Chapter 1

(Zoë POV)

Summer holiday was over. I didn’t want to wake up. I loved seeing my friends again, but I didn’t like school. It took too much energy, because I had to fight a lot.

I took breakfast and took some bread for lunch. I got dressed and took my stuff. The house was empty, like always. My parents run a store and since Jerry, my brother, died 9 months ago, they are always working.

Someone knocked at the door. It was already 7:50! Lisa, my best friend waited for me to get ready. ‘I’m sorry!’ I said. ‘I only have to brush my teeth. Come in.’ I said. After I’ve brushed my teeth we could go to school. We talked about our holidays. Mine wasn’t that special. I spent a lot time with friends and at the beach, if I could use foundation.

We walked into the school. The first lesson always was with the mentor class. Lisa had another mentor, so she walked to her class. None of my friends had the same mentor this year. I took a seat and talked to a girl I knew from last year. Someone opened the door. There he was. He looked like he was only 23 years old. He was tall and I could see he trains a lot. He had dark hair till his shoulders and deep brown eyes. He was wearing jeans and a white shirt. He looked perfect.

‘Good morning everyone. I’m Mr. Lewis. I’ll be your mentor and I’m the new English teacher. I don’t know anyone, so if you all can say who you are, I can get to know you a little bit’ he said with his deep beautiful voice.

I had to say I was attracted to him. He was so handsome and seemed to be so nice. He was so good-looking and… Wait, he’s a teacher, he’s a no go. Stop crushing on him, a mental voice said.

‘Your turn, miss…’ I heard. I looked up. ‘Yes, you, with the red sweater,’ Mr. Lewis said a little annoyed. I blushed. I didn’t want to have a bad attitude.  ‘I’m sorry, I was just somewhere else I think’ I said. Somewhere, thinking about someone who happened to be my teacher, I thought. ´Uhm… I´m Zoë and I’m 17 years old. I love music and writing’ I said, still with a little blush on my cheek.

‘I would like you all to fill in this form. After I get your form I will have a little talk with all of you these weeks’ he said while he gave all of us a form. There were some questions I didn’t want to answer. There were important things he could need to know about me, but I didn’t know yet if I could trust him enough to tell him. Besides that, these things weren’t things you write down.

I handed it in and he read it. Something in my answers must have worried him, because he wanted to talk to me after the lesson ended.

‘Something in your answers and in the look in your eyes caused me some worries about you. I don’t know what you’re going through, but I want to know you can tell me if you want’ he said. I trusted him, enough to tell a part of the story. I didn’t know if I could tell everything, but I could start.

‘I think you know my brother died last year?’ I asked. He nodded, of course he knew. ‘Since he died I felt worse and worse. My parents always worked a lot and since Jerry died the even work harder. They run their own store and they are barely home. I don’t blame them, I love them and I know they love me. I know this is their way to cope with Jerry’s death.

I always thought a lot, more than people with the same age. After the funeral I felt empty. Jerry and I were very close. I started to create a depression, which I still fight against. I didn’t want to go to school, or do anything else. I only wanted to stay in bed and cry. I wanted Jerry came back, I wanted to be still a child. No one knows about the depression. I fight against it, but it’s hard. You’re the first one I tell.’ I said. I didn’t tell everything, but maybe I would tell him.

I didn’t know why I trusted him like this. I barely knew him and I told him more than people I know my

whole life. I only knew I trusted him and it felt good to tell everything.

‘There is more, but I need to be sure you won’t tell anyone.’  I said. ‘You know there are things I’ll need to report. You know I would need to report if you’re a danger to yourself or others,’ Mr. Lewis warned.

‘Sir, I can say that what I want to say doesn’t danger others or is against the law. I’m not sure what you count under ‘damaging myself’ but it’s not like I want to die or something.’ I said. ‘If you think it won’t endanger yourself you can tell me. I only can say that I’ll try to help you, whatever I will do. I don’t think I will need to report now, but I will when I’m unable to help you.’ Mr. Lewis said.

I thought I could trust him.