ms. clarke.

Her face grew red at his mention of the candy bar and she rolled her eyes with a grin, pushing him playfully towards the seat in her office, taking a seat and making herself comfortable.

“I’d shove it all in my mouth had you not stopped me, so thanks!”

Eloise was a bit stunned by his words, almost to the point where she was choking on a peanut that still lingered in the confines of her teeth. That shit actually happened!? Figuring now wasn’t the time to discuss bullying in the school or the tactics used by said bullies, she had bigger fish to fry, like the swelling on Sam’s face, the one student whom she had come to be profoundly fond of over the school year despite this being her first year there. The amount of times he found his way to her office, it had to have been a record of sorts, but that wasn’t really the case either, at least not at that moment in time. Someone had to do something, and she was going to be the one to do it, she just needed to figure out how considering most students who came into her office were faking most ailments. Sad to say, Sam’s were real and constant.

Taking a drink of ice water from her large travel mug, she furrowed her brow as she stared at the boy who took a seat on the leather seat that was more suited for a psychiatrists office, but she figured it it’d hurt when people were truly needing to lie down. Sam, well, he just sat, like a good boy, grinning to himself and showcasing one of his finer features.

If only he knew what a handsome kid he’d grow up to be, that all this bullying would be put to rest eventually and girls would be flocking to his side. For the time being however, the only people by his side were men who wanted to give those so-called atomic wedgies and make his life  a living hell.

Turning in her chair she glanced at his chart, noticing he had sister who had recently graduated, there went his protection, she thought rather pessimistically.

Looking back to him as she let the paper fall, she smiled at him, placing her hands in her lap, staring at the brunette boy.

He told her what happened, being hit as a bystander, but there was still a part of her that didn’t think it was so simple. Maybe the person who did it meant to hit him, bullies were clever like that, she should know considering her own reckless past in high school when she got in the wrong group of people during her junior year, picking on new girls who came to school. It was to her good fortune it only lasted a couple of months before she said, literally, “Fuck it,” and focused on school and the small group of nerdy friends she made. Math and biology students were never popular and rarely – if ever – got asked to prom.

“Kinda like dodge ball last week?” Eloise finally said to him with raised eyebrows, concern still laced in her voice despite her expression being kinda. “What was it again?” Furrowing her brow, she leaned back in her squeaky seat, recalling the story.

“You all were playing dodge ball and some kid beamed you right in the face despite there being other parts of your body there were larger targets and…bigger?” Scrunching her nose, she waved a hand, it wasn’t her job to figure out all the minute details.

“It looks swollen,” she finally admitted, but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t see that in the mirror.

Rising from her seat she went over to her little cooler and pulled out a froze pack to keep swelling down. She found a washcloth and wrapped it around it as to keep the actually plastic from freezing his skin too bad. Handing it to him, she fell back in her seat.

“Hold it there for a bit,” she advised, her eyes scanning his face as she pondered more about this accident.

“Bystander, huh? Eloise echoed. “What exactly was going on? Someone getting shoved into a locker? Trash can? Or did someone take a swing at you?” It was on the tip of her tongue to ask why he didn’t tell someone, like the guidance counselor whom she was very fond of and his hippy ways. Or even the principal. Did his parents even know?

“Want me to go push him down the stars after they accidentally got in my way?” Eloise winked at him, kidding, but was she really?

      his weight sank into the seat that, surprisingly, hadn’t had his own bottom
      embossed on it yet from his numerous visits. one day he wonders if ms.
      clarke would reach a certain point, the point that some of the teachers
      already had that turned them into bitter, uncooperative people that want
      to get rid of students that just didn’t fit their satisfaction. if a circle was the
      perfect, ideal student all teachers would tolerate & help out, sam’s constant
      calls for help would make him an oval in their eyes. 

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