the right places. You don’t find her the least bit sexy?”
Evan’s eye twitched. “N-no!”
“Well, I don’t think she’d be too happy knowing you don’t find her attractive,” I jeered, a smirk on my face.
“Wait, she is! I mean, she’s beautiful, not sexy. Or she is, but - you know what, Ems, I think you can handle working and schooling at the same time. You’re good at multitasking,” Evan finally said with a single nod, straying from the topic of Lauren.
Yes, it worked!
Squealing, I hugged my brother tightly and pecked him on the cheek. “I knew that would work! Thanks, big brother!”
Evan’s eyes widened before they narrowed. “You’re evil.”
“And you will earn some macho man points for calling Lauren beautiful,” I said, pinching his cheeks. “I’m so proud that I have a gentleman as a brother. I raised you right.”
“Speaking of Lauren, she told me that Noah kid is in your class,” Evan said and by the way his smile faltered, I knew this was no joking manner. “And he sits next to you?”
“Yeah, why?” I asked with a shrug. “I think it’s ridiculous that all these people believe this bizarre rumor when they don’t even know half the story.”
“You don’t believe he had anything to do with the night his brother died?”
“I’m just saying that if he had anything to do with it, he’d still be in jail,” I reasoned. I looked away from Evan when he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.
“You never know if he did or didn’t do anything. Just be careful around him – or better yet, stay away from him. He’s trouble,” Evan warned.
I didn’t have to think twice about his warning. It wasn’t like Noah and I were friends – let alone, acquaintances. Besides, I wasn’t even planning to engage in a conversation with him anytime soon. Noah was way too bad tempered to merely sit next to.
Yesterday was a prime example to my previous statement.
Ms. Brayer had a fairly deliberate and structured lesson plan for every single day we had her. Usually, teachers who did the same lesson plan every single day would be a bore, but Ms. Brayer was different.
Here’s how her lesson plan went: We freely write in our notebook whatever we wanted to write about. We usually left our notebooks in our designated shelf because we were somewhat comfortable with our classmates to share what we wrote. Next, she would share a true story of a psychological disease or situation which would lead to her teaching us why and what triggered it – this is what made her class interesting. Afterwards, we would take out a sheet of paper and summarize what we learned about the day. Occasionally, we would do hands-on activities.
After the first week of school, she never spoke the lesson plan aloud again because it was redundant and useless. This, I was thankful for. Truth be told, I found myself drifting off to sleep when she cyclically said her lesson plans every single day.
As I wrote down my journal, I noticed Noah Callaway look around at everyone’s paper. He knitted his eyebrows together, obviously not understanding the task because everyone was writing different things. His right leg bounced up and down. In his eyes, I could see he was contemplating whether or not he should ask Ms. Brayer what we were doing.
In some way, I felt bad for him. If he asked anyone around him for help, the only help they would be giving is presenting him a dire look he wouldn’t give a crap about. Before he could raise his hand, I decided to help him out a little bit.
“Um, usually, we just write whatever we want for our journal. It’s a free write,” I offered with a small smile.
Noah looked at me with those piercing steel blue eyes. My smile faltered when he just stared at me stoically. Out of habit, I bit my lip in nervousness as his eyebrows knitted together again in irritation.
“I didn’t ask you for your help,” He snapped before returning to his notebook. My eyebrows hitched upwards when I saw him writing the first line to his journal.
I felt an urgent poke on my arm. Turning to face Paige, she didn’t look too happy. In fact, she looked beyond pissed – her mouth agape and her perfectly shaped eyebrows knitted together the same way Noah’s own were.
“Did he just talk to you like that after you helped him?” Paige said, loud enough for Noah to hear.
He looked up from his paper, staring at Paige like he didn’t care what she had to say to him. If there was one thing he had to know about Paige, she spoke her mind as easily as drinking water.
“Tratar a las señoras con el respeto, imbécil!” She stated with sass, moving her head side to side and pointing her pen at him. “I cannot believe you made me go español on your ass!”
“Your friend needs to mind her own fucking business,” Noah simply said, rolling his eyes.
“She was helping – “
“Is there a problem, Paige?” Ms. Brayer called from the front, frowning slightly.
“Yes, this moscón – ow!” Paige looked at me in anger, rubbing the spot on her arm that I pinched. Giving her a warning look, she simply sighed. “No, Ms. Brayer, I was just asking Emma for help because Emma is,” Paige glanced at Noah and raised a single eyebrow. “a very helpful person.”
“You don’t have to worry, Ev,” I said with a reassuring smile. “Staying away from Noah isn’t going to be a struggle at all. That’s the easiest thing you could ask me to do.”
“Good,” Evan said with a triumphant smile, ruffling my hair once more.