Chapter 7

He saw Erik standing by the pavement waiting for him. Travis hurriedly approached him.

"Yo Erik, how you been, man?" Travis asked as he and Erik dapped each other up.

"Good, I guess. Just been spending my time gaming, is all. I found this new game, though. Pretty sick. Also, sorry for your loss, by the way."

"No worries, man. So, you ready for school?" Travis asked.

Erik shook his head in response, then said, "Nope. Hate that place. How the hell am I still getting bullied in college? Makes zero sense, really."

"You're right, but don't worry, Erik. In a month or two, everything around the school will change. So, let's go," he said.

With that short talk after weeks of being apart, they began to walk toward the school. Travis and Erik were basically childhood friends, yet they didn't spend that much time together unless they were at the treehouse behind their houses, of course. Other than that, they would rarely see each other.

They soon reached the school building. As they stood in front of the hell house, Travis saw many characters, who were just normal people here.

Well, they still had problems, and he wanted to solve them. He and Erik walked inside the building and were met with the bustling school of kids walking around or just hanging together around their lockers.

'I hate crowds, honestly. But let's forget about that. If I'm correct, I'll meet Mrs. Smith right now,' he thought.

Travis walked forward, and Erik left, saying that he needed to get something from his locker. While Travis explored a bit, he suddenly saw Mrs. Smith standing by the stairs. She saw him as well and signaled for him to come closer, which he did.

"Travis! You're back. Do you know how low your marks are? I need you to come to my office," Mrs. Smith snapped, her tone sharp and demanding.

Before Travis could respond, Erik tried to jump in, "But Mrs. Smith, his dad die—"

His words were cut off by a withering glare from Mrs. Smith that made Erik freeze in place. The cold intensity in her eyes sent a clear message.

"You better get to class before I send you to detention," she warned him. Then, turning back to Travis, she added, "Travis, follow me. We need to talk." Without another word, she spun around and walked off, leaving Travis and Erik behind.

"Alright, man, I'll see you in class," Erik said, giving him a quick dap. "By the way, I slipped something in your locker to welcome you back. Peace, man."

Travis smiled inwardly, appreciating the gesture. Erik was a solid friend, even though in the game, his storyline annoyed Travis. Erik had to choose between a MILF and a gamer girl during his arc, a decision that seemed trivial to Travis but caused plenty of frustration.

As he climbed the stairs, Travis spotted Mrs. Smith standing halfway up, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on him impatiently.

"Hurry up," she called out sternly. "You need to get to class, remember?"

She turned back and walked up the stairs. She would always make sure that no kids hung around these stairs, especially dudes. Because, well, Travis found out why. He saw her beautiful, thick ass as she walked up. Her purple panties tightly held her assets in the sexiest way.

'Damn, she thick,' he thought.

They reached the second floor, where the air seemed a bit more relaxed compared to the bustling first. Club rooms lined the hallway along with the teachers' lounge, cafeteria, computer room, and a few bathrooms scattered about. Travis glanced around, noting the familiar sights before his eyes landed on Kevin—the only openly gay guy in their school.

"Hey, Travis!" Kevin called out, walking over with a bright smile.

"What's up, man?" Travis responded, giving him a casual nod.

Kevin wasted no time getting to the point. "You should check out the gym sometime. They've got Muay Thai classes now. Could be your thing, you know?"

Travis thought about it for a second before responding, "Yeah, sounds cool. I'll come by when I get a chance."

With that, they exchanged a quick goodbye, and Travis continued his way up to the third floor, where the atmosphere shifted. This level housed all the teachers' offices, each one separated and somewhat isolated. It struck him as strange but, at the same time, convenient—especially since he preferred less foot traffic.

He walked to the far end of the hall without bothering to knock, pushing open the door to Mrs. Smith's office. Inside, the scene was almost too perfect—Mrs. Smith sat confidently on her desk, her presence commanding as always, while Annie, another student who always seemed to linger around, was sitting in one of the chairs, her eyes widening slightly at Travis's entrance.

