Love Finds A Way

by C. P. Watson

“You seem disinterested,” she frowned standing over me. I looked down at my desk and rolled my eyes, “so aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

  She asked as she walked away from me. I lifted my eyes from the desk to see that she walked back to the front of the class.

  “Kylie Blanckaert,” I said looking at her straight in the eye as she turned to face me.

  “Say something that defines who you are.”

  “Lesbian,” I said nonchalantly, making her bite down on her bottom lip. She flashed me a smile, her pink lips trying to cover up her discomfort.

  “Moving on…” she trailed off as another student stood and introduced herself. The class was a bit tense after that, and I received even weirder looks than before.

  I looked down at my textbook and opened it, effortlessly using my pencil to draw an abstract object. I was quite artistic but I had no energy to be at that moment.

  Soon the class was over. I had zoned out for most of it since it was only introductions, and as I placed my stuff inside of my satchel, a yawn escaped my lips. I had nothing else to do for the rest of the day, since Literature was the only subject that I had for the rest of my senior year, which was the class I was currently walking out of.

  I excelled in my other subjects, but Literature was my only downfall. Being the smart person that I was, I completed my other subjects in Junior year, some being finished even in my Sophomore year of high school.

  As I stretched my back muscles and was about to exit the class, I felt that same tap on the shoulder. I turned already knowing who it was and crossed my arms over my chest. She just looked at me, which made me arch my brow. What does she want?

  “Can we talk for a moment?” She asked as she looked away from me and took her seat behind her desk. I nodded as she gestured for me to use the desk directly opposite to hers. I did as expected, with a heavy mind and a questioning glare.

  “So what would you like to talk about?” I asked disinterested, all I wanted to do was plop down on my bed and get some shut-eye before I went for a needed run later that day.

  “The principal told me about you…”

  She said making me cut her off.

  “It’s obvious that this town hasn’t seen a new face in a long time,” I said as I allowed my satchel to slip off of my shoulder blade and fall onto the floor.

  “Yes, I’ve seen you around, since the town is so small.”

  “Expected someone more exciting I see,” I mumbled knowing that everyone knew about me—who I was, where I lived, nothing too personal, but the basics.

  “Not at all, but anyway, let us get back to what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Then go ahead,” I encouraged as I unbuttoned my jacket and took it off. The humidity became too unbearable in the classroom. I stuffed it into my satchel, before looking back up at her.

  “I know that you only have my class to complete for your senior year, which I must commend you about, since I heard you are an excellent student. Anyway, the Principal thought it was a good idea if you could help out with Math tutoring, knowing of your success in that subject.”

  I furrowed my brows, wondering why on earth I would accept such an offer. I would just be wasting my time and energy on stupid teenagers who couldn’t even count from one to ten.

  “No,” I said bluntly as I picked up my satchel from the ground.

  “It’s either that or you become my teacher’s assistant.”

  She said clasping her hands in front of her.

  “So you’re saying that I have to choose one?” I doubted that it was compulsory when attending a school. I couldn’t be forced to do something against my will.

  “Or you can do both,” she added, making my head begin to spin. I struggled with excessive classes so that I could complete them early and be able to relax in my senior year. Is she really trying to give me responsibilities that I want no part of?

  “Are you serious right now?” I scoffed, not caring that she was my teacher, “I plan on sleeping through most of this year and you’re telling me about tutoring and being your assistant? I’m not obligated to accept your offers at all.”

  I finished as I got up from my seat and slung my satchel over my shoulder.

  “Don’t you want to get into an Ivy League College?” She asked as I was about to walk out of the classroom for the second time. She caught my interest, making me stop in my tracks, “you haven’t volunteered for anything or done community service, though your grades are outstanding, if you volunteer for both options, you will absolutely increase your chances of being accepted into the school of your choice.”

  I contemplated what she said and knew that she was right. My anti-social skills had made me neglect such things. I turned back to face her. She had a grin plastered on her face, knowing that she sparked my interest.

  “Do I have to do both?” I groaned. If I did consider the idea, I didn’t want to do both.

  “It’s your choice, it’s for your own benefit, not mine.” Yeah, right.

  “You won’t benefit from me being your pet?” I mumbled knowing that she heard me coherently.

  “Well, it will be a win-win,” she unclasped her hands, got up from sitting and walked past me, which made me turn to the door. A student entered the class making me immediately want to leave. I didn’t see any other students in tow and realized that the girl probably wanted to discuss something personal with the teacher, “think about it and get back to me later. I mean I will be seeing you almost every day since you are registered for both my junior and senior Literature classes.”

  I sighed heavily before exiting the class, almost bumping into a girl who was passing by at the same time. She gave me an awkward look, before I turned my face to ignore her and walked toward my locker.

  “You’re the new girl, right?” I grabbed the pack of gum that I’d placed in my locker earlier and looked at the person who spoke.

  “Obviously,” I gave a fake smile before taking one of the gums out of the packet and unwrapping it. Placing it in my mouth, I chewed a few times before forming a bubble. It popped, and I continued to chew.

