time I met with her. Much to my dismay, she was slowly but surely getting to me. She would cut into me with those bright, green eyes and I’d bleed my feelings out all over the place like a rare-cooked steak.
Mrs. Honeycutt sat in her usual chair, across from me on the sofa, eyeing me with that same heartfelt compassion that always gripped my fucking heart. Damn. I’m done for.
“Chris,” she leaned toward me in her seat, “I want you to talk to me a little more about Kaitlyn today. Tell me about her. I know you’ve been struggling with this since you’ve been here. Maybe getting a little more off your chest will help.” She smiled expectantly at me like I’d be eager to rip out my own fucking heart and stomp on it.
I groaned, knowing how hard this was going to be. “You already know about Kaitlyn,” I whined.
She nodded. “Yes, I know how you’re hurting over her, but I want to know more than that. I want to know how you met her, how you fell in love with her—good things like that. I want you to leave with a smile on your face today, remembering the good times.” She smiled as though she could use a pick-me-up too. I wondered what was behind that forced smile and those tired eyes.
She leaned back in her chair. “So, why don’t you tell me about the first time you saw her?”
I rubbed my hands across my face. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this, but Mrs. Honeycutt sat there, eager to hear something good—something happy. She definitely looked like she needed her spirits boosted, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, remembering the good things about Kaitlyn helped me get through a lot of shitty days. So, I relaxed in my seat and thought back on that day, telling her all about it.
I didn’t know why I couldn’t just go back to my old school after I left Fairbanks the first time, but my mom insisted I needed a new set of friends. It wasn’t like I murdered someone. Damn! I mean, we were just playing with firecrackers. But there I was in that godforsaken town… in that ancient house with creaky floors and old plumbing… in that stupid school where the teachers grew up there and never left. I thought maybe I’d find someone, hell, anyone who wanted to get out of that place as much as I did. I had big dreams. I was gonna make it big.
I slipped my hoodie over my head and threw my guitar on my back. I wanted a chance to walk through the school and learn my way around. Besides, I needed to get my schedule for the next day.
“Here you are, Chris,” the receptionist said as she handed me my schedule. “The last school bell just rang, so you should have a little time to find all your classes before the teachers leave for the day. But please do not be in the hallways after 3:45pm,” she rushed out. “Our custodian will be checking for stragglers and locking up certain areas of the school for the evening.” She eyed me suspiciously, chuckling nervously as if I were wearing a ski mask and carrying a loaded pistol. I could hardly blame her since there was a certain stigma attached to the word “juvie.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied and winked at her on my way out the door. She giggled like she hadn’t been winked at in a long time.
I easily found all of my classes. I even introduced myself to a few of the teachers. My favorite class, by far, would be Theatre Arts. Ms. Carducci seemed like a real gem… a diamond in the rough. She was really sweet. I knew she and I would get along just fine. My favorite parts of her classroom were all the instruments she kept stored around the room. She even had a fucking ukulele!
“You never know when we’ll be doing a beach scene. A ukulele may come in handy someday,” she’d said with a laugh.
I was still smiling when some jerk rammed into me with his shoulder as he angrily pushed past me.
“Dumb little bitch,” he muttered under his breath.
Steam instantly shot from my ears, and I clenched my fists. “What the fuck did you just call
Mrs. Honeycutt sat in her usual chair, across from me on the sofa, eyeing me with that same heartfelt compassion that always gripped my fucking heart. Damn. I’m done for.
“Chris,” she leaned toward me in her seat, “I want you to talk to me a little more about Kaitlyn today. Tell me about her. I know you’ve been struggling with this since you’ve been here. Maybe getting a little more off your chest will help.” She smiled expectantly at me like I’d be eager to rip out my own fucking heart and stomp on it.
I groaned, knowing how hard this was going to be. “You already know about Kaitlyn,” I whined.
She nodded. “Yes, I know how you’re hurting over her, but I want to know more than that. I want to know how you met her, how you fell in love with her—good things like that. I want you to leave with a smile on your face today, remembering the good times.” She smiled as though she could use a pick-me-up too. I wondered what was behind that forced smile and those tired eyes.
She leaned back in her chair. “So, why don’t you tell me about the first time you saw her?”
I rubbed my hands across my face. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this, but Mrs. Honeycutt sat there, eager to hear something good—something happy. She definitely looked like she needed her spirits boosted, and I didn’t want to disappoint her. Besides, remembering the good things about Kaitlyn helped me get through a lot of shitty days. So, I relaxed in my seat and thought back on that day, telling her all about it.
I didn’t know why I couldn’t just go back to my old school after I left Fairbanks the first time, but my mom insisted I needed a new set of friends. It wasn’t like I murdered someone. Damn! I mean, we were just playing with firecrackers. But there I was in that godforsaken town… in that ancient house with creaky floors and old plumbing… in that stupid school where the teachers grew up there and never left. I thought maybe I’d find someone, hell, anyone who wanted to get out of that place as much as I did. I had big dreams. I was gonna make it big.
I slipped my hoodie over my head and threw my guitar on my back. I wanted a chance to walk through the school and learn my way around. Besides, I needed to get my schedule for the next day.
“Here you are, Chris,” the receptionist said as she handed me my schedule. “The last school bell just rang, so you should have a little time to find all your classes before the teachers leave for the day. But please do not be in the hallways after 3:45pm,” she rushed out. “Our custodian will be checking for stragglers and locking up certain areas of the school for the evening.” She eyed me suspiciously, chuckling nervously as if I were wearing a ski mask and carrying a loaded pistol. I could hardly blame her since there was a certain stigma attached to the word “juvie.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I replied and winked at her on my way out the door. She giggled like she hadn’t been winked at in a long time.
I easily found all of my classes. I even introduced myself to a few of the teachers. My favorite class, by far, would be Theatre Arts. Ms. Carducci seemed like a real gem… a diamond in the rough. She was really sweet. I knew she and I would get along just fine. My favorite parts of her classroom were all the instruments she kept stored around the room. She even had a fucking ukulele!
“You never know when we’ll be doing a beach scene. A ukulele may come in handy someday,” she’d said with a laugh.
I was still smiling when some jerk rammed into me with his shoulder as he angrily pushed past me.
“Dumb little bitch,” he muttered under his breath.
Steam instantly shot from my ears, and I clenched my fists. “What the fuck did you just call
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