Crystal And Aileen
written by Lexi H.
We have Crystal, a go-getter girl with parents who are never home. We have Aileen, a quieter girl, who has to deal with finding out about her broken family (and limbs). Their relationship is long-lasting, and they're sure that it'll survive this. But can they help their friends and family through it all?
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
3
Reads
532
Chapter Two: At Least Crystal Is Here…
Chapter 2
She would not be fine. She was standing in front of twenty people, in a classroom, with a cast on her leg, and she was expected to introduce herself. She barely heard herself say,
“Hi… I’m Aileen Juarez-Ellis, and I’m here because I needed to switch schedules because of my broken ankle. I broke it at a coffee shop a week ago, and I’m still waiting for it to recover. Crys- Alexis is helping me out for a few weeks, so… Yeah… If I have any dizzy spells, please don’t worry. It’s a side effect of a pain medication that I’ve been taking. A-Alexis knows what to do.”
The teacher smiled. Apparently he was a substitute, because the regular was sick today. He only looked to be around twenty four. Not much older than them, really. She couldn’t remember his name.
“Thank you, Miss Aileen! Please go ahead and sit by Miss Crystal. Now, for today’s lesson, we’re supposed to read some Shakespeare. You all are high school seniors, yes?” The class groaned loudly. The substitute continued.
“However, I’ll say that I didn’t understand the lesson plan, and so I set you guys off to read quietly. However, reading quietly isn’t exactly an order, per say, but a suggestion. Have fun!” Crystal perked up, and nudged Aileen excitedly.
“That’s Matt- I mean, that’s Mister Juarez! He has the same last name as your dad, which is kind of funny… Doesn’t he kind of look like you a bit? No, really, I’m serious. Anyways, he’s the best substitute in the school! He does overuse finger guns a bit, though. I’m surprised that you haven’t had him yet… He’s really nice, and plays games to help us learn the material! He apparently has only ever worn pants instead of a skirt once in his life! Either way, I hope that he’s an actual teacher here someday…” Aileen smiled at Crystal, and grabbed her hand, to hold it gently. Crystal pulled away panickedly, looking about the room and making sure that nobody saw. When she was sure that nobody was looking, she looked back at Aileen, to see tears starting to form. In a panic, she whispered,
“Sorry, Leen. It’s just… This class is known to be really homophobic. I’m not afraid for my safety or reputation, but you… I’m terrified for you. Hey, hey, it’s not your fault! Hey, maybe we can hold hands under the table, okay?” Aileen nodded, and a sense of calm washed over her. For a second, she thought that everything would be okay again. Then, somehow, someone realized what they had heard.
“Hey! They’re dating, you guys! Look!” Crystal tensed up, and tightened her grip. Aileen went totally still. She hadn’t had this happen before, but it felt awful. It was like the whole world was judging her. The classmates started murmuring, and saying awful things. Then, Mister Juarez spoke up.
“That’s enough, you guys. Leave them alone, okay? Aileen, are you alright? Crystal?” Aileen let out a silent nod, and Crystal gave out a weak smile. Mister Juarez smiled at them, and then turned to the rest of the class, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Since you cannot handle two possible homosexual people as classmates, you obviously cannot handle one homosexual teacher. Therefore, instead of my original plan, I’ll teach you all about the discrimination of the LGBT community throughout history! We have plenty of time, after all.” The class groaned loudly, as Mister Juarez made finger guns at them, winking at Aileen and Crystal. Aileen grinned. She liked this teacher, despite the overuse of finger guns. One time was more than enough, in her opinion. After class, as they were walking away, the teacher stopped them.
“Hey, Miss Juarez-Ellis? Would your father happen to be one Marco Juarez? And your mother an Emma Ellis?” Aileen nodded.
“Yes, do you know them?” Mister Juarez smiled.
