Bailey's POV (two months later, present-day)

I slam my locker shut and throw my hood over my head, heading to English. Today is the day I've been dreading for weeks.

The hallways are crowded but I make myself unnoticeable by wearing dark clothing. At least I try to make myself invisible. Judging from the number of eyes staring at me I think everyone realizes today's my first day back.

Georgia told me to text her if I felt overwhelmed and It's tempting but I don't want to use the Georgia card just yet. I can't give up before the first period.

I turn the corner and keep my head down, focusing on the gray speckled flooring below me. Hopefully, everyone picks up on the hint I don't want to be social today, or ever again.

"My condolences," a random voice tells me.

"I'm sorry for your loss," another person says.

"Sorry about your brother," the voices all blur together.

I don't bother looking up because I'm going to hear it all day. If there were other schools in town I would have forced my parents to transfer me but unfortunately, the nearest public high school is the next town over and they're our rivals.

The Baraboo Grizzly Bears have never gotten along with the Dayton Hawks. Their town is bigger, fancier, and richer than ours, but the athletics department sucks. Instead, they put money into their theater program. Like Wisconsin is ever going to produce the next big Hollywood star.

In English, there's only one seat open, and of course, it's in the front row. I sit down and take out my notebook and start doodling; anything to distract myself.

"Hey Bailey, welcome back." I look up and see Hunter smiling down at me.

It's been two months since I've seen him and he hasn't changed a bit. He's still tall, still muscular and still has long blonde hair. My heart beats rapidly as our eyes meet. Oh, and I still have feelings for him.

"Can we talk for a minute after class?" Hunter asks.

I nod. I would do anything to be with him.

Hunter slips out of the classroom as the teacher shuts the door. My first day back has officially started.

Class goes by annoyingly slow. I knew it wasn't going to be an easy day, but I did not think it would be this boring. I guess some things never change. It's clear I am very behind on my assignments. They are already halfway through reading Animal Farm. A book I will probably have to speed read this weekend. For the rest of the class, I just doodle in my notebook and tune out the class discussion.

Hunter's POV

I watch from afar as she saunters down the hallway not making eye contact with the world around her. Everything about her screams broken and I want to let her know she's not alone. The pain and suffering she must be feeling is far worse than anything I'm going through. To lose a friend is horrible, but to lose a brother is traumatic.

These past two months have been hell for the entire town. We lost a legend that night and we've all been in mourning since.

She lost an older brother, someone so significant in her life and to the town. Maybe that's where I step in. I can look out for her like Jack used to. Yes, that's what she needs right now.

Bailey's POV

The bell rings and everyone bolts out the door. My next class is History. A class I know something about. I pack up belongings and follow everyone out of the room.

"Bailey over here," Hunters waves.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask.

He pulls me into his arms, gently squeezing me. A whiff of cologne fills the air and my body instantly becomes excited by his presence.

"I wanted to say sorry. I should have called. Should have done more to be there for you and your family. Instead, I avoided all of it like a coward. Can you forgive me?" He asks.

Every word spoken sends warm waves throughout my body and I never want us to part. "Of course, I forgive you."

Hunter steps back from our hug brushing out the knots in my hair with his fingers, "If you need anything, let me know, okay? I'm no Jack but I can still look out for his little sister."

Being reminded that I'm Jack's little sister pains me because that's something I've been labeled as my entire life. What is it going to take for everyone to realize that I'm Bailey. What is it going to take for Hunter to realize this?

We say our goodbyes and I watch him amble down the hallway and it's not until he disappears around the corner that I see it; the poster that was hanging behind him a moment ago. It's a giant poster of Jack smiling in his football gear, at the bottom it reads, We Remember Jack Daniels Moretti.

Finally looking up for the first time I do a quick spin around the hallway and I see Jack everywhere. His eyes stare at me in every direction, his smile so full of life. As if being here isn't enough of a reminder of him.

I draw a long breath, pulling my hood back over my head and continue down the hallway toward second period.

++++++++

It's finally lunch and Georgia and I find an empty table in the back of the cafeteria away from all the social groups.

I bite into my burger and observe everyone drifting toward their normal tables. I guess the seating chart hasn't changed either.

I notice the cheerleaders are still sitting with the football players on the other side of the room. The musical, theater and art kids sit together and the potheads and outcasts sit at the few tables next to us. I assume we are part of the outcast section now.

Normally, we would be sitting with the Board Game Club but I'm not ready to socialize with a lot of people, yet, or maybe ever again. Georgia agreed it would be best if we sat alone for the first week while I adjusted.

