Her thoughts, vague and inattentive, left not one word written on what should
have been pages of scribbled work. Instead, her efforts were put into the constant clicking
of her ballpoint pen. Back and forth, her threadlike finger pushed the end of the pen,
creating an echo in the mute classroom. Picking her head up off the desk, she surveyed
the other students, who seemed to be glued to the assigned essay. Every person fiercely
pressed ideas onto the lined paper, while she sat there, defeated.


“I can’t do this,” she repeated in her mind, beginning to feel uneasy. Veering
towards the clock, she examined the time. The period was halfway over, and yet, she
accomplished nothing.

Everyone’s head popped up, as the crackling intercom welcomed an elderly
woman’s unusually deep voice.


“Is Juliana Heart in the room?” The woman asked in a strained and arid tone.


“Yes, she’s right in front of me,” Mrs. Keller answered making direct eye contact
with Juliana, who apprehensively swallowed what felt like gallons of water.


“Send her to the main office, Mr. McCrank would like to see her,” the elderly
woman demanded as whispers clouded the room. Almost instantly, she began to regret
the last few minutes of whimpering. Seeing the principal was far worse then writing an
essay, especially because she knew the exact reason why he was calling her in. Having no
other option, Juliana picked up her heavy bag and sluggishly made her way towards the
door. Mrs. Keller gave her a nod and intently watched her leave the room.

She convinced herself that she was innocent. The flirty text messages and late
night phone calls grew into much more than she understood. The hugs quickly turned into
kisses and the kisses evolved into daily trips to his house. Juliana did everything in her
power to hide her cryptic relationship with Scott. After all, he was her teacher. Teachers
aren’t supposed to fall in love with their students. Still, it managed to happen. Now it was
too late to turn away and start over.


“Okay, Juliana. Do you know why you were called in the office today?” the
principal asked, which instantly awoke her from her daydream. She began to fidget in the
cream-colored leather chair as she wiped her clammy hands onto the armrests. He sat
down across from her in a rigidity seat and quickly began to shuffle through folders. She
had been preparing for this exact scenario for months, but she couldn’t shake the feelings
of instability in her mind. Her leg muscles, tense from distress, quivered like an
exhausted engine in a used car.


“No Mr. McCrank. Did I do something wrong?” Months of formulating excuses
and rehearsing lines all came down to this one moment. Juliana had one shot to speak the
words that were so perfectly arranged in her head. The atmosphere felt empty as she
crossed her arms searching for comfort.


“Of course not, I’m calling in all of Mr. Traver’s students.” For a split second
Juliana forgot that she needed to refer to Scott as Mr. Traver. She sighed, thankful that
his first name did not accidentally slip out. She remained quiet as Mr. McCrank pulled
out his glasses and gently placed them over his eyes. “I see your grades are very
impressive,” he stated reviewing a white sheet of paper placed in his hands.


“My parents want me getting good grades,” she lied. Her “impressive” grades
were all strings pulled from Scott. After all, she got everything that she wanted.


“Your parents seem to know what their doing,” he gave a slight grin. “How do
you feel about Mr. Traver?” he added returning back to topic.


“He is an excellent teacher,” Juliana timidly stated. His eyes, vibrant with
immense motivation, pierced like a sword through her body. The little blonde hairs on her
arm unexpectedly shot up and she gradually felt goosebumps plunge out of her skin.


“That’s great to hear. So Mr. Traver never tried contacting you after school?
Maybe said something that made you feel uncomfortable? You can be honest.” She had
given him an identical look, one that she had rehearsed in the mirror day after day. It was
the look you would give to someone if they had bumped into you while you were holding
your lunch and the impact of the tray on the floor would have caused the school’s
chocolate milk to spill on your new pants. It was the look your mother would give you if
she had found out you were suspended for using your cell phone during class. It was the
look of utter disgust.


“Mr. McCrank, are you trying to suggest something here?” The wrinkles on his
bronzed face had been filled with lines of immediate regret.


“No Juliana, I’m just entitled to ask everyone the same questions. A student made
a complaint and I need to address it. That’s all,” he said as his voice moistened with the
feelings of guilt. His immature mind had been futile of interpreting the obvious clues set
right in front of his face. She felt a surge of power, almost like an electric shock
overcome her body. She realized, at that very moment, she had gotten away with it.


“Its fine. I’m just surprised that’s all,” Nicole gingerly spoke. She felt her phone
vibrate in her pocket. Mr. McCrank did not veer up from the paper he was studying. She
glanced at the digital clock sitting on top of his wooden desk and hoped she could leave
already. “Am I done here?” she asked breaking the lingering deep silence between them.


“Oh yes. Thank you for your time.” He watched her pick up the bag and
forcefully push open the door. She no longer had to pretend to be frustrated, because for
some strange reason she was. Her acting had been so intricate with every detail
memorized. She began to believe it.

Juliana swiftly made her way down the deserted halls and rushed to leave school
as fast as possible. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and checked the text message
she received just minutes before. Scott’s name flashed on her cracked touch screen and
her face lit up in a smile. She forced the entrance door open and ran down the continuous
steps. She made her way down two blocks of cluttered cars, hiding from the possible
people creeping out the windows. The last thing she needed was to be caught in the
mischievous execution of escaping the tall red building she called school. Juliana
continued on her secretive mission until she approached Scott’s car parked on the street.
He shot her a big toothy grin as she opened the car door and slid in.



“Hi baby!” Her voice squeaked and he gave her a kiss. Her heart, restless,
slammed against her anxious chest. Her stomach, swelled with knots of apprehension,
restrained her breathing. She had yearned for this fulfillment because for just one
moment, she believed that she was wanted. She grasped onto Scott, the one string of
promise she had left in her undesirable life. But for a slight second she felt remorseful. She felt like she shouldn’t be sitting in a car with a man who was old enough to be her
father. Terrified of the manifesting thoughts, she averted her gaze towards the car
window. As wilting trees and typical suburban homes flooded her view, the sudden urge
to unlock the door and escape entered her mind. Scott’s hand gradually crept towards
hers and their fingers interlocked. She shook the thoughts out of her head, so easily, like
she had done several times before. Again, she convinced herself that she was innocent.