Chapter 7

       After lunch, I headed to my least favorite classes. I mean, I hated all my classes, but this one was the worst because of the teacher.

       Mr. Garland.

       I had him way too many times and when I found out that I had him again for my senior year, I was ready to drop out. If someone was caught texting in class, he would read the messages out loud. Not only that, but he didn't seem to have a filter on his mouth. He would just say what was on his mind.

       Evident today and almost every time Nolan showed up to class because he wasn't really good at hiding things.

       "Alright, time for attendance," Mr. Garland said when the tardy bell rang. "And please, just say here or present. Don't say anything like 'Does it look like I'm away?' I'm looking at you, Atticus."

       I shrugged. It was his fault he saw me come in and then asked if I was present.

       I already knew what I was going to say if he asked it I was present, and it sure as hell wasn't here or present.

       When Mr. Garland got to Nolan's name, Nolan said, "Here," and the teacher glanced over to double check. However, after he looked at Nolan, he sighed.

       "Nolan, you might want to start borrowing your sister's make-up," he said.

       "Uh, no," Orchid said. "He's not touching my make-up....Why would he need make-up?"

       Nolan didn't say anything as he adjusted his hoodie to cover his neck.

       Mr. Garland moved on to the next name on the attendance. "Orchid Prince?"

       "Here," Orchid said. Obviously. She was just talking.

       "Atticus Smythe?"

       I didn't reply.

       "Atticus?"

       "Oh, sorry," I said. "I just assumed you knew I was here since you said my name at the beginning of the class."

       Mr. Garland sighed. "Why did I have to have you as a student almost every year?"

       The same reason I had to have him as a teacher almost every year.

       After he finished the attendance, he got into the lesson but I wasn't paying attention. I never did. It was English class, after all, and everything that was going to be on the final exam was stuff I already knew.

       I was looking around the room, trying to find something to distract me when I saw Nolan on his phone. Since he was sitting in front of me, I leaned over the desk. "You know he's going to read the messages if he catches you, right?" I asked in a whisper.

       Nolan should know. It happened to him the most. I think he honestly just stopped caring.

       "I know," Nolan said back. "I'm almost done. I'm just telling my boyfriend to stop giving me hickeys before class."

       "Then stop making out with him before class."

       "That's impossible. You were probably making out with Orchid before class, anyway, so you know it's not easy not to."

       I was going to reply but I didn't for two reasons. One, because he was right. And two, because Mr. Garland suddenly stopped writing on the whiteboard and said, "Alright, who keeps talking?"

       Before he could turn around, I quickly grabbed Nolan's cell phone and sat back in my seat. Mr. Garland turned around and his eyes landed on me. "Are you texting, Atticus?" he asked.

       "Yes," I said. "Nolan was trying to get me to stop."

       "Then I guess you won't mind me reading it in front of the class."

       "Actually, I do mind."

       "Then you shouldn't have been texting," he said before walking over and holding out his hand. "Cell phone."

       "I was just texting Wilder," I said. "You know, my cousin? He was...." I lowered my voice a bit so only he could hear, "freaking out a bit. I just had to calm him down. I swear, I'm done texting him."

       "Oh, alright," Mr. Garland said. "Next time, tell me when you need to talk to him so I won't have to stop the class."

       When he walked back to the whiteboard, I handed Nolan his cell phone back and he quickly placed it in his pocket. "How'd you do that?" he whispered.

       "It's a long story," I said.

       "Thanks, again," Nolan said. "I lost count of how many times you were able to divert his attention from me texting."

        "No problem," I said, sitting back in my seat before leaning towards Orchid, who was sitting beside me. "Do I get major boyfriend points for taking the hit for you brother?"

        "Oh, believe me, you've been getting major boyfriend points before we've even started dating," she said.

       I winked at her and she smiled at me before I went back to not paying attention in class.

       When the class was, thankfully, over, Orchid and I left the class and started heading to our lockers. "How were you able to do that, by the way?" she asked.

       "Do what?"

       "Make sure Mr. Garland didn't read Nolan's texts. He never takes no for an answer."

       "I just said I was texting Wilder. He's....currently struggling with something and the teachers know."

       "Oh. Is he okay?"

       I sighed. "Not really. It's....complicated. I don't want to get into it unless he's fine with me talking to you ab--" 

       I was cut off when I heard Wilder say, "Atti, Atti, Atti!" before suddenly hurrying over to me and wrapping his arms around me.

       "Hey, is everything okay?" I asked.

       Wilder shook his head, his face burrowed in my chest. "They won't stop. They won't go away."

       He was even listening to music right now.

       "Wilder, listen to me," I said, resting my hands on his shoulders and looking at him. "They're not real, okay? They're fake."

       "You think I don't fucking know that?" he asked. "That doesn't help, dumbass."

       "Wow, for someone freaking out, you're still so rude to me," I said. "Do you want me to take you home?"

       Wilder nodded. "Yes, please."

       "Alright," I said before looking at Orchid. "I'll be back for final period. Can you tell the teacher I'm going to be late?"

       "Yeah, sure," she said.

       "Thanks, your the best," I said. I kissed her cheek before I led Wilder out of the school and to my car.

____________________

Smh Nolan. Learn to hide those hickeys.

Lol, I was talking to my best friend about my children and my dads, and then I told her I just realized all my children were gay and she reminded me that my dads are too (as some of you saw on snapchat. cx) OOPS.

Ooh, and speaking of, I taught my three year old brother to say Laeti's husband whenever he sees a picture of Shawn Mendes, and now I'm teaching him to say Laeti's child whenever he sees a picture of Casey Cott (aka my children Kevin and Calvin)