Readers!!!
Thank you so much for choosing my story, and I really hope you're liking it. I'll tell you not to forget that I'm uploading Thursday, but I probably will, so...
Give me a vote if you're liking it!
Tell me what you think about the characters, and Mr. Grant's sudden.... change? Haha, I love you all ♥
- cilla
The next day Mr. Grant didn't stay after for tutoring. He just made an announcement to the class, indirectly to me but he didn't want to talk to me. He stood at the front and said, "I'd appreciate it if you guys would hurry out of here today, I have things at home I need to attend to as soon as possible." He said grumpily.
He was still welcoming with questions. Even mine, but he never looked at me. When I raised my hand he could see me at the corner of his eye and only grumbled, "Diana." When he called on me.
I wasn't going to apologize if that's what he wanted. If anything it was him who should be apologize to me. But it didn't matter. It didn't matter because he wasn't going to be in my life for much longer.
Pretty soon I'd be going to college and he'd be stuck at the highschool, frowning at students and yelling at his mother.
That was sort of how the whole week went, actually. I'll admit I was disappointed, but only because my grade was already dropping. Unless it was him getting back at me for- wait, no. I did nothing wrong, and he knew that. No he didn't, he was too caught up in his ego and anger to recognize it was him who was being the rude one. I only spoke the truth.
Thanksgiving break finally came, and I did exactly what I planned on, nothing. It was so great. It was cold too, and I even put on the fire sometimes. I spent it alone and in comfort, since my brothers were with their friends or their families and their wives' families. And Chris with his girlfriend, because he wasn't yet married.
I didn't once leave the house. James came by, but only because he was the only one in town, meaning my brothers probably forced him to check on me. He brought me my favorite candy as an apology for 'barging in' on my break.
"Thanks." I told him sleepily.
"Why don't you come and work out with me?" James asked.
I laughed and ate my candy. "Why don't you sit down and watch a movie with me?" I suggested.
He shrugged and layed back on the same couch my brothers preferred. I fell asleep, so I didn't keep him much company.
"Seriously, come to the gym with me." James said when I woke up and started dying down the fire.
I laughed at him. "I'm probably so out of shape."
"You don't look out of shape."
"Well I am, I promise."
He sighed while heading to the door. "Alright, well bye." He said. "And thanks for the conversation during the movie, you're such good company." He said with sarcasm and I laughed at him again as the door shut.
In a flash, Thanksgiving was over already. Thanksgiving. The time of family. I stood by the front door and waited for the mailman. Every holiday my father would send me a long loving letter. This time, it was late. Or at least that's what I hoped, because it didn't come.
My dad was alive, so I forced myself to stop worrying.
School came back again and it forced me to realize how I wasted my holiday. But why did it matter? Who was I gonna spend with anyway? Andy texted me once and said he was sorry he hadn't called or anything to check up, and that he was swamped with meetings and dinners. I honestly wasn't all that upset. We weren't together, and he seemed to understand it too, which was why we didn't talk everyday, but then again it would be nice.
With school, Mr. Grant was the same slightly changed person, but he was holding out on me and it was pissing me off.
It was a couple weeks later when I was almost failing. He cancelled every single tutoring session with me and eventually stopped talking to me in all. Just getting up to leave with his back turned to me.
It wasn't even fair to me, especially since he was suddenly being casual with everyone. Slowly, he began to almost be like a normal teacher. Only a strict one, but that was all. With me he acted... I couldn't say the same as before. Because he never ignored my presence in all.
I was tapping my pencil in thought and told myself that I was going to confront him and force back tutoring. Then I came to my senses.
Mr. Joseph was always an option again. I had the money. It was nice because unlike Mr. Grant, Mr. Joseph actually wanted to help me. Mr. Grant just wanted me miserable and confused.
The bell rang for the end of school and almost cried out in joy, the first place I went to was Mr. Joseph's room and he greeted me with jolly grin and pinched my cheek. "Oh Diana, I missed you." He told me.
I smiled back at him. "You have no idea how much I've missed you too." I sighed back and he waved it off as a joke.
"What is it you need?"
"I was wondering if you could tutor me again." I was about to go on and talk about how much I needed it and would pay more than before but he held up his hand.
"Now," He began. "Of course I'll tutor you, but I will refuse your money."
I sighed in thanks and embraced him quickly. "Thank you so much." Then I pulled away with him chuckling. "But I really can still pay." I insisted.
"Nah, sit down."
And we got to it.
...
All that entire week my grade launched up. Soon I had a perfect A by the next week and I was in tutoring with Mr. Joseph every afternoon. I felt at peace because it was absolutely nothing like tutoring with Mr. Grant.
