Page 12 of We Thought We Were Invincible
“Matthew.”
I nodded, knowing exactly who the kid was. Everyone did. If Morgan Cook represented one end of the popularity spectrum, Matthew was the other end.
Seth put in his order, and I laid it on the pass-through window before balling up my apron and tossing it under the counter.
“Bye, Kat.”
“See you after school.” She looked up pointedly. “Try to be nice to people today.”
I shook my head, grabbed my backpack, and headed out the door. Was I really that bad? It really sucked when you saw what your family thought of you. Colby didn't like to be around me, or at least didn't try, and Kat thought I was pathetic. Just wonderful.
My truck sputtered to life, and I drove the two miles from the diner to school. The halls were empty save for the other seniors lucky enough to have a free first period. Finding my locker, I tried my new combination.
“Shit,” I grumbled when it failed to open on the third try.
“Need help?” A tentative voice asked beside me.
Morgan stood there with her perfect makeup and even better outfit. A pair of cuffed jean shorts hugged her hips below a baby doll t-shirt that never would have looked that good on me.
I stepped out of the way and she got my locker open on the first try. Was there anything she didn't do well?
“It's finicky,” she said, trying to make me feel less like an idiot.
“Yeah, I guess.”
Grabbing the books for my first two classes, I shut it, the sound echoing down the hall.
“What do you have first?” Morgan asked. I didn't know why she suddenly insisted on talking to me after years of silence, but had a sneaking suspicion that Colby was behind it.
“Creative writing,” I answered just as awkwardly.
“Me too!” This seemed to make her less nervous. “We can totally walk together.”
“Uh, sure.” Kat's voice suddenly popped into my head telling me to be nice. One of her favorite things to say over the years had been to try harder. Well Kat, here you go.
The bell rang, releasing hordes of students into the hall. The surrounding noise lessened the need for me and Morgan to talk on our way to class.
“Here it is.” Morgan led me inside. I found a seat near the back and she took the one beside me. Did she know these would probably remain our seats all semester?
A few of her friends walked in and I was sure she would move, but she just waved to them as they sat near us.
“Can you say sexy?” Morgan whispered, leaning toward me and nodding toward the man who'd just walked in.
“Is he Mr.Chase?” someone else said.
He was young, the youngest teacher I'd ever had. Tall, wide shoulders, styled black hair, and the beginnings of a beard, he was also the hottest teacher I'd ever had. Scratch that - the only hot teacher.
“Hello,” he said, a thick British accent clear. “I'm Mr.Chase.”
“Oh my God,” Morgan gasped.
I silently agreed.
“I am your creative writing teacher,” he continued, doing his best to make eye contact with each person in the small class. “This is my first year at Gulf City High. Before this, I was teaching at a school in Tampa. A little about me, hmmm…” He tapped his long fingers against his chin. “I don't know if you can hear my accent. It's barely there anymore.” Pausing for laughter, he wasn't disappointed. “But I'm from just outside of London. I lived there until I was seventeen. Then I moved to Florida with my mum and went to Uni in Tampa.”
A girl in the front raised her hand.
“Yes?”