“Yes, actually. Hi, nice to meet you, I’m your half-brother. Matthew Juarez, at your service. Sorry that Mara couldn’t be here, she really wanted to meet you! She’s also way closer to your age, so...” Aileen wasn’t sure if the dizzy spell she had at that moment was because of the medication, or because of the discovery of a brother that she didn’t even know existed. Either way, she definitely fainted.
“Hi… I’m Aileen Juarez-Ellis, and I’m here because I needed to switch schedules because of my broken ankle. I broke it at a coffee shop a week ago, and I’m still waiting for it to recover. Crys- Alexis is helping me out for a few weeks, so… Yeah… If I have any dizzy spells, please don’t worry. It’s a side effect of a pain medication that I’ve been taking. A-Alexis knows what to do.”
The teacher smiled. Apparently he was a substitute, because the regular was sick today. He only looked to be around twenty four. Not much older than them, really. She couldn’t remember his name.
“Thank you, Miss Aileen! Please go ahead and sit by Miss Crystal. Now, for today’s lesson, we’re supposed to read some Shakespeare. You all are high school seniors, yes?” The class groaned loudly. The substitute continued.
“However, I’ll say that I didn’t understand the lesson plan, and so I set you guys off to read quietly. However, reading quietly isn’t exactly an order, per say, but a suggestion. Have fun!” Crystal perked up, and nudged Aileen excitedly.
“That’s Matt- I mean, that’s Mister Juarez! He has the same last name as your dad, which is kind of funny… Doesn’t he kind of look like you a bit? No, really, I’m serious. Anyways, he’s the best substitute in the school! He does overuse finger guns a bit, though. I’m surprised that you haven’t had him yet… He’s really nice, and plays games to help us learn the material! He apparently has only ever worn pants instead of a skirt once in his life! Either way, I hope that he’s an actual teacher here someday…” Aileen smiled at Crystal, and grabbed her hand, to hold it gently. Crystal pulled away panickedly, looking about the room and making sure that nobody saw. When she was sure that nobody was looking, she looked back at Aileen, to see tears starting to form. In a panic, she whispered,
“Sorry, Leen. It’s just… This class is known to be really homophobic. I’m not afraid for my safety or reputation, but you… I’m terrified for you. Hey, hey, it’s not your fault! Hey, maybe we can hold hands under the table, okay?” Aileen nodded, and a sense of calm washed over her. For a second, she thought that everything would be okay again. Then, somehow, someone realized what they had heard.
“Hey! They’re dating, you guys! Look!” Crystal tensed up, and tightened her grip. Aileen went totally still. She hadn’t had this happen before, but it felt awful. It was like the whole world was judging her. The classmates started murmuring, and saying awful things. Then, Mister Juarez spoke up.
“That’s enough, you guys. Leave them alone, okay? Aileen, are you alright? Crystal?” Aileen let out a silent nod, and Crystal gave out a weak smile. Mister Juarez smiled at them, and then turned to the rest of the class, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Since you cannot handle two possible homosexual people as classmates, you obviously cannot handle one homosexual teacher. Therefore, instead of my original plan, I’ll teach you all about the discrimination of the LGBT community throughout history! We have plenty of time, after all.” The class groaned loudly, as Mister Juarez made finger guns at them, winking at Aileen and Crystal. Aileen grinned. She liked this teacher, despite the overuse of finger guns. One time was more than enough, in her opinion. After class, as they were walking away, the teacher stopped them.
“Hey, Miss Juarez-Ellis? Would your father happen to be one Marco Juarez? And your mother an Emma Ellis?” Aileen nodded.
“Yes, do you know them?” Mister Juarez smiled.
“Yes, actually. Hi, nice to meet you, I’m your half-brother. Matthew Juarez, at your service. Sorry that Mara couldn’t be here, she really wanted to meet you! She’s also way closer to your age, so...” Aileen wasn’t sure if the dizzy spell she had at that moment was because of the medication, or because of the discovery of a brother that she didn’t even know existed. Either way, she definitely fainted.
