Unexpected Turns

Finally, it's the day my parents get to have a discussion with my teacher. I've sat near the classroom we were supposed to be in and waited patiently. I looked at the clock near where I was sitting every few seconds or so. I was clearly nervous about this meeting, wondering how it would turn out. I looked down at my feet and zoned out. After thinking about plenty of ways this meeting could go, I heard someone's footsteps near the hallway. I slowly looked up to see who it was. I saw my homeroom teacher carrying stuff with her. There were twenty minutes left for the meeting to begin, so either she was passing by this hallway or getting inside the classroom I was sitting in front of. It didn't matter either way; what's important is having someone accompany me until my parents arrive to reduce my stress, so I hoped that she would go inside and let me in along with her. I stood up and bowed to her, trying to show my respect. Her heels stopped making sounds when she was a few steps away from me.

"Hello, Luke, you're pretty early," she said.

"Yeah, I didn't have any plans for today, so I decided to come here," I replied after I stopped bowing.

"You didn't come here with your parents?" she asked.

I shook my head. Today is a day off from school as it's parents' day, and most students are likely coming with their parents. For me, however, I didn't come here with them because I wanted to avoid them as much as possible due to the argument we had at home last week. Since then, things had been a little bit awkward between us, at least that's how I thought.

"I see, want to come into the classroom? I think it'll be better than sitting here," she said.

It appears things unfolded as I had hoped. I gladly accepted her offer and went into the classroom with her. I walked slightly behind her to know which seat she'd take. When I saw her placing her stuff on the table, I guessed that she was taking that seat, so I thought that me and my parents would be better sitting in front of her. I took the seat in front of her and then stared at the stuff she had with her. I couldn't really see them, but I'm guessing that she'll use them during this meeting. She was counting things she had, and after she finished counting, she looked at me as though she was about to say something to me.

"I forgot something. I will be right back," she said.

She hurried out of the classroom, and I was alone again. I looked at the papers that were on the other side of the scared table and got curious about what they were about. I wanted to take a peek but didn't do it because it would be inappropriate of me to do so to someone who clearly trusts me. Also, it wouldn't be good if she caught me taking a peek at her papers. Even if I didn't get caught, I would feel bad afterward. I looked at the clock in the classroom and saw that there were 5 minutes left until the meeting. It's strange that my parents didn't arrive yet. Normally they come a couple of minutes early during meetings. Despite my concerns, I reminded myself about how nervous I was before entering this classroom. I felt anxious as the time passed. Weirdly, both my parents and the teacher haven't come in yet. Confusion set in as I wondered why both of them were late. It would be normal if one of them was, but both at the same time? That's not something common that happens. I thought of regarding this as a pure coincidence, but I could not help but worry about it. What if it's not a coincidence that they were both late to the meeting? Should I go and check if they're in school? Maybe the three of them are talking on their way here. They're late five minutes; maybe I'm worrying too much. I sat there, growing more anxious as ten more minutes passed. My worry deepened. Something must have happened. I heard running footsteps from the hallway, and the door suddenly opened. My teacher looked pale and started to say something to me.

"Your parents..." she said, slightly hesitant for some reason.

"There has been a car accident involving your parents," she continued.

I was shocked. Not only did I have no idea what to say, but I also didn't know how I felt. I felt a mixture of sadness but also relief. I find myself in an unexpected situation.