Mr. Grant was the same in the classroom. Maybe his small glare was back, but he was still open to questions. That doesn't mean he was nice about them though. I no longer existed in that classroom. It was like he didn't see me, he pretended I wasn't there when I raised my hand for a question and I just thought, 'Screw it' and wrote my question on a piece of paper for Mr. Joseph in tutoring that same day.
It was Monday of the third week after coming back from break and I was in tutoring. The bell had rung only five minutes ago and I was already in Mr. J's class. It's become a habit of me to bolt out of the classroom once the bell rings to go to tutoring. But that's because tutoring with a grandpa was fun.
We were laughing about something I wasn't supposed to say and he went all 'protective grandpa' on me. "Diana," He scolded jokingly, smacking my arm in a playful way as his door opened wide.
I didn't pay attention and instead was scribbling down things that I understood. "Oh, Charles, good afternoon!" Mr. Joseph greeted and I looked up, stupidly locking eyes with my dreaded and handsome calculus teacher.
"...Afternoon, Mr. Joseph..." He said awkwardly, looking too surprised to glare at the time. Soon enough it came and he looked angry. No surprise there. It was always when he looked at me.
"Is there something I can do for you?" The old man asked happily, snapping Charles out of his angry trance. Charles? I guess he looked like a Charles. Charles. Charlie. I liked Charlie.
"Oh yeah," Mr. Grant said calmly. "I was in need of those new textbooks." He told Mr. Joseph casually.
The old man stood up, "Yeah, they're in the supply closet, let me grab them." He said and pulled up a chair for him to stand on while he reached for the tallest shelf. He was so old, it worried me and I felt he would fall to the floor any second, so I stood up quickly and rushed over to him.
"I've got it." I told him.
He stopped reaching, seeming out of breath and he grabbed my hands for support, stepping to the ground. "Thank you Dye." He said.
Mr. Grant was behind me now as Mr. Joseph trotted to the teacher's lounge for water and it was just terribly awkward. I tried on the tip of my toes for the books, but he reached over me and took them with ease.
I turned around and ran right into him, not expecting him to still be there. "Ow." I mumbled to myself because his free arm reached out to hold my elbow, and I wanted him away from me.
I stared up at him, but could faintly see his face. It was dark in the closet and he was in the doorway, blocking the light from me. Why wasn't he moving?
"How long has this been going on?" He asked lowly.
"What?"
"Answer me." He snapped. I glared up at him and said nothing. "Diana."
Wow. That's the only thing I thought in that moment. It had sure been a long time since he said my name. And since he acknowledged me. "Finally deciding to notice me, huh?" I asked.
"Oh, you're being childish."
I laughed suddenly. "No, that's you, isn't it? You're the one who acts like I'm not even here. You ignore me like a teenage girl." I snapped back.
"Don't talk to me like that, I'm your teacher-"
"What have you taught me lately, Mr. Grant?" I growled back, needing to breathe and reaching out to press the center of his chest, making him walk back in shock like I intended. "You've given me no choice but to sit and act like I know what I'm doing and then having to make that poor man stay late and teach me stuff I should already know."
He could only stare down in surprise and in anger. It had been a while since we spoke to eachother. Mr. Grant seemed speechless. He didn't know what to say, like he didn't the last time I spoke to him and that was when I told him he treated me like shit.
I was about to walk past him but he stuck his arm out, stopping me with ease. I glared back at him. "Fine. Tutoring is back on." He said.
I laughed cynically. "Sorry sir, but I already have a tutor. And he's nice to me and he likes me." I said.
He dropped the books on the table behind him and leaned forward into me, stretching both arms out to support against the door way I was in. "That wasn't an option." He glowered.
"Why do you even bother with this? Did I really hurt your pride so much just because I don't want to stay after school in the same room as you? And have you snap at me and yell at me and make me feel stupid? If you hate me so much why do you insist on tutoring me when all you'll do is make it known how much you hate me?" I said to him boldly
He again looked speechless and I saw his finger nails press hard against the doorframe. Teachers weren't supposed to be that close to their students, that was for sure.
He pushed off, about to say something and making the tension build up dramatically. But luckily my old man in shining armor saved me as he walked back into the happy class room with that usual smile on his face. Oh the great and oblivious man, if only he knew.
"I'm back children." He said happily, taking a bite out of a scone he took. "Oh, Diana, I brought you those apple pastries you liked that Susana made," Susana, being his wife. "They're in the fridge." He told me.
"Awe, thanks so much Mr. J," I said happily, my mood suddenly switched by this wonderful old man.
Mr. Grant gathered the books back together and left, sending a thankful nod to Mr. Joseph and not giving me one look. I was thankful for that.
...
