Mr Williams sat back down behind his desk. He opened his leather briefcase and shuffled through papers. How had this school managed to catch someone like Mr Williams?

Everything about him was more suited for a private school or somewhere fancy like Harvard or Oxford. He had a sophistication that was only complimented never compromised by his calm nature and comedic ties.

"Here we are." He said as he pulled out a small blue file with Sophie's name written across the front. "Don't look so nervous."

"Am I in trouble?" She asked.

"Why on earth would you be in trouble?" The blue file flipped open and inside was a conglomeration of Sophie's grades over the years, her GPA score, random assortment of tests and her college application.

"Are you stalking me?" She slapped her hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that out loud.

He laughed whilst putting his glasses back on his face. "I guess you could say that, yes." Calming down a bit, he picked a few of the sheets. "I mean this in the kindest way, if you have a certain career path in mind then please tell me to shut up, this conversation is between you and me only. I just..." he gestured at the sheet for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing, "you're such an intelligent girl, Sophie."

Whatever she had expected this conversation to be, it certainly wasn't this.

"You are a well of untapped potential." He continued. "I hope you don't mind me being nosey, my wife is always making fun of me for never minding my own business, but I looked at your college application and I personally feel you could aim for so much more. You have maintained a GPA score of 4.5 and higher on occasions throughout your high school career, the lowest score you've ever gotten on a test was an A- in Physics, and yet you have only applied to three colleges in total: two that are only ten minute drives away and a community college that's right down the street. I wasn't even aware that you had such a strong interest in religious studies. Is this what you really want?"

It was amazing how many people had been asking her that recently? Perhaps it was something on Sophie's face or in her body language that betrayed her dissatisfaction for life. Either way, she'd been asked the question so many times that she finally had an answer she was certain in.

"No. My parents want me to stay very close then take over the church."

"But you have no desire to do this?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Alright then." He pushed the papers aside and looked at her from over the frame of his glasses. A serious look that she had never seen him do before. "Sophie, with full confidentiality, are your parents giving you any choice in this?"

She shook her head.

"I see. Is the reason that you arrived so early to school today and your sleep deprivation a result of your parents as well?"

She nodded.

"Okay. Would you like to tell me what happened?"

Normally, she would've said no. Normally, she would've taken everything back and told him that she was only joking. That everything was fine.

But she was tired.

So very very tired.

"I got sent away last summer." She began and she didn't stop speaking until the weight on her shoulders felt lighter. She first spoke about the 'summer camp' her parents had sent her off to. How they had originally framed it as an across state trip to see her grandparents until they stayed at this weird hospital/hotel-esque place for the night, but when she woke up her parents were gone. She explained the isolation, the misery, the bullying from people introduced as her new caretakers. How she had seen one of those caretakers last night.

For a while, she forgot that Mr Williams was Colby's dad and explained to him the situation of her dysfunctional relationship with Joanna and how Sophie had almost destroyed her friendship with Colby. She didn't want to lose him. As soon as her parents found out he was gay, she could never see him outside of school again. She told him about how vindictive she'd been with Ezra and her conflict with Finley.

She told him about Avni. How much she liked her. How when she was around Avni, she felt that maybe —just maybe— she might be a good person after all.

She finished with what had happened with her parents last night. The fight with her mom, her disgust for her dad.

"I think that's everything." She concluded.

Mr Williams had sat silently the entire time. Nodding his head and intently listening to every weird. Not once did he interrupt or force her to continue. He simply listened.

Once she was done, he smiled at her though there was an expression of pain to it. "Thank you for telling me." He said . "You're very strong."

"No, I'm not strong. I've done awful things and I'm not a good person."

"Only a person with immeasurable strength would be able to endure what you have. For whether you are a good person or not is a debate left to the philosophers. Perhaps you have not always done the right thing, but you are only human. There are plenty of future opportunities to be better."

He was right. It was strange to say that the thought had never occurred to her. She was so weighed down by the mistakes of her past that she had hardly put thought into the decisions of the future. Maybe it was because she had been trapped in high school for too many years, but it was nice to hear an adult assure her that there was more to life than within the high school walls.

"As for your home life I... I have no words. Conversion therapy is still legal in this state. I can contact child services on your behalf, but with the severity of your situation I can't predict the results. Your parents have such a good reputation and standing within the community that if you weren't taken seriously, you would be sent back home and possibly put in a more hostile environment. But on the other hand-"

"I don't want to get anyone involved." Sophie interjected.

"I understand, but your situation is disgusting. Something has to be done."

"I can get to graduation." She promised. "Please, Mr Williams. I can make it to graduation, but then I want out. I need your help with that."

He didn't look pleased with the idea but he nodded his head. "Tell me what I can do."

