MassaHJ
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Chapter 74 The Apology
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 19:11:34 +0000 UTCSam didn’t show up to first period.
Carly noticed right away. She kept glancing at the empty seat, then at the door, then over at me. Her fingers tapped nervously on the edge of her notebook, like she wanted to ask but didn’t know how.
I sat still, eyes forward, pretending not to notice.
—
Then, during second period, Sam showed up.
She walked in quietly, not saying anything, her steps slower than usual. Her eyes were a little red, like she had cried.
Everyone glanced her way but didn’t say much. Even the teacher only gave her a nod and gestured toward her seat.
I watched her for a second. She didn’t look at me. Not once.
Just a moment later, the teacher from first period stepped out of the classroom.
The usual second period teacher—the idiot who "tried" to help Freddie—didn't show up.
Instead, Principal Flankin walked in.
He began, "Your teacher had a little inconvenience."
I said with sarcasm, "Didn’t know being fired was considered a little inconvenience nowadays."
Principal Flankin turned his head slowly and looked at me. I looked right back at him. Neither of us smiled. No tension, no challenge—just two people locking eyes with complete neutrality.
Then a knock came at the door. A teacher peeked in, holding a sealed envelope.
"For you, Principal Flankin," she said politely, handing it over.
He took the letter without a word, nodded, and opened it slowly while still standing at the front of the classroom. His eyes scanned the contents in silence.
I leaned back slightly and muttered just loud enough, "Seems like the deputy superintendent agrees that incompetence deserves a firing."
No one laughed, but I saw a few exchanged glances. Flankin kept reading, expression unreadable.
Then he folded the letter and tucked it into his jacket.
"A substitute teacher will be announced shortly," he said in his usual even tone. "For now, use this time to work on your homework."
Without another word, he turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
The moment the door closed, the room erupted.
Some kids started clapping, others whistled. A couple of guys in the back stood up and high-fived. Even Carly let out a laugh, though she tried to cover it quickly. Freddie cracked a smile for the first time all day.
I didn’t join in. I just leaned back in my chair and watched them celebrate like we’d all won something.
Mr. Devlin. A man who somehow made every class feel like a punishment. The guy deducted points if your paper was three-hole punched (Carly got a B+ because of that). He literally called students "idiot," "awful," "bad," and "terrible" when handing back assignments. Once, when half the class said they couldn't keep up, he simply shrugged and said, "I will not slow down."
He had many complaints. I don’t know how he didn’t get kicked before, nor do I care. I had enough.
Then one of the guys in the back raised his arms and shouted, "To our prince!"
Clearly referring to me.
I clenched my teeth and thought, Prince?! Kinda cringe. I'm not some shoujo manga MC.
—
After class, Sam found Freddie in the hallway. She didn’t wait until they were alone. In front of everyone, she looked at him straight on and said:
"I told you guys that Freddie never kissed anyone. And that was really personal and I shouldn't have said it. And for all you people out there who've teased Freddie about it, lay off, 'cause I bet a whole lot of you haven't kissed anyone either-- including me. Yeah, that's right. I've never kissed anyone. So, if you wanna tease someone about it, tease me, which is a bad idea unless you live near a hospital."
"So I’m sorry, Freddie."
It was honest. It was bold. And for a second, everything went quiet.
Freddie blinked, clearly caught off guard, but nodded. "Okay," he said. "We're good."
They weren’t suddenly best friends, but it felt like something had been repaired.
As I turned toward my locker, Carly came up beside me with a smile.
"Thank you!" she said.
"For?"
"You know," she said, still smiling, but with a small shrug. Then she added quietly, "I wish I could be that reliable too."
I gently patted her head. "You will be with time."
Carly gave me a deadpan look. "You sound older than Spencer."
"That’s because he sounds like an eleven-year-old."
We both laughed.
—
In a hidden spot behind the school building, I found Cher waiting.
"Thank you for your help," I said.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "I didn’t like him either. Can you believe he called me an idiot one time?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I can. That sounds like him."
Cher rolled her eyes, clearly still annoyed by it. But she smiled a little, too.
Then she added, "But I didn’t know you were this kind of person. What would you have done if it wasn’t your friend Sam? If it was just some random girl humiliating your friend?"
I shrugged and said, "Who knows?"
I smirked. "So I just need to pay with kisses?"
Cher snorted. "That would be more like a reward for you."
I didn’t say anything. I just sat down next to her and kissed her.
Then I pulled back slightly, grinning. "Are you sure about that?"
Cher playfully slapped my shoulder. "Just kiss me, you idiot."
So I did.
As we were kissing, two familiar voices came from nearby.
I stopped and turned.
Cher, a little annoyed that the kiss was interrupted, turned her head as well to see who it was.
I quickly reached over, gently covering her mouth with my hand, and brought a finger to my lips. "Shh. Sam and Freddie, yeah," I whispered.