  “You’re Grandpa Donald’s granddaughter, right?” I closed my locker and stuck the pack of gum inside the pocket of my jeans.

  “Obviously,” I repeated before walking away from him. I had no time for silly and unnecessary small talk. I walked down the corridors and out the school through the entrance. The compound was isolated, except for the few cars in the parking lot directly in front of the school. I wasn’t one to drive, especially with my fright of getting into a car accident, plus being in such a small town, the walking distances to almost anywhere were very short. It was about a seven-minute walk to my grandfather’s estate. I found out when I walked to school earlier that day.

  As I passed the small shops and boutiques, people kept giving me funny looks that were getting very irritating. I knew it was because they knew my grandfather and was wondering which part of the galaxy I came from, since I was so unlike him. My grandpa was born and raised in that town, everyone knew him and many envied him. He was an easy going man with a kind heart and humorous ways. After grandma died, he’d gotten very lonely, making my mother suggest for me to move in with him to keep his frail heart a bit alive. She should have known better since I wasn’t a joyous person at all, but I think she had other intentions with me moving in with him, something to do with livening me up a little.

  I accepted wanting a change of scenery and to give her space. I wasn’t too fond of her boyfriend. They had been together for a long time and were going to get married in the near future, since he proposed to her about two years prior, but they never got around to actually tying the knot. He was a great guy, but my daddy issues made it difficult for me to accept him.

  She always tried to brighten my spirit, but I was just the way I was. Grandpa more accepted my decision to be by myself. We would be in the same room and not talk at all, and that was what I always liked about him. He knew that I was uncomfortable with c
ertain things and never overstepped my boundaries.

  I only moved in with him three days prior. I had never visited him before but he occasionally visited us in the city. His love for the town never allowed him to migrate elsewhere, which made me believe that it was actually a nice place to live in.

  I reached the gate of the estate and the guard allowed me in. He gave me a small smile and tilted his cap as I walked through the opened gates.

  Walking up the stone pathway, I admired the front yard and its tree sculptures. The gardener neatly trimmed them the day before and the housekeeper watered them along with the patches of beautiful flowers every day. My grandfather intended to keep my grandmother’s cherished possessions cared for.

  I stuffed my hand into a pocket of my satchel and grabbed the house key, then opened the front door, walked in and closed the door behind me, before heading straight up the stairs and into my bedroom. I was in dire need of a nap.

  ***

  Stretching my muscles, those of my back, arms and thighs, I sat up on my bed and blinked a few times, trying to rid of my sleepy state. A loud yawn escaped my lips as I leaned my head back against the bed frame, the hardwood touching my head. Peeling myself away from the comfort of being wrapped up in my blanket, I walked into the room’s adjoining bathroom and toward the sink. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I let out another yawn and turned the knob to allow the water to flow.

  After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I immediately stripped out of my clothing and stepped into the shower, before turning the knob, the warm water beginning to comfort my sore muscles.

  I grabbed the bar of soap with the washcloth and scrubbed all over my body, before rinsing.

  Smiling in content, I turned off the water and my dripping wet body made its way into my room, in search of a towel. The housekeeper had left a few inside my dresser drawer. I walked over, opened it and took out one.

  After drying my skin, I let the towel drop to the floor as I walked over to my closet. It was a complete mess—clothes all over the floor and shoes like mixed nuts. I sighed as I searched for a pair of running shorts and a sports bra, luckily having many so it wasn’t too hard to find, and also picking up a pair of boyshorts on the hunt.

  After dressing, I looked at myself in the mirror and decided to place my hair into a ponytail instead of the messy bun that it was in. The next difficult thing was to find a pair of sneakers. I took a deep breath as I went back into my closet, the sight of the pile almost giving me a headache.

  My luggage was so overloaded when I came. My mother would have had to post most of my stuff to me, but I didn’t plan on staying that long with grandpa, since I was leaving for college in about a year. Thinking about it made me realize that it was still a long time.

  I finally found a matching pair of sneakers and stuffed a foot quickly inside of each side, before walking out my closet and grabbing my music player that was left charging on my night stand, along with my headphones that were already attached to it.

  Walking out of my room and down the stairs, I headed into the kitchen to grab something to drink before leaving. My grandfather was probably still at Bridge, or whatever game he went to the club to play with his friends, so he might have been back by the time I finished my run.

  I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water before seeing that my wallet was on the kitchen counter top. I hoped the housekeeper was trustworthy to my grandfather and wouldn’t steal, but she did seem genuine.

  I picked it up and opened it to see that it actually contained cash. Surprised, I took out a hundred and placed it into the pocket of my shorts by my lower back, which also had a secure zipper.

  I placed it down right where I found it, not feeling like running upstairs to carry it to my room. If the housekeeper wanted to steal, she could have already.

  Uncorking the water bottle, I leaned it to my lips and took a long chug before resting it down on the counter with three-quarters of it left behind. I didn’t want to carry it with me on my run, so I left it there. I would have either gone back for it later or the housekeeper would have thrown it away.

