First Impressions

"Mrs. Harret? Could you help me, I forgot how to change the diaper." Trev says, holding up a screaming baby. I swear that's all they're good for. Shale had asked to use a pass for the bathroom and Tash was all the way on the other side of the room talking to his partner. I watch her get up from her seat and walk over to him.

Mrs. Harret was great for this class because she was so motherly even if she didn't have any kids of her own. She was patient with everyone and loved helping and explaining the nature of the babies to us. She was always full of smiles and advice.

Once she reaches Trev, I signal Brad from the other side of the room and crawl over to her desk. Brad was the scout in this plan, his job was to make sure Trev kept her long enough for me to find the key, use it on the baby, and put it back. When I reach the desk, I start immediately opening drawers and searching for it. I had a very limited amount of time, Shale can only take so long in the bathroom and if she walks in . . . it will ruin everything.

After searching the right side I move to the left, peeking over the desk to see Brad staring at me, waiting for any sort of signal.

"And that's how it's done. Do you get it now?" Mrs. Harret asks kindly. Trev looks over to Brad who looks at me. I flail my arms in the air and shake my head. Brad looks back at Trev and shakes his head.

"Wait, so how do you do it again? I have a short memory." Trev says stupidly, looking up at Mrs. Harret with a grin. She just chuckles and takes the diaper back off, going over the steps again.

I open the top drawer only to find it full of glue, pens, and diapers. I move one lower, which was the last one, and see a small box under a couple of papers. I slowly take the box out, trying not to mess anything up, and open it. Viola! The key! I grab for my baby but realize something . . . its not there! I shoot up from my position on the floor and search frantically, my eyes landing on the rocker beside my desk. I smack my palm to my forehead and drag it down my face.

Brad watches me intensely as I crawl back to my desk hurriedly, snatching the baby up and fumbling with the back. I drop the key a couple of times but when I finally get a hold of it, I shove it into the back. I grin to myself and twist it, opening the back to reveal a tape. I crawl back to her desk and put the key back safely, closing it and nodding up at Brad who nodded back at Trev who wasn't paying any attention.

"And what was the last step?" He asks, writing everything down on paper. I quickly get up while she tells him and run back to my desk, flopping down in it and trying to catch my breath. Brad gets up from his spot and goes over to his assigned seat, by me. Trev tucks the paper in his back pocket and comes over as well.

"Oh my God." I breathe out. "I'm so happy to get that freaking tape out of there." I look down at the baby and pull the tape out, closing the back and setting it back into the rocker. A moment of silence falls between us, all of us staring at the tape that was in my hand. Trev clears his throat.

"Can we watch it?"

My head snaps in his direction, a glare forming on my face. Brad chuckles, looking over at his best friend.

"Why would you want to watch it?" I hiss, sounding like a snake.

"Want to watch what?" Shale asks, appearing beside me. My expression changes immediately, not wanting her to know.

"Uh, Trev wants to watch porn." I say. Shale slowly turns her head towards Trev with a disapproving look on her face.

"Trev, I swear, your obsession with porn is getting worse. Sometimes I think I should just do you now so you'll get over it." She says, crossing her arms. His face turns red quickly.

"Jeeze, Trev." I say, doing the same. He glares at me even though his face is still red.

"Shut up, Autum."

"Or you'll what?" I ask defiantly. Brad grins, making me look away from Trev and stare at him.

"Do you really want to know?" Brad asks. "Or have you already forgotten about that-"

"Shut up, Brad." I glare at him. His grin just gets larger, knowing that he's got me cornered. We're all still for a minute before it all turns into chaos.

"Autum made porn!"

"Brad's gay!"

"Autum danced with scarves!"

"Trev wears women's underwear!"

"What the hell is going on?"

We all screech at the same time, twice for me. Brad and Trev glare at me while Shale just looks at all of us, not knowing what was happening.

"I am not gay." Brad snorts, making me roll my eyes.

"Says you." I retort.

"How did you even come up with women's underwear?" Trev asks. I grin at him crookedly, not able to contain my ability to conjure up anything.

"It came off the top of my head." I shrug. I hear Brad clear his throat before calling Shale over to him.

"You made porn by dancing with scarves?" Shale hisses, turning towards me. My eyes cross each other before becoming straight again.

"What was that?" Trev asks, seeing my eyes cross each other.

"One of my compulsive disorders that I have given myself out of habit. It happens when I try staying serious." I say with a grin.

"Autum, pay attention!" Shale screeches, making the whole class look at her with weird looks. Thankfully the bell rings after her outburst. Unthankfully, the four of us are called to Mrs. Harret's desk. We all stand in front of her desk, our babies in our arms, and exchange accusing glances at one another.

"It has come to my attention that the four of you have a problem to be worked out." Mrs. Harret starts, interlacing her fingers together and setting her hands on the desk. "What seems to be the problem, Ms. Flicka?"

Everyone turns their heads towards me, wondering what I would say. My mind zooms through every possible excuse I could use. I'm good at making those up, but what kind would please a teacher? I can't say I'm pregnant and hormonal because God knows that my belly isn't hanging two feet away from my body. I can't say my dog died because I would be in tears, not yelling. Oh, here we go.

"PMS, Mrs. Harret." I say, acting shyly and looking down at my feet. I immediately hold my breath and try to breathe; a little trick I picked up to make my face turn red quickly. "I get a little moody around this time of month."

Brad and Trev look at me with a look that every guy gets on their face when you bring up the 'womanly' problems. Scared and disgusted. Mrs. Harret and Shale just look at me sympathetically.

"Alright, just try to control those hormones, Ms. Flicka. We wouldn't want these nice boys here to lose their heads." She says, smiling slightly before dismissing us. Once we're in the hallway, the boys erupt.

"Ew!"

"That's sick!"

"Would you rather have her find out about the tape or deal with this?" I huff, crossing my arms and looking at Brad and Trev. Shale agrees, standing beside me.

"At least we might see the tape." Trev mumbles before Shale hits him in the head.

"I've already seen her naked, I don't think I want to go through that again." Brad tells him, receiving a shove in the chest from me.

"You so liked it and you know it." I say before starting to walk away. I look over my shoulder at him. "Get over yourself and accept the fact that you can't resist me."

I smirk to myself before walking off to my locker, Shale following beside me to leave both boys dumbfounded. She giggles a little before looking over at me.

"So, why exactly were you making porn with scarves?" She asks, smiling at me. I sigh and go into the whole story about me being a free spirit and an idiot, telling her that I do whatever catches the moment to the point where we put the plan into action. She pretty much laughs the whole time, which was alright with me because I'm sure the story is hilarious.

"And that brings us to now." I say, concluding my adventurous tale. Shale shakes her head at me before glancing up, eyes sparkling.

"You and Brad sure do go through a lot together." She says as I close my locker.

"He's my neighbor, my rival, and he's making me clinically insane." I say, shrugging. "How can we not go through a lot together? It's like he's always there and I really don't want him to be."

"Don't want him to be what?" I hear a voice from behind me, making me turn around to see Brad and Trev walking toward us. I turn back to Shale who is looking at me.

"See what I mean?"

She just shrugs as the four of us start walking together, meeting Tash in the parking lot, Brad and Trev still not knowing what we're talking about and leaving them confused.

"Maybe that's how it's supposed to be."