*

She left Mr Williams classroom feeling oddly refreshed. She didn't enjoy sharing the burden of her home life with Mr Williams, but to finally talk in full detail with someone about her life and have them agree that her suffering is exactly that, the feeling was indescribable. For so many years she had felt crazy for being angry at her parents treatment of her, but she had no one to tell, no one to validate her feelings.

The future was more exciting than she thought.

She walked straight to the cafeteria and hoped that she wasn't too late. Her confession to Mr Williams had caused her to lose track of time. She wasn't sure what time it was exactly, but lunch had started a while ago.

When she entered the lunch hall, she spotted Avni and Trisha sitting and eating lunch together in the far right corner, and Finley, Brent, Ezra and Colby closer to the door she'd come through on her left. Colby waved at her and she signalled to him that she'd be right back.

She manoeuvred through the bustling students hungry for the usual slop until she was at Avni's table.

"There you are." Said Avni. "What took you so long?"

"I was with Mr Williams, had a talk with him. Um, would you..." Trisha glanced up at Sophie as she spoke, her cheeks puffed out with food like a chipmunk, "would you two like to sit with me on a different table?"

Avni looked at Trisha who shrugged as she swallowed her food.

"Lead the way." Said Avni.

Sophie played follow the leader with them until she nearly got knocked straight off her feet by some huge guy who had accidentally bumped into her. The guy snorted as he realised he what he'd done.

"Didn't see you there." It wasn't really an apology, not that the guy looked very apologetic.

"It's okay. Sorr-" she began to apologise.

"Watch where your fucking going next time."

The guy looked like he was about to shit himself as he was face to face with Avni who stood at the same tall height as him. She was around 5"10 usually, but the boots she was wearing boosted her height significantly. Who knew Avni could put such an intimidating face on.

Trisha joined in because she could. She put her middle finger up at him. "Yeah, fuck you." She declared safely from behind Avni.

The guy's friends laughed at him and he walked away from the girls in a huff. Muttering "whatever" as he left.

Avni pulled Sophie up and linked their arms together. "Just so you don't go falling for someone else." That shit eating grin was back.

Trisha linked arms with Sophie on her other side. "Avni can be the designated guard dog from now on." She glanced at Sophie and Avni's arms then at Avni's face. Her arm slipped away from Sophie's. "Oh sorry, was this like a gay thing that was happening? It's super cute and I fully support you Sophie."

"What about me?" Asked Avni.

"Love you lots, but you make me homophobic."

"You make me hate straight people."

"Stop oppressing me!" She joked.

Sophie and Avni's arms stayed intertwined as they made their way to the table.

"Bringing company today?" Asked Ezra. Every once in a while his hand would shoot out to bat away Colby's hand that kept trying to steal food off his plate.

"It's good to have friends." Said Colby. He tried to sneak a fry off of Ezra's tray and once again got hit. "You should aim for friends who actually care about you though, not fake friends who don't believe in sharing." Which was obviously not aimed at Ezra.

Trisha sat next to Brent and the two talked like long time friends, no animosity or awkwardness between them to signal that they were actually ex's. Sophie overheard Trisha begin their conversation by asking Brent what kind of shoes he wore and why.

"Avni, my guy." Finley and Avni grasped hands and did the stereotypical macho shoulder bump thing. "I saw those mad alpha moves of yours over there."

"What can I say?" Avni stroked her chin in an all too fuckboy way. "Gotta make sure the beta males out here know there place."

"You two aren't funny, you know that?" Trisha commented.

"Don't listen to her, alpha Finley. She's homophobic." Said Avni.

What the hell was with the alpha thing?

"Don't worry, alpha Avni. I already knew that already."

"I'm not homophobic to everyone. Just you two really."

"Why?" Asked Finley.

"You know why. Or do I have to bring up the football training camp?"

"What happened on the football training camp?" Asked Sophie.

"I peed in a bush." Said Colby, munching on a fry that Ezra had pity gave him after so many failed attempts.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "The toilets were gross, so... bush."

That simple for guys, huh?

The entire table started to bicker and banter between themselves. The energy was so lively. Conversations were so easy to join in on that all Sophie had to do was turn her head and she was involved in a different conversation.

At one point, Avni leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

With complete honesty, she answered: "Yes."

╔═══════════════╗
Thank you to my patreons
╚═══════════════╝
Lovuy Thomson
Cheyanne
Monica Torres
Samantha bonner
Senait
Megan Dow
Klara Rdn
Laura McCloud
The average teenager life
Jaikena Givens
Sam c.
Leonie Echternkamp
Riley
Linnea Anderson
DEME
Vanessa Arredondo
Dark&sour
Gabrielle Laforest
Ruby
tepy luon kongkea
Mel
Jenni Lyons
Katerina Whitney-syndone
Brandon Bradley