Erin, Connor, and my friend Cole were all huddled up in a circle in front of the school and it looked like snow was about to start. Oh no.
Oh god, I hated snow. Mostly because I hated getting wet, and snow was just messy and gross, and it put me in a bad mood, but, well...
Erin looked right at me and cringed, seeing the look that weather gave me. "Come get in our triangle and turn it into a square." She said. "It's fr-freezing!" Her teeth chattered in exaggeration, but I couldn't blame her.
Cole and Erin opened their arms for me to slip in between them. "God, this weather." I complained miserably. "Why the hell are we out here anyway?" I snapped.
The guys lifted their arms in surrender. "Woah, calm down Diana, this door is locked, can't you see all the people waiting in their cars?"
I groaned. "Why aren't we in our cars?"
They looked at eachother and realized how stupid they were being. Then I did too. Where is my coat?
"Dye, where is your coat?" Erin sighed, reading my mind as usual. I was beginning to feel more and more like a reckless teenager.
I held back a shiver and instead felt as my body went numb and watched the goosebumps on my arms. I was really cold, and really stupid. "I... I don't know." I said, grinding my jaw to block out the cold. "I should probably go back to my car..."
"No need for that." Erin smirked, turning back and looking at Mr. Grant, who had just arrived and was now unlocking the door for us.
Cole wrapped a warm arm around me and shoveled me inside as soon as the teacher held open the door for us. "Jeeze, Cole. Personal space." I said.
He laughed and pulled me closer so I could shove him off. I laughed at him when he dramatically fell back. It was fun joking with Cole because he was just that kind of person. He only got touchy because he knew I hated it.
"Erin, why aren't you wearing leggings?" Connor suddenly asked her, being the immature guy he was.
She glared at him and shoved her middle finger in his face. The guys laughed loudly. "Well Diana is wearing them."
I shrugged off their awkward stares and waved, walking down to the main halls. "I'm going to the library."
"Why don't we meet in the janitor's closet later?" I heard Cole joke.
"Yeah, that would be so romantic." I said bluntly, walking faster and hearing their laughter. There were heavy footsteps behind me and I knew it was Mr. Grant.
Why is this man everywhere in this school?
After the extremely awkward encounter the previous day, I didn't expect him to even spare me a glance. But pretty soon he stepped in front of me in the middle of the empty hallway. It was K-hall. No one ever went to K-hall.
"Uh-"
"Don't talk." He shot his hand up at me and I exhaled, holding my patience.
He rubbed his jaw and I almost felt attracted to him, but then realized who this man was. "Diana, why did you have tutoring with Mr. Joseph in the first place?" He asked calmly.
He never spoke to me like that so I couldn't help but stare at him in shock.
Why had I? Was he serious? "I'm going to be honest with you." I began. "You hate me and you made me feel stupid and you go too fast."
He stared back at me blankly, then taking a deep breath he nodded. "Okay." He said. "What about why you're having him tutor you again?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Is that a serious question?" I scoffed.
He shut his eyes tight, trying to keep in his frustration and it was a bit impressive. He seemed better than the day before, much better. "Just... Tell me." He groaned.
"I technically don't exist in your class. And you randomly stopped it anyway, so why are you getting all pissy if you didn't-"
In a flash his hand was over my mouth and I just stood there even more stunned than before. He certainly wasn't allowed to do that... "Please, I'm really tired of bickering with you." He said, and his exhaustion showed, but who was I to care? He was the one who hated me for no reason.
"I didn't start any of this." I said after taking his wrist and moving it away from my mouth. "It was you who picked me out of all people to hate."
"That's enough, Diana." He said.
"Enough of what? Enough of the truth?"
He pulled his wrist back dramatically and turned angry. "Well why don't I take a moment to analyze you, huh?" His teeth gritted and his voice went lower as he leaned in to talk to me with almost a snarl. "The reckless one who sleeps around with rich businessmen. And gets drunk. And skips school. Should I go on?"
I looked boredly at him, not phazed at all because I knew the truth and it didn't matter what he thought. "Yes. Go on."
He glared at me with even more hate and I checked the time for when first period would start, but then I realized I was on my way to the library and it didn't start for another half hour. I should have just gone to the public library, since I hadn't done that in a while. "Just so you know," He said, straightening up and fixing his posture when he spoke. "You will be staying after with me today." He walked past me and back to B-hall. Where his classroom was.
"But... But why?" I asked, again, in shock and stunned at his sudden serenity.
He stopped and turned around casually to look at me, his patience being held in his eyes. But I was at least thankful he didn't lose it again with me at that moment. "For tutoring of course. I told you I would change your feelings on it and I meant that."
He turned back on his shiney black Italian shoes and walked his way to B-hall.