Secret Valentine
Just Close Your Eyes
The door opened and closed, and I snapped out of my memory of the day, but my eyes remained closed.
“Miss Sykes, would you care to tell me what was going on in my class room?”
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, Mr. Clementine it’s personal.”
“Would you like to speak to a councillor?”
I rubbed my forehead. “No thanks, — I’ll get it figured out eventually.”
He sighed. “To the office then”
“Fine,” I opened my eyes as I shrugged off of the wall. Mr. Clementine followed me like I guessed he would’ve.
He opened the office door for me, and escorted me to the bench. I felt like I was being sent to prison. “Have a seat here Miss Sykes.” I sat down and waited for the principal, who was also my biological father. “Mr. Sykes, Jessica, has been misbehaving in my class.” With a gruff sigh I heard my dad get up from his desk, and walk to the door.
“You might as well send her in then Richard.”
“Miss—”
“Yeah, I heard.” I got up and brushed myself off. I walked myself into my father’s office, Mr. Clementine left as I closed the door.
“Jessica what did you do this time?”
I laughed dully. “Jeez Dad you make it sound like I’ve been here everyday!” I looked down.
“You are in here at least once a week.”
“Once,” I shuffled my foot on the brown carpet, and then I looked up.
“Sit Jess,” I nodded and sat down. “What was it this time?”
“Okay, be open about all of this, please.” I begged. I almost put my hands together like I was about to pray.
“Fine,” he rubbed his forehead.
“Okay, you know Travis, Danny, Drew, Maggie, and Hunter?” He nodded. “Okay well me and Travis are together now I guess, and well Hunter has a problem with it. —So I walked into art, and Danny and Hunter were throwing clay at each other. I threw one too, just for fun, but then Hunter called Maggie emo—,”
“I wouldn’t blame him.”
“Dad,” I groaned.
“Sorry continue,” he gestured me on wards.
“So we all got mad at him especially Drew, ‘cause I guess him and Magz are a thing… So I wanted to beat the shit out of him.” Robert’s mouth found its way open. “I know it’s against everything you and Mum taught me. — But then after Tanya got a hold of me Travis came into our class, Tanya gave him her seat. He asked me why she did it—,”
“Who asked what about whom?” His face was scrunched up.
“Travis asked me why Tanya had moved.” I smiled. He nodded and gestured for me to continue again. “So then I turned to answer him, his face was so close, that umm…” I blushed. “He kissed me.” My dad’s mouth started to open. “Mr. Clementine didn’t see anything.” His mouth closed. I laughed. “But Danny saw… So he squealed on Travis, and to defend him I threw a piece of clay at Danny, and that’s what Mr. Clementine saw, and kicked me out. I thanked Danny sarcastically, and then Hunter replied with a big fat smile on his face!”
“Ah, oh okay I see…”
“Do you Daddy?”
He nodded. “How have you been?”
I shrugged. “Good I guess, haha, sorry I mean unbelievable!”
“Why is that?” He chuckled.
“Haha, okay this might be TMI… But…”
“T M I?”
“Oh, whoops sorry, too much information. — Okay what did you and Mum do to make me?”
“Oh, Jess! That is too much information!” He covered his eyes.
“Haha I said it might be! — But yea, umm am I coming over this weekend, or are you going out of town again with that slut you call a girlfriend?”
“Alicia is not a slut, and we are over thank you.”
“Oh sorry Daddy,” I patted his hand.
“If you would like to you certainly can, unless your mother says no.”
“Oh, speaking of Mum, she thinks Andy is going to propose to her tonight, or today I mean.”
“Okay, well you can go now Jess, I’ll talk to you on the weekend. —Unless…”
“Ha, yea… Unless…” I said as I hopped up from the chair. “See you Daddy,” I said as I opened the door.
I walked back to Mr. Clementine’s class, but the bell rang as soon as I got to the door. I saw Travis and everyone get up from their chairs, Hunter got to the door before anyone else. Hunter was staring at me incredulously.
“Hey Huntsey, —what’s up?” I jerked my chin in his direction.
He started to walk past me. “Nothing, bitch,” He smiled.
