RECONCILED

As my dad drove me to school in his truck, I had a moment of introspection. I recalled how rudely I had spoken to Henry, and it struck me as immature. Why had I acted like such a jerk? Henry was just a new kid trying to make a friend, and I hadn't even given him a chance. It felt wrong.

But then, I wondered why a new kid would be so eager to make friends. When I started attending Westify High School, it had taken me a month before I could open up to people. I had just gone to school and returned home quickly. Maybe Henry was different, more outgoing.

After thinking it over, I decided to make amends and apologize for how I'd spoken to him.

"Honey, are you okay?" My dad asked, sensing my unusual silence.

"Yeah, it's just school," I replied.

"You can drop out, you know. Learn a skill, start your own business when you're done, get married, have a kid or two, and you're set for life."

"Can I really drop out?"

"Hell no! Why would you want to do that?"

"What's the use of school though?"

"Why are you so hell-bent on becoming your mom?"

"Why are you so hell-bent on not forgetting her?" I asked, yelling at the top of my voice.

My dad sighed deeply and said, "It's not that easy, kiddo. Your mom and I had plans, you know. We thought we could travel around the whole world when you and Emma are in college. We wanted to buy an RV and just go wherever the wind took us."

Tears welled up in his eyes, and I realized I had made a mistake by bringing up my mother's death. Quickly, I apologized, "I'm really sorry, dad. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay, kiddo. I'm just trying to get the hang of this parenting thing. It's really hard when you're doing it alone," my dad wiped his tears with his right hand.

"You're doing a great job, dad. You're doing a great job," I said, comforting him with my left hand on his shoulder.

I understood that my dad wasn't hunting werewolves just to kill The Alpha. Hunting helped him forget the pain and gave him the enthusiasm to keep going. His obsession with werewolves was a way to escape constant contemplation.

We reached the parking lot, and my dad carefully parked his vehicle. I grabbed my backpack and got out.

"Have a nice day, kiddo," my father said.

"You too, dad," I replied, walking into my school building.

My mother's death had transformed everyone in the family. My dad became more sober, visiting the hospital every month. My sister changed from a jovial personality to someone who found solace in loneliness. She developed interests in things she had found irritating before. As for me, I became hostile, only mingling with a few friends and immersing myself in my studies. In essence, we were all together, but an emotional distance separated us.

The school hallway buzzed with students checking their lockers and some heading to class. The "Cool" girls were chatting in a corner about male celebrities they would never meet, while the "Bullies" were discussing football – the only thing on their minds.

I walked up to my locker and retrieved my Math textbook, placing it in my bag. I noticed Henry had a blue locker on the same row. He seemed to be struggling to organize his locker. Gathering my courage, I walked up to him.

"Hey," I waved.

My presence startled him, and he exclaimed, "Geez. Are you a ghost or something?"

I stuck out my tongue and said, "More like a zombie. How are you doing?"

"This is weird."

"What's weird?"

"You talking to me," he replied. "Why are you talking to a 'dumbass'?"

"I'm sorry, okay," I sighed. "I'm just not used to meeting new people."

"Neither am I."

"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow. "You were following a girl that only showed you the way to class. Surely, you don't have any trouble talking to people."

"I don't have trouble talking to you, not people."

I chuckled and said, "My name is Emily, by the way. Let's go to class."

He agreed, and we walked to class together. I could sense that the glamorous and gossipy girls were looking at us, probably excited about the lunchtime gossip.

I took my seat in my favorite spot, and Henry sat at the back as usual. Once again, it was Mr. Trevor, my boring Math teacher. I had a feeling he was going to wear his favorite outfit today – a Louis Vuitton long black sleeve and brown trousers. His spectacles made him look like one of those nerds who never had any real-life fun. His polished black shoes captured my attention, causing my gaze to linger.

His heavy breathing suggested he hadn't taken the bus today. I assumed he had brought his old, rusty bicycle. I'd rather eat tacos for the rest of my life than ride that bicycle.

"Good morning, everyone," Mr. Trevor greeted. "I believe I assigned you all some homework. Today, we will be covering a different topic. But before that, let's go over the assignment."

Trigonometry, a topic I was already tired of. I had studied it thoroughly before class, so I already knew what he was going to teach. I understood this topic as well as the basics of werewolf hunting. At least, Math was one of my strengths aside from werewolf hunting.

I made eye contact with Henry a few times during the Math lesson. He didn't seem interested in learning. Instead, he kept staring in my direction, which I found a bit creepy.

At the end of class, I couldn't help but ask him whether he didn't have real life problems.

"Well, I have an uncle who takes care of my needs, and he's not always around; video games to keep me busy; movies to pass the time; a school with beautiful people; and a beautiful angel by my side. So no, I don't have problems," he replied.

"And who is this angel?" I asked, widening my eyes in curiosity.

"Who am I talking to?"

I chuckled.

For a young boy of his age and his new status in school, he certainly had a lot of confidence. Making moves towards a girl he had just met recen tly? That was a whole new level of boldness.