Liona's Uncle Artemis continued to reassure her over her worries. As she listened, he walked her through her options.
"Liona, a lot of kids your age get anxious over their grades and graduation as seniors. However, unlike some, the only thing your parents are asking of you is to at least pass. They would like to see you graduate, but there are options for you even if you don't. It's okay to take your time and not rush through the remaining year. You can opt for summer school if you need more time to get those remaining credits. Of course, your Mom, and Dad will support you if you go this route. You'll walk with your peers and then receive your actual diploma after you complete your credits. Summer school is a lot more relaxed, so it should help your feelings of being overwhelmed."
"Summer school? But if I do that, then I'll definitely miss out on my graduation trip with Allison and Chloe!" Liona pouted.
"That's a choice you'll have to make. Part of becoming an adult is balancing your wants with your responsibilities. Sometimes that means sacrificing the fun option to do the necessary thing. It's not all fun and games as an adult, Liona. We often have to do things we don't like in order to do the things we want. I know that can seem scary, but it's not all bad. Sometime down the road, you may find someone to share the burdens of adulthood with. When that time comes, you'll be surprised at how much you'll look forward to each day that you'll spend with that special someone." Her uncle tried to soften his lecture a little.
She liked that about Uncle Artemis. He was always taking into account her feelings, and his lectures didn't feel so tedious and annoying because of it.
"Okay, Uncle Art. I'll think about summer school if I don't end up passing my classes to get the credits I need." Liona looked around.
"Did you want to wander around campus?"
"Is that alright, Uncle?"
"Sure, just make sure to see me again before you leave." Liona then waved goodbye to her uncle and started to aimlessly wander. After leaving the sports field area, she took in the sight of the single-story building before her. The school was divided up into sections with covered walkways that led to individual classrooms. It seemed like such an odd design choice for a school in an area that got a lot of rain. Wouldn't students be cold on their way to their classes?
As she wandered the near empty school, she came upon a group of students in a commons area that was centered near what looked like the cafeteria, the library, and the gymnasium. The other side of the commons area seemed to lead to a gate and a building that proclaimed itself to be the office. On the side, she supposed was the gym, was the school mascot emblazoned on the wall. It was an image of what she took to be a young horse with the school colors painted out below it saying 'Fillies' This school was the rival of her school when it came to sports. She was aware of just how deep the rivalry went, especially during the football season. That made her wonder if she was going to be asked to prom by a dozen guys again.
She hated to be fawned over, but Jeffery was no longer in the picture, so she certainly wasn't going with him this year. That meant that it was open season as far as the boys of the school were concerned. As she mused about this, she saw a few of the kids break from their little clique and start heading her way. At first, she thought nothing of it, but then as she was heading toward another of the covered walkways, leading deeper into the school, she heard one of them say something to her.
"What's a Lion doing on our turf? You looking to rub our noses in your latest win?" One of the students taunted.
"Oh, I'm not here for sports. I'm visiting my uncle who works here." Liona said dismissively.
"Yeah right! That uniform says it all! Why would anyone, not here to cause trouble, be wearing that hoity-toity uniform on our school grounds?"
"You sure don't sound convincing. If you're trying to intimidate me, I would rather not get into the politics of our school rivalries if you don't mind. I don't really care for most sports, and I only play the occasional sport with my friends and family. There's no need to get so uppity."
"We're uppity? Hah! You Lion's are all the same! You talk big now, but someday you'll see your precious school crushed beneath our heels!" Scoffed another of the students.
"Well, by then, I won't care. I'm a senior and judging from your pathetic attempts to rile me up, most of you are underclassmen. Learn some manners first, then you can swagger and strut your school pride the proper way." Liona turned to leave the area.
"You can't just wander around our school, without permission, young lady! You need to check in at the office if you're going to be here!" The stern voice of a teacher sounded as she rounded a corner, nearly bumping into them.
"Oh, I'm here on my Aunt and Uncle's behalf. The school should already be aware that I was visiting." Liona sighed. She typically didn't have to check in with the office if she was visiting her uncle. She rarely wandered campus those times, so she had wanted to take one last look around before she was done coming to this school to see him.
"And how are we supposed to know who you are without a visitor's badge?" The teacher pressed.
Liona dug out her school ID from her skirt pocket and handed it to the teacher. All the while, she could hear the snickers and hushed voices of the kids behind her, saying she was getting busted. She rolled her eyes at their childish behavior.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, Miss Bartley! I didn't realize who you were! Carry on!" The teacher's tone changed considerably as her ID was handed back.
"What?! That's not fair, Ms. Lewinsky! How come she gets special treatment when she doesn't even go to our school!" The group of kids sounded outraged.
"She is exempt from standard visitor protocol, because her family has donated a lot of money to this school as well as her uncle gracing our school with his presence as a teacher, counselor, and coach. Her family owns The Bartley Montessori Private Academy and is well respected in the community. You would do well to pay attention to your history lessons!" Ms. Lewinsky lectured the kids behind her.
Liona really didn't like to flaunt her family's connection to the community, she didn't think it was necessary. She only threw her family's weight around when she deemed it necessary, such as when Jeffrey was getting out of hand by grabbing her. She didn't like her personal space being invaded unless she consented to it. It was very rare that someone didn't get the back off message in her pheromones, which she likened to a thorny bramble instead of the deep scent of a rose everyone compared them too.
The kids didn't seem to have a comeback for the teacher and soon scurried off in different directions while the teacher continued to speak to her.
"Did you need help finding your uncle? Mr. Edevane should be out on the sports field, coaching the ladies' soccer team, currently." Ms. Lewinsky asked her.
"No, that's okay. I've already seen and talked to my uncle. I'm just looking around, seeing as this is probably the last time I'll visit this school."
"Oh, that's right, you're a senior, so you'll be graduating soon! Are you planning on going into education like your family?"
"Not really. I don't want to be a teacher. I'll figure out what I want to do eventually." Liona shrugged off the teacher's comments. She didn't feel like going over her grades or life plan with a teacher she wasn't familiar with. After the teacher left, Liona continued to wander around.
What, or who, she didn't expect to run into, when she turned a blind corner to a narrow walkway, was Erik.
"Oh! Hey! Hi!" Liona flushed a bit as she saw who she bumped into. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I didn't mean to bump into you." She smiled at his expression as he seemed to be a bit flustered at seeing her.
"It's alright, I wasn't looking either…" Erik seemed to mumble as he looked down.
Liona followed his gaze and took in what he was wearing. He was wearing an oversized t-shirt, some jeans that looked to have seen better days. As well as some sneakers that were definitely looking like they should have seen the bottom of a trash can by now with how beat up they were. He wasn't even wearing a sweater or jacket! Was he embarrassed to be dressed comfortably?
She knew that a lot of boys liked to wear their clothes in this fashion, but usually the style was newer looking than this. Maybe this is what passed for fashion for those that couldn't afford to buy the designer labels she and her siblings were used to. She didn't think too much of it at the moment, since Erik seemed in a bit of a rush.