"Now, let's discuss your grades, Travis," Mrs. Smith said, her voice stern but calm. "You've been absent for an entire month. It's April now, and the end of the semester is fast approaching. You have zero marks in everything—Gym Class, Math, English—you name it, you're failing it."

Annie, sitting to the side, couldn't help but add, "You're such a disgrace!"

Mrs. Smith's sharp glare silenced her immediately, making Annie sit up straighter and correct her tone.

"I don't remember asking you to speak, Annie," Mrs. Smith said before turning her attention back to Travis. "Look, there's still a chance for you to turn things around, but you need to start pulling your socks up. I'd advise you to talk to your teachers and see if they'll let you do any makeup work. Now, go."

Travis hesitated for a moment. "Umm, could you help me with something? I kinda forgot the code to my locker."

Mrs. Smith raised an eyebrow, visibly annoyed. "What? We specifically told everyone on the first day to write their combinations down. Are you dumb or what?"

Before Travis could respond, Annie jumped in again. "Seriously, are you an idiot?"

"Annie, shut up," Mrs. Smith snapped, her frustration evident. She sighed heavily before addressing Travis once more. "Travis, I'm disappointed. Now we have to get a new lock for your locker, and God knows how long that will take. Annie, take my key and go open it for him."

"Yes, ma'am," Annie muttered, grabbing the key from Mrs. Smith's desk.

After leaving Mrs. Smith's office, Travis followed Annie down to the first floor, trying to get his bearings. He wasn't even sure where he was supposed to go next, his mind still half-focused on what just happened.

"Man, you must be a real idiot to lose your combination," Annie said, pulling a key out from between her breasts, which made Travis blink in surprise.

"Why the hell did you put it in your breasts?" he asked, unable to hide his confusion.

"Because nothing gets lost there," she replied with a shrug. "Now take your stuff. I'm tired of dealing with you dumb kids."

Travis grabbed his belongings, then turned back to her, a bit annoyed. "Kids? We're the same age."

"Yeah, but every one of you acts so immature, it's like dealing with actual children," she shot back. "Now hurry up. I don't want to ruin my perfect attendance because of you."

Travis rolled his eyes but followed her, figuring it wasn't worth arguing.

After retrieving his stuff, Travis and Annie made their way to Ms. Bissette's class. Annie sat at the front, like she usually did. Ms. Bissette hadn't arrived yet, so the classroom was filled with the usual chatter and noise. Nothing to worry about.

Travis scanned the room, looking for an empty seat. Spotting one in the back, he made his way over and sat down. He leaned back in his chair, watching the other students, trying to blend in, hoping the day would pass without any more drama.

Mrs. Bissette walked into the room, her seductive gaze sweeping over the class. She had a reputation among the students for being overly close and personal, something the guys didn't mind since it was, for most of them, the closest they'd get to female attention—sad as that was.

"Class, quiet down," she commanded, her voice smooth yet authoritative. As the chatter died down, a smile crept across her lips. "I'll be doing roll call, okay?"

She began calling out names, her tone almost playful. When she reached Travis's name and heard his response, she paused, clearly surprised. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on him.

"Travis, you finally decided to come to school. We're happy to have you back," she said with a smile that lingered a bit too long. "Also, could you stay behind when the class leaves for the first period?"

He nodded, which made her smile and continue the roll call. Travis looked around the class and found an interesting individual who also happened to be his first target staring at him: Judith, the beautiful loner girl in the school. Well, she's not necessarily a loner; it's just that the girls here outcast her for her large breasts and timid behavior. They even call her a cow, which is sad.

Unlike these blinded mfs, Travis saw a gem in her. He thought she would make a great girlfriend. So why not try to rizz her up? Also, today's events, if they even happen, would honestly make her even closer to him. So he had to play his cards right and up his rizz game.

Judith saw that Travis was looking at her, which made her blush and quickly avert her eyes. He smirked, then looked back to Mrs. Bissette, who had just finished with the roll call.

"Alright, you may leave," she announced, her voice cutting through the lingering tension in the room.

TO BE CONTINUED