  I left the house and walked through the estate gates, the afternoon breeze warm and cool at the same time. I made sure to stretch my muscles first and did my routine pre-run exercise before I began my run.

  I plugged the earbuds into my ears and picked a random song out of my playlist as I made my way toward the small park in the centre of the town. I knew peoples’ eyes were on me yet again, but the music and my concentration on my run helped with ignoring them.

  After reaching the park, I decided to take a seat to rest for a bit, especially since no one else was there. I checked the time on my watch seeing that it was 2:58 in the afternoon. I groaned knowing that school was going to be let out soon, and the little peace the town held would completely vanish. I got off of my lazy ass, the sweat already flowing down my back, since it was a twenty-minute run to the park, and began running back in the same direction I came.

  I heard the sound of the annoying school bell and ignored it before I stopped running to catch my breath. I must have been at it like a mad woman to feel so drained, and I still had half way more to reach my grandfather’s estate.

  I bit down on my upper lip as I saw a small diner not too far from where I was standing. They had to have something to drink. As I walked toward it, the music still blaring in my ears, I pulled out my headphones and slung it over my shoulder as I entered the place. Everyone turned to look at me, well the few people that were in there.

  I walked straight over to the counter not paying any heed to them.

  “Do you have smoothies by chance?” I asked the lady behind the counter. She looked at me quizzically before speaking.

  “Is that the way you dress?”

  She stretched herself over the counter and scanned my body. I frowned, not in the mood to be criticized.

  “Smoothies?” I asked again. She gave a disapproving look before nodding.

  “Only strawberry,” she said still eyeing me.

  “That will be nice, thank you,” I didn’t want to say anything rude before she did something unorthodox to my smoothie. I knew how spiteful people could be.

  I leaned against the counter waiting for it as she poured the extract into the blender over the ice. She closed the lid of the blender and pressed a button making it begin to churn. I grabbed my money from my pocket, the zip opening and closing being heard.

  She poured the result into a plastic cup and closed it with its required lid before handing it to me. I gave her my money and waited for my change.

  “You should really wear more appropriate clothing,” she said as she handed me my change. I folded it and placed it into my pocket before speaking.

  “And you should learn not to ogle young girls,” I retorted grabbing a straw. I gave her one last glance and saw the shocked expression on her face, before turning and making my way out of the diner. If everyone in that town was like her, they were definitely not going to like me.

  By the time I took a sip of the smoothie, teenagers were seen walking down the streets. I rolled my eyes as a few boys whistled in my direction, making me lift my middle finger toward them as I walked back home, deciding not to run.

  The gates were already opened which made me believe that my grandfather was just arriving as well. I walked in and saw that he was not alone.

  “Grandpa?” I called in a questioning voice. I recognized the person who was with him.

  “Kay, wait, is that what you wore out on the streets?” I quirked a brow.

  “It’s for running grandpa,” I defended making him let out a chuckle.

  “I know, honey. Just be careful with the elder women and their disapproving looks,” he said before turning to the person who I didn’t think I would see so soon.

  “You’re here,” I said to her, making a small frown appear on her face at how harshly I said it.

  “Don’t be so rude, she is your teacher after all,” I took a sip
of my smoothie as she just looked at me, “Ava was just telling me about the volunteer work.”

  He said making me cringe, “and why would she do that?”

  I mumbled. Is she seriously trying to get my grandfather on her side?

  “Would you like to come inside, dear?”

  “Actually…” Ava hesitated.

  “Great then, come along, it’s getting dark out here, “ I followed them but immediately retreated to my room as I entered the house, not that they noticed anyway.

  I hopped into the shower, washing away the sweat that had built up and grabbed another towel from my dresser drawer. I let the towel drop to the floor again. I really needed to start picking them up, and walked over to my closet to find a pyjama shorts and a tank top. I heard a rap on my door and thought it was grandpa.

  “I’m naked, don’t come in,” I yelled as I grabbed a pair of boy shorts and slipped it on.

  “Your grandfather wants you in the kitchen,” I heard the feminine voice of the housekeeper.

  “Okay,” I answered as I slipped my legs into my pyjama shorts and my tank top over my head. My hair was wet since I decided to wash it because of all the sweat that was built up from running. I walked down the stairs and toward the kitchen, only to see grandpa taking groceries out of the fridge, while the teacher was setting a pot on the stove. What the hell?

  “What’s going on?” I questioned as I leaned against the door frame that connected the living room and kitchen.

  “We are having some people over and Ava offered to help cook,” he said making me groan.

  “I will just be in my room when that is happening,” I said as I walked over to the fridge, opened it and grabbed another bottle of water. The remaining of my smoothie was left on the sink counter. I needed to remember to get rid of it before ants manifested themselves.

  “I would like for you to join us. I'm only having it because of you.”

  I pointed to myself, “me?” I mumbled as I looked at him, “what did mom tell you?” I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, making him sigh.

  “Nothing, it’s just that you need to learn how to socialize with people.”