And that’s when I went for it.
“Miss Sykes, would you care to tell me what was going on in my class room?”
I cleared my throat. “Sorry, Mr. Clementine it’s personal.”
“Would you like to speak to a councillor?”
I rubbed my forehead. “No thanks, — I’ll get it figured out eventually.”
He sighed. “To the office then”
“Fine,” I opened my eyes as I shrugged off of the wall. Mr. Clementine followed me like I guessed he would’ve.
He opened the office door for me, and escorted me to the bench. I felt like I was being sent to prison. “Have a seat here Miss Sykes.” I sat down and waited for the principal, who was also my biological father. “Mr. Sykes, Jessica, has been misbehaving in my class.” With a gruff sigh I heard my dad get up from his desk, and walk to the door.
“You might as well send her in then Richard.”
“Miss—”
“Yeah, I heard.” I got up and brushed myself off. I walked myself into my father’s office, Mr. Clementine left as I closed the door.
“Jessica what did you do this time?”
I laughed dully. “Jeez Dad you make it sound like I’ve been here everyday!” I looked down.
“You are in here at least once a week.”
“Once,” I shuffled my foot on the brown carpet, and then I looked up.
“Sit Jess,” I nodded and sat down. “What was it this time?”
“Okay, be open about all of this, please.” I begged. I almost put my hands together like I was about to pray.
“Fine,” he rubbed his forehead.
“Okay, you know Travis, Danny, Drew, Maggie, and Hunter?” He nodded. “Okay well me and Travis are together now I guess, and well Hunter has a problem with it. —So I walked into art, and Danny and Hunter were throwing clay at each other. I threw one too, just for fun, but then Hunter called Maggie emo—,”
“I wouldn’t blame him.”
“Dad,” I groaned.
“Sorry continue,” he gestured me on wards.
“So we all got mad at him especially Drew, ‘cause I guess him and Magz are a thing… So I wanted to beat the shit out of him.” Robert’s mouth found its way open. “I know it’s against everything you and Mum taught me. — But then after Tanya got a hold of me Travis came into our class, Tanya gave him her seat. He asked me why she did it—,”
“Who asked what about whom?” His face was scrunched up.
“Travis asked me why Tanya had moved.” I smiled. He nodded and gestured for me to continue again. “So then I turned to answer him, his face was so close, that umm…” I blushed. “He kissed me.” My dad’s mouth started to open. “Mr. Clementine didn’t see anything.” His mouth closed. I laughed. “But Danny saw… So he squealed on Travis, and to defend him I threw a piece of clay at Danny, and that’s what Mr. Clementine saw, and kicked me out. I thanked Danny sarcastically, and then Hunter replied with a big fat smile on his face!”
“Ah, oh okay I see…”
“Do you Daddy?”
He nodded. “How have you been?”
I shrugged. “Good I guess, haha, sorry I mean unbelievable!”
“Why is that?” He chuckled.
“Haha, okay this might be TMI… But…”
“T M I?”
“Oh, whoops sorry, too much information. — Okay what did you and Mum do to make me?”
“Oh, Jess! That is too much information!” He covered his eyes.
“Haha I said it might be! — But yea, umm am I coming over this weekend, or are you going out of town again with that slut you call a girlfriend?”
“Alicia is not a slut, and we are over thank you.”
“Oh sorry Daddy,” I patted his hand.
“If you would like to you certainly can, unless your mother says no.”
“Oh, speaking of Mum, she thinks Andy is going to propose to her tonight, or today I mean.”
“Okay, well you can go now Jess, I’ll talk to you on the weekend. —Unless…”
“Ha, yea… Unless…” I said as I hopped up from the chair. “See you Daddy,” I said as I opened the door.
I walked back to Mr. Clementine’s class, but the bell rang as soon as I got to the door. I saw Travis and everyone get up from their chairs, Hunter got to the door before anyone else. Hunter was staring at me incredulously.
“Hey Huntsey, —what’s up?” I jerked my chin in his direction.
He started to walk past me. “Nothing, bitch,” He smiled.
And that’s when I went for it.