"You were right about all the posters of him," I say as I take a bite of instant mashed potatoes.

Georgia replies, "If you want -"

"There you guys are! I wasn't expecting you to be hiding out in the corner," Dakota plops down next to Georgia.

"Get out of here. We don't want any company" Georgia pushes him away.

"It's fine, your brother can stay," I assure her.

Dakota gives Georgia a nasty smirk before taking a bite of his burger and Georgia rolls her eyes as she always does when it comes to her siblings. She acts like she doesn't care about them but in truth they're probably the closest friends she has.

Dakota is just one of the many siblings in the Weber family. You have Virginia and Carolina who are both the oldest two in the family; Virginia beating Carolina by one year. Both live in their own farm houses raising their kids, working at the family bakery and helping out on the Weber's farm when they can.

Jackson is the eldest boy and a senior here but spends most of his time smoking weed under the bleachers with no promising future. It's a shame too, because he's a natural athlete, leader and total sweetheart and any girl probably would date him if he tried harder.

Then you have the twins, Dakota and Denver who are both sophomores. Denver will probably be joining us any minute now. She goes wherever Dakota goes. It's a weird relationship, but somehow they never get tired of spending time together. They both have the same interests, hobbies, and goals in life.

Georgia is, of course, a freshman like me who loves being home and surrounding herself with things that make her feel comfortable. Sometimes it gets boring but other times that consistency is exactly what I need too.

Then there's Phoenix, Tennessee (Tenny) and Austin. I don't remember how old they are or what grade they're in. Honestly, I lost track after Phoenix was born. All of the kids were named after states and cities and Mr. Weber likes to joke they're named after places they were conceived in.

The Weber family is always made fun of because they're the largest family in town, and yes they are all redheads. It's like the Weasley family from Harry Potter. A huge, poor, redheaded family but they're my second family and I don't care what others say, I wish I could dye my hair red and be a Weber too.

"Anyway, If you want-" Georgia

"Hey, Bailey! Welcome back!" Denver plops down next to me.

"Ugh, why is everyone interrupting me!" Georgia shouts!

"Oh hey, you look familiar. Do I know you?" Dakota jokes.

"Hm, I think we met like 16 years ago in the womb or something," Denver replies.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to talk here!" Georgia says.

"Geez, sorry grumpy. Continue your conversation." Denver makes funny faces to me while Georgia talks and I notice her outfit is very similar to Dakota's. Both are wearing black skinny jeans, with black and white striped shirts. Denver's hair is in two space buns while Dakota rocks his natural curls. The only difference between the two is that they wear different colored Converse. Even if you weren't familiar with the Weber family, you could tell these two are twins.

Compared to the twins, Georgia's outfit is not nearly as stylish. She wears an oversized faded band tee which I know she took from Jackson's closet. Her denim skinny jeans have holes in the knees and her Vans are dirty. Her new glasses are oversized which hides her eyes and of course, her hair is in a ponytail.

"As I was saying, If you want, I can have the posters taken down, I can talk to the Principle," Georgia suggests.

"If you have the posters taken down it will put everyone in a frenzy!" Dakota says.

"Yeah, you know how long it took the art club to paint that mural?!" Denver adds.

"It took you guys like one week to paint it." Dakota rolls his eyes.

"But we spent like dozens of hours during that one week!" Denver fights back.

"Wait, there's a mural too?" I ask.

"Yeah in front of the gym. I can show you after school." Georgia adds.

"I actually can't go with you today. I have an after school meeting with the Principle." I tell her

"First day back and she's already in trouble. " Dakota says sarcastically.

"Yeah, apparently being absent for two months is a little frowned upon," I joke.

"There's the Bailey we know," Dakota laughs.

"Well let us know how it goes," Georgia replies.

To be honest, I don't expect it to go well. I also don't understand why our meeting needs to be the first day I come back. There are already so many emotions running through me today but I guess it has to happen eventually, so might as well get it out of the way.

++++++++

Georgia's POV

The ticking of the clock is a constant reminder of how slow time moves during school. This was something Bailey always complained about but I never understood what she meant. School days always flew by for me because I love diving into the unknown content sitting in the book in front of me and every class ended with a cliffhanger making me eager to come back the next day.

Today, however, I'm too distracted thinking about Bailey to comprehend what is being taught. The ticking of the clock is a reminder of how many minutes are left and I finally understand what she means.

I haven't received a text from her all day. That means she hasn't given up yet, but I'm still worried for her. If it were me losing Jackson or Dakota I would have spiraled out of control and forced my parents to homeschool me.

