I think lunch time was everyone’s favorite period.
I mean, it serves a great purpose and has a lot of benefits. Students use this time to either eat, do homework, get extra help from a teacher, or even just getting a little more sleep. I can’t knock any decision, honestly. I wish we could still go outside, though.
Anyway, most of my lunch periods have me journeying to Maureen’s art class, who also releases for lunch at the same time as my period. Maureen likes to stay in there, so it was usually the time where we could just hang out instead of trying to communicate during a different class.
I entered the room and noticed that it was empty. There was usually be a lingering student or two, but it was completely void of people except for Maureen. She was sitting on a table on the far end of the table, gazing at the many pieces of art around her. As I approached her, the question from last night popped into my mind. Was it real?
“Hey, Maureen,” I spoke, tapping her on the shoulder. She reacted slowly, turning to me and putting on a slight smile. However, it quickly dissipated.
“I can’t smile, Vincent. It’s… too much, what I did.”
“What did you do, exactly?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked into my eyes before looking away.
“Ahaha… it wouldn’t matter to you. I mean, you were there, but I don’t know if you would even remember. It actually happened a couple of nights ago,” Maureen said, parting her hair.
Everything’s coming together, it seems. It was real… it must have been my powers…
“What went on a few nights ago? I… sort of remember. It all seemed like a dream, but it seems that now you’re trying to convince me it was real...”
“What happened WAS real, Vincent. I tried to commit, okay? I just couldn’t deal with it anymore,” Maureen muttered, looking down at the ground in ignominy. She closed her eyes before continuing.
“You know report cards are coming out next week, right? How are your grades?” She was trying to change the subject.
“Well, I have an A in Ms. Stafford’s class, another A in Mr. Patterson and another A in Mr—I’m not helping, am I,” I decided to stop before prattling on. The subject change didn’t work, and it could be seen in Maureen’s expression.
“Ever since my father was in that car accident, and my mom and I were left alone while he’s in the hospital, I just haven’t been able to focus… I can’t do my work anymore. I just keep thinking, and worrying… is everything going to be alright?” She wrapped her arms around her tucked in knees, placing her head against them as well. I sighed and scooted a bit closer to her, rubbing her back gently.
“There’s been a very big change in your life, I can understand that. You haven’t adjusted yet. But you will, don’t worry about that. And I’m sure that your mom will understand your lackluster grades—”
“I have a D in Mr. Patterson’s class right now. Sure, we have a test he hasn’t inserted into the gradebook yet, but it’s not going to boost me up, I know it. Don’t even get me started on Ms. Williams…” she suddenly proclaimed. I know she was holding back tears just for me.
“I… it will…” I stammered, quickly trying to find the words. I knew that everything wasn’t hopeless for her. There was always a way. I hopped on top of the table she was sitting on, dangling my feet over the edge.
“Everything will be okay, Maureen. You’re not hopeless. All you need to do is tell your mother about how you feel about everything, and how it’s been dragging you down mentally,” I leaned over to put my head against her arched shoulders.
“Time passes, and it leaves a wake of change in its path. Seasons, situations, and even people as well. However, time doesn’t leave you on the brink of distraught forever. Good things will come eventually. All it takes is time,” I paused, retracing what I had just said in my mind.
“You, on the other hand, need some time. Time away, that is. A break, I think they call it. Tomorrow will be Saturday, and you won’t have to stress. We could probably hang out,” I picked up my head from her shoulder to notice that she had her head down, silently crying to herself. I was surprised that I didn’t notice—or even hear her—at first, but I could tell that she needed all the comfort she could get. She certainly wasn’t getting it from home.
As I was beginning to wrap my arms around her to give her ball form a hug, she swiftly leaped up to envelop her arms around my neck, embracing my body tightly. I reacted poorly, taking a few moments before I could do the same around her body.
“T-Thank you, Vincent… thank you for all of your help,” She paused to wipe her eyes with her sweater sleeve. “I would love it if we hung out on Saturday. Same place?”
“Same place,” I complied, a grin displayed on my face. I was hoping that she would replicate my expression, and she did—I succeeded in making her feel better.
“Don’t be late to your fourth period now. I think we’re writing an essay of some kind. Ick. You’d be good at it, though. English is your forte, after all.” Maureen giggled, getting up and grabbing her books from the table.
“Yea, let’s go with that. See you in a bit then, Vincent.” She stated before exiting the room. I leaped up from the table we were sitting on as well, deciding to ponder on what my dad said last night.
“Is this was a Soulful does? Soulful… what does that… mean?” I muttered to myself as I looked out the window.
To be continued...
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