Kat Wells is the perfect student, cheerleader, and daughter. But that's not who she really is, not truly. The real her is hidden behind a perfect mask that nobody sees, except him.
Wally Clark was the perfect jock, friend, and son. But everything ch...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The dimmed light of the candles was the only source of light in the small room where they had gathered.
"Are you sure about this?" M. Martin asked for the hundredth time. Before Kat could defend her idea, Wally did it first, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. "We had to do your stupid homework for decades. It's your turn."
"Okay," Dawn cheered lightly as she settled down next to the teacher. "Close your eyes." After a sigh, he obeyed. "Everyone, hold hands."
"Really?" complained Rhonda. One look from Dawn quelled her grumpiness, and she grabbed her hand. Wally and Kat intertwined their fingers, and everyone else followed suit.
"Take a deep breath," Dawn's voice was the only sound filling the room, and Kat suddenly felt calm. M. Martin inhaled deeply as well. "Exhale." "At three, you will be back to that day. One..." He felt himself slowly drifting away. "Two..." He inhaled again, and when he heard "three," he was back there.
She was there, alone as usual, drawing in her notebook, waiting for class to begin. She reminded him so much of himself—always alone, always hardworking. He was very proud of all his students, but especially her. She was his best student. "What do you see?" a voice asked. He felt calm and answered without questioning it. "Her. Janet is at her desk, alone as usual." "What else?"
Suddenly, she's not alone anymore. A group of girls approaches her. A rush of worry washes over him. Are they going to bother her? Should he step in? Before he can do anything, Janet smiles. "Really? You want me to go with you?" "Yes," one of the girls responds. "I really like your hair. Maybe we could be friends!" The response seems genuine, and he smiles, reassured. "Some girls are asking her to be friends."
"What's her response?"
Before he can respond again, the alarm announcing the beginning of class rings, and the girls rush to their seats, leaving no time for Janet to answer. As he passes out the exam papers, he notices her expression, the way she seems to be contemplating her response. Maybe she's scared to trust someone, he thinks. She never had many friends, being shy and hardworking. Maybe she has trust issues. He can't say if he is only thinking in his head or if he is still responding out loud to the voice in his head.
He wonders what response she is going to give to the girls. "Focus on this," he slides her the paper. "You'll give your answer after." He winks at her, and she smiles back. "You're right."
As he makes his way to his desk, he suddenly notices a weird smell, like gas. He barely has time to comprehend the situation and rushes everyone outside when the explosion goes off. And just like that, Janet forever loses her opportunity to respond to the last question that was asked of her.
When he opens his eyes again, he is back with Dawn and everyone else. "What... what just happened?" he pants. "I told you it works," Dawn smiles at Rhonda. "Yeah, I guess you may be right."
Kat takes a deep breath. While he is recalling everything, he speaks about every detail, especially one. "You said that she had no friends, and the last question someone asked is basically to be friends, right?"
He agrees, still shaken by the entire experience. "It feels very personal to me," replies Wally, seemingly understanding her point. "So," follows Charley, "she needs a friend. Not a teacher."
Everybody agrees.
"Why does it feel so simple?"
"Maybe most things are if you ask the right question."
☾⋆⋆★⋆⋆☾
The three girls gathered once again in the room, looking at a concentrated Janet reading her worksheet.
"Let me ask the question," Rhonda demanded. "Are you sure?" Kat looked at her with concern, knowing how terrifying this situation is for Rhonda. "Yeah, I... I need to do it." Dawn smiled at her and kisse her cheek in encouragement, making Rhonda blush a bit.
"Let's do this shit." They move to the desk and stop before her. "Can I help you?" Janet asks with a sigh. "I was wondering," Rhonda pauses. "We were wondering if you had thought about our question from earlier?"
The girl's eyes widen in surprise, as if she is slowly recalling something. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Rhonda's hands are shaking, and Kat replies for her. "Before the test, we asked you something, remember?"
"But the test is not over..." mutters the girl, looking disoriented. "But it is," smiles Dawn with a wink. "Look." She points to the sheet, which has suddenly disappeared from Janet's hands. "How?" she gasps. Kat and Rhonda both manage to keep a straight face, even if they were caught by surprise as well.
"The question," Dawn refocuses the discussion, and Janet seems lost in her thoughts for a second. "The question," she whispers in echo. "We should be friends," Rhonda suddenly speaks again, looking directly into her eyes. "Are you ready to go with us?" She lifts her hand, offering it to the girl.
The tension in the room suddenly drops, and everything seems lighter, brighter, peaceful. Kat feels as if she can breathe again, and with one look from her friends, she knows they have all felt it.
"I'm ready," says the girl as she finally stands up with a breath of relief. She notices her teacher in the doorframe, tears dripping on his face. "Thank you, sir, for everything."
And just like that, Janet Hamilton finally finds peace.
As she does, M. Martin is released from his guilt, and he follows her shortly after.
