Huckabee: A Short Story

"Late again, Miss Huckabee." I cringed, stopping halfway to my desk. Almost made it. A moment ago, when I'd peeked in through the classroom door, Mr. Lockhart had been preoccupied—completely absorbed in his book, as usual. I'd thought to sneak in without him noticing, but I should have been wiser than that. Henry Lockhart never misses a beat—no matter how faraway he may seem, his mind is always ticking. He notices every-freaking-thing. "Tut, tut," he chided. If I hadn't known any better, I might have thought he was trying to be comical. But I did know better. Mr. Lockhart didn't have a comical bone in his body. "Sorry, Mr. Lockhart." I gave him a cheesy grin, one that I hoped wasn't too cheeky. "Won't happen again." "Uh-huh." There were a few …show more content…

But still . . . impossible. I made the shape of an 'o' with my mouth, sharing a look with Phin. "You'll be pleased to note I haven't reprimanded you for referring to me as a dick, Mr. Sparks." "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." "And you, Miss Huckabee, are not immune simply because you're the principal's daughter." "I know that-" "Up here." Mr. Lockhart waved a piece of paper in the air as his eyes drifted back to his book, cutting me off. God, he was really rude sometimes. When I didn't move—because, seriously, rude—he raised his head again. He arched a brow and gave me another contemplative look. "Pop quiz, Miss Huckabee. Hurry up." I groaned. Typical. He could have given me the quiz before I'd taken my seat! I got up and trudged towards him, the sound of Phin's chuckle floating behind me. I grabbed the sheet of paper from his hand and turned to go back to my desk, but Mr. Lockhart kept hold of it, forcing me to face him. "Why were you late, Lily?" he asked. He finally lowered his book and placed it on his desk, giving me his full attention. "Lady problems, sir," I whispered. I leaned in conspiratorially and he gave me an odd smirk, one that called bullshit. "It's that time of the month." "I'm afraid you used that one a week …show more content…

Lockhart had been watching us. He hadn't moved from where he'd been stood for the last ten minutes, his hands still in his pockets, giving the impression he was casually surveying us, though he seemed to be listening pretty damn intently again. I gave Phin a sideways glance. You're failing? He ignored my silent question, and the point of Mr. Lockhart's comment. "It's gonna be the party of the century, sir. She can't miss it!" Mr. Lockhart rolled his eyes. It was subtle, but I caught it. "You said that about Madison Grant's party three weeks ago, as I recall." "Yeah," Phin smiled, his eyes sparkling with nostalgia. Seriously? I'd missed that little shindig too, but Maddie's parties weren't amazing enough that you looked back on them so wistfully three weeks later. "That was pretty good. This one's gonna be better." He turned to me, that sparkle still lighting his eyes, though it was much less syrupy now and kind of perverse. "Killian's gonna be there." A blush crept up my neck as I scowled at my so-called best friend. He knew better than to mention that name in company, for it always managed to turn my skin crimson. Instead of hissing at him like a snake, I decided to ignore the information. He walked ahead of me as I threw my stuff in my bag, keenly aware of Mr. Lockhart's eyes on me again. "A moment, Miss