Page 12 of Sweet Deception

"Miss Davis?"

I jolt awake, a bit disoriented as snickering erupts behind me. Blinking a few times, I try to clear my vision but wish I hadn't. Mrs. Mathews is standing in front of me, lips pinched tight, arms crossed, and a foot tapping the floor. I sigh in resignation of what's to come.

"Yes, Mrs. Mathews?" My voice hoarse from sleep, I clear my throat and sit straighter.

"What is it, Miss Davis? Is my class too boring for you or were you out partying too hard last night? Because let me tell you something, neither of those answers is appropriate. I have waitlists for my classes and here you are sleeping through it."

She's angry, but that's nothing new. I don't know what it is about me, but I swear she goes out of her way to make me look dumb. If I take even one moment to show I’m not listening, she calls me out. I've tried to be as polite as possible despite her trying to shame me, but it never helps. Sadly, I've almost reached my breaking point and after what I had to do yesterday, I don't think before I speak. My only goal is to shame her right back.

"Neither, I'm afraid. You see, my father has cancer and I'm sorry if I struggle at times to be fully present, but I'm sure you can understand how a person would struggle when they fear theirfather is dying."

Mrs. Mathew's face drains of color as the room goes quiet.

Instantly, I regret my words. It seems I'm making all kinds of irresponsible choices lately.

I should've had private conversations with all of my professors, letting them know what I’m dealing with, but I thought I was handling everything well enough.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Davis. If you need additional help, please know you can talk to a counselor here at the school," she says before turning back to her desk.

The guilt kicks in seeing her so unsettled. Thankfully, she recovers and moves on to what I presume she was discussing while I'd been asleep. Tucking my head down, I force myself to pay attention for the rest of the class.

When the bell rings, Mrs. Mathews calls me to her desk. I nod in acknowledgement as I put everything in my backpack before weaving my way between the exiting students. She waits until everyone leaves before turning to give me her full attention. "I'm sorry about your father, Miss Davis."

I'm taken aback by her apology when I fully expected a reprimand.

She glances down, clearing her throat before meeting my eyes. "I lost my husband to cancer six years ago. So you see, I know a little about what you’re going through. I'm a part of a support group for families dealing with this disease. If you're interested, I can give you the information."

Well, damn. That explains so much.

Her showing compassion after what she's been through brings the guilt and fear I've been dealing with to the surface, and my eyes water. Mrs. Mathews' eyes look suspiciously wet when she reaches for me, but snatches her hand back before making contact.

Before she can say anything more, I apologize to her as well. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know about your husband and I should've told you about my dad privately, not in front of everyone."

"Oh, no, please, I should be more aware that not all my students are here only to have fun and party. I know some of you are dealing with real-life events, and Iforgot that somewhere along the way." Her gaze bounces around the room as she struggles to control her own emotions.

"Still, I shouldn't have done it. We actually received good news at my dad's last appointment. He's in remission. I've just … I …" To give myself a moment, I take a deep breath before continuing, "It's just that, it's all hitting me now that I could have lost him and ..." I don't continue because I wouldn't be able to finish without losing the battle to contain my tears. Instead, I shrug and hope she understands.

She gives me a sad smile and this time she doesn't hesitate to lay her hand on my arm. "I'm so glad he's in remission. I think we both learned a little something today." She pauses to survey the classroom before returning her attention back to me. "You can still join the group. Just because your father is recovering doesn't mean you haven't dealt with all your fears. It truly can be helpful."

"Thank you. It's kind of you and I'll think about it."I glance back to the exit, ready to end this emotional exchange.

"Alright, then. You have a good rest of your day." She gives me one last smile before turning to her papers on her desk. At this point, students have started walking in for her next class, so I make a hasty retreat.

As I make my way to the library, my name is shouted from behind. I turn to find Danny Hendricks jogging toward me. Frowning, I'm bewildered by his presence. Danny was one of the hottest guys in our school and I've had a crush on him since my freshman year. Being too shy to make the first move, I always admired him from afar. I don't understand why he's here now, though. He should've graduated last year.

Danny catches up to match my stride and flashes me a smile. "Hey, Kylie. Man, it's been forever. It's good to see you again."

Thrown by his casual regard when he's barely spoken to me before, has me stuttering. "Oh … uh, thanks. It … it's good to see you too."

"Yeah, so, uh, don't let that bitch make you feel bad. She's been riding you since the beginning of the year and that's not cool." He nods a greeting to one of the students passing by. "I'm also sorry about your dad. That's rough, man." He runshis hand through all that gorgeous blond hair of his, distracting me until it dawns on me what he said.

"Wait … how do you know about that?" I stop walking and turn to him, confused. Surely, news didn't travel that fast. It only happened five minutes ago.

I witness a flicker in his eyes I don't quite understand before he quickly recovers. "You do have a lot on your plate, huh?" He chuckles. "I'm in the class with you."

"You are?" My eyes widen.How could I have missed him in class?

"Ouch." He flinches and rubs a hand over his heart, before shaking his head and laughing. "You sure do know how to wound a man."

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