However, Bailey always says she's fine and that she's more angry at his stupidity than she is sad about him being gone.

I like to think that's not true. Although they weren't exactly close, that was still her brother she lost that night and that's something she will never get back.

I look back up on the clock trying to use the Force and make the small hand move faster but to no avail. Ugh, if only I had powers!

The door below the clock slowly opens revealing a sophomore boy creeping into class.

Our chemistry teacher is busy writing on the whiteboard to notice and I think he might be successful this time.

"Jake Butler, you're late," our teacher scolds, not even turning around. I don't understand how she can have supernatural powers but I can't.

When she does turn around she points at the empty chair next to me. "Sit next to Georgia and see me after class."

The late boy does as she says and slinks into the chair of our shared table and pulls out his text book, but I ignore his presence and continue to practice my powers on the clock.

"Hey, I'm Jake," he smiles.

"Why do I care, late boy?" I reply.

"Okay then," he says.

The period continues to scroll by despite my mental efforts to move the hands closer to where I want them to be. As I concentrate harder, I start to wish I could actually move them in reverse, to the time before Jack died. If I could figure out how to do that, I could save Bailey--and a lot of other people--a lot of heartache.

Bailey's POV

The last bell rings and the classroom doors all open. Everyone heads toward the exit but I walk further into the school making my way to the principal's office. This will be my first and hopefully last time visiting him.

When I enter the Principal's office, I see the school counselor sitting next to him.

"How was your first day back Bailey?" the Principal asks.

It was extremely uncomfortable. Everyone stared at me with sympathetic eyes and when I made eye contact with them, they pretended not to notice me. The ones brave enough to talk to me, only would say words like, Sorry for what happened and My condolences for your loss.

Everywhere I turned were pictures of my brother. A constant reminder that he's gone and I'm still here. The unpopular Moretti still gets to attend school but her popular beloved brother is no longer with us.

"Fine." Is what I choose to say. I'm tired of talking about my feelings. Especially, to people I consider strangers.

"Alright, well I just wanted to meet with you to see how you are doing and see if there's anything else I can do to make this a comfortable environment for you." He says.

"Okay." I keep my sentences short. I'm tired and I just want this meeting to end.

"I'm sure there is a lot going on in your life right now. I have assigned you to a counselor who will help you get back on track with your school work and be there for you if you need someone to talk to. This is Mr. Smith."

"I know who he is," I say.

"I look forward to working with you Bailey. Would Tuesdays and Thursdays after school be an okay time to meet for a half-hour or so?"

"Sure." I still keep my sentences short.

"Wonderful. Let's plan to meet this Tuesday then. My office is-"

"I know where it is. Is there anything else? My ride is waiting for me." I lie.

"I see. Well, then we will bring this meeting to an end. Now that you two have established a meeting time and location, I see no reason for me to be involved. You're excused, Bailey."

"Thank you." I exit before they can come up with some excuse to keep me longer.

As I walk down the bare hallway I pass the gymnasium and see it, the Art Club's mural. A beautiful painting on the wall of my brother in his football uniform smiling down on me like an angel. Behind him is a blue sky with white clouds. Underneath that, is the football field with fans cheering in the stands. Seeing him up there and knowing he won't be walking these halls again angers me. Because of his death, my life has gotten worse.

When I exit the school the cold air greets me and I didn't realize I was suffocating until I inhaled this fresh air and when I look around I notice how quiet it is. I was in the Principal's office for maybe fifteen minutes and the campus is already empty, including all transportation options and since I did not plan for a ride, I will be walking home.

Normally, Georgia and I walk together unless we run into Georgia's oldest brother, Jackson, then we can usually convince him to give us a ride. The only problem with that is Denver and Dakota also use Jackson for a ride home, so it's a tight fit in his Corolla.

It's a typical February day in Wisconsin and there's about six inches of snow frozen to the ground. The wind is blowing across the fields which makes it hard to keep my hood up. I love living in Wisconsin, but the winters here are gruesome. Luckily, my walk isn't a long one, because I only live three miles away, but in winter it feels like hours and I wish there was a school bus for me to ride.

"Hey, what are you doing in the cold?! Get in!" I hear a yell coming from the rolled-down car window and when I look over I see a blue Chevy truck with none other than Levi Bedford driving.

~~~~~1/30/20 • 2926 words~~~~~

Do you walk to school? I never did. I always took the overly crowded bus.

Is it cold right now where you live? It's freezing in Chicago. 😖

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