Words come much easier on paper

Than when talking to a beautiful girl.

Will took a few extra English classes for multiple reasons:

1. He loved writing, obviously,

2. He had extra room in his schedule since he already finished all his necessary math and science courses, and

3. He felt as if he was home every time he walked into Mrs. Boho's class.

Will had always been an exceptional student, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone in his high school who did better than him in English class. He took the standard English class as well as Creative Writing and Literature, all of them with Mrs. Boho.

Mrs. Boho was an extravagant Black woman with thick black curls peppered with gray. Her eyes were blazing green, made even more intense by her large hexagon-rimmed glasses. She was always wearing layers upon layers of colorful clothes and a headband of sorts. She had always been Will's favorite teacher, and since he'd been in her class since freshman year, they had an extra strong teacher-student bond.

However, unfortunately for Will, since his series of fortunate events had taken place, his head and his heart were both sky high in cloud nine.

And Mrs. Boho could read him like a book.

"Alright, quiet down, scholars!" Mrs. Boho slapped a pink ruler on her desk a few times to get her class's attention. "We'll be continuing our classic works project. Everyone get your books out for ten minutes of silent reading, then you'll write your summaries before we reconnect and discuss."

The decision to place Will at a window seat was the wrong one for the eternally distracted, overly imaginative boy. Will was too busy staring out the window to hear Mrs. Boho's instruction.

Mrs. Boho noticed this, of course, and decided to take a little stroll over to Will's desk.

"Hey, Will," she whispered softly, snapping Will out of his trance.

"Sorry- I missed the instruction. Are we continuing our haiku poems?"

"Will, this is Lit, not Creative Writing." Mrs. Boho held back a laugh.

"Whoops." Will scratched the back of his neck. "I guess I'm a bit distracted today."

Mrs. Boho raised an eyebrow. "I hadn't noticed," she taunted. "I just wanted to check on you. Do you have your classic with you?"

Will opened his binder and pulled out his copy of Moby Dick. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Oh?"

"Well... no offense to Herman Melville, but I find this book slightly boring." Will cringed.

Mrs. Boho chuckled. "Well, for the time, it was quite a swashbuckling tale."

"I'm sure," Will replied, wringing his hands together. "Would it be feasible for me to switch out my current book for a different classic?"

"If you really wanted to, I suppose." Mrs. Boho said, raising a brow. "But I need to remind you that your reports on these books are due in two weeks."

"Oh, I know that." Will said with a smile. "I was only two chapters in on this thing anyway. I think I'll be able to make up for lost time."

Mrs. Boho shrugged. "It's your grade, I guess." She chuckled. "Which book would you like to trade for?" She asked as Will handed Moby Dick off to her.

Will quieted his tone and looked around before whispering, "Little Women?"

"Is that a question?"

"No, no, that's the book I'd like." Will defended his choice.

Mrs. Boho smiled. "Great choice. I'll get that for you, then, Mr. Whitlock."

Will let out a sigh of relief, happy that he'd gotten through that slightly embarrassing interaction. Mrs. Boho brought back a copy of Little Women and handed it off to Will. He was envisioning the hardcover pink and gold copy that Indie had been looking at in Redding's, but he was handed the paperback version instead.

"Enjoy," Mrs. Boho said with a wink.

"Thanks," Will whispered back, examining the book in his hands. His face was red as could be as he silently prayed that no one else in the class could see him with his new book. He tried to stop caring what the people around him might think of him as he opened it up and began reading.

For the remainder of the ten minutes, Will imagined that Indie was sitting next to him while he read the book to her aloud. And as he read silently, he knew without a doubt that Indie would absolutely love every inch of that book.