Chapter 2

"Is your dad at home?" That was the first question Ivy asked.

"Yes, he is sleeping in his room. I promise he won't mess anything up." I opened the door ajar for them to enter.

"Your house is nice today," Sam commented.

"Just come in and stop all this," I said in annoyance.

"Someone is getting annoyed," Sam sang as he got in.

"We are sorry, Heather, we just wanted to be sure." Jessica apologized as she hugged me.

"I understand." I scoffed. I am already tired from clearing the whole house, these people shouldn't add to my frustration. I closed the door and made the way to the tables and I took my seat beside Caden and Ivy.

"You ordered pizza already, Thank goodness. You know I love you for this." Caden said as he muffled my hair with excitement.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked him as I yanked his hand away from my hair.

"I love you." He blew me a kiss.

I gave him that irritated look.

"This is the sole role why you haven't gotten a boyfriend. You find everything disgusting." Jessica complained.

"Those words just make me wanna puke." I chuckled.

"I am sure you won't even have a boyfriend three years from me," Ivy added.

"That's possible." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's start. We are running out of time.." Sam interrupted our conversation.

"I am still eating my pizza," Caden yelled.

"Hey, stop shouting," I said to him. My dad is sleeping, I don't know what will happen if he wakes up.

"Stop eating the pizza, it is only for you " Ivy snarled at Caden.

"She ordered my favorite. You are the best, Heather." Caden smiled at me.

"Stop that!" Ivy instructed him.

"Someone is getting jealous," Jessica teased Ivy.

"He is all yours," I said to her wholeheartedly.

"Can we just start?" Sam is getting upset, I can feel it.

"Yes, please let's start," I added.

"Okay," the girls chorused and I started my explanation.

I explained the hardest topics in chemistry to them since I already read them beforehand.

The door of my dad's room interrupted us and we all turned our heads in the direction. My dad came out of the room, holding his head while he walked towards us. He stood on his track when he saw us.

"Oh! Hello guys," he said to my friends.

"Good evening, Mr. Skylar." They all chorused.

"Good evening. Well done. Keep up the good work. I will just leave the house so that I won't disturb you guys." He announced.

"Where are you going?" I asked him.

"The neighbor's apartment." He answered.

"You aren't going to drink, okay?" I said to him.

"Okay, my little kitty, I won't drink. I will also grab the groceries if I leave there." He assured me.

"It is late. I will get them tomorrow. I will come to call you if my friends leave." I said to him indirectly warning him not to drink.

"Sure thing. Thank you." He walked past us. He stumbled a bit but he was quick to compose himself.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Sure. Don't worry about me." He made his way out of the apartment and closed the door behind him.

I continued explaining to my friends and when I was done explaining, I closed my book.

"Do you understand?" I asked them.

"Sure, it was crystal clear," Sam responded.

"Thank you for the explanation" Jessica added.

"God, I just understand those hard topics, that teacher isn't doing well explaining to us. All he knows is to ask students out." Ivy snorted.

"But he is a nice man, I spend my  free period going to him for an extra explanation, you just judge him by the humor." I objected to her,

"Whatever but the humor was true. You must be lucky then. He doesn't find you attractive, maybe." Ivy scoffed.

"Whatever" I somehow felt hurt by her reply.

"Can we now eat our pizza?" Caden asked.

"You don't have any share in it any longer," Jessica said to him.

"I still have one piece though," he pouted.

We ate the pizza and gulped it down with orange juice. We spent the night gisting and talking about school, Jessica's new boyfriend, and so on.

My dad came back minutes after they left the house.

He came inside looking so worried.

"What's the matter, dad?" I asked him.

"Why did you ask?" He asked.

"You look Disturbed," I replied to him.

"No, I am fine." He replied avoiding my gaze.

"Have you started the habit back?" I asked him referring to his gambling habit.

"No, no. Why would I go back, I promised you not to," he replied.

"So what's the matter?" I asked him.

"I will tell you later but not now. Please be patient. I will tell you." He stood up and walked inside his room without looking at my side.

"Okay, just don't let it bother you, okay?"

"Okay." He closed the door of his room behind him.

I sighed.

I wonder what could be disturbing him that much.

He is not the kind of person who shows his worries except if he says his worries out.

I cleaned up the table and threw the waste out.

After I was done, I retired to bed. It was a long day indeed.

*

It was the next day, I made my way to the hallway, going to Mr Grey's office, the chemistry teacher. I knocked on Mr. Grey's door. It was my extra time and I needed him to explain to me one particular question in the past question before the exam came in.

"Come in," I heard him say from the other side.

I twisted his knob and entered his office.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Grey."I greeted him as I made my way inside his office.

"Good afternoon, Miss Skylar." He replied to me.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, sir. I have some questions that are hard to understand, so I thought of seeking your help." I said to him.

"What's that?" He asked as he gave me his attention.

I showed him the past question.

I had my seat as he started explaining the question to me and he solved the question for me as well. He explained the particular topic in addition.

Mr. Grey is a young chemistry teacher the school recruited two years ago. He is the youngest and the newest teacher. They haven't hired any teacher after his recruitment.

The humor of him always asking students out started middle of last year, exactly almost a year now and the school hasn't done anything to it or maybe no one has reported him yet but the humor is trending amongst the students.

"Do you now understand?" He asked me.

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you, sir," I said to him.

"You know you have always been the best student amongst my students. You always come to seek my help anytime you don't understand things," He began.

Here we go again.

"Thank you, Mr. Grey," I said to him.

He stood up from his chair and started walking my way.

"Let me make it short and vivid. I like you, Heather, and I want us to be in a relationship." He announced.