I care about you

                                    

                                          
On Saturday morning and Lily decided to visit Hailie. She looked up her address in the school's office and found out that Hailie lived in Brooklyn, so she had to take a taxi to her apartment.
                          
When Lily arrived, she saw Ms. Smith walking down a flight of stairs. Ms. Smith noticed her.
                          
"Did you come here to see Hailie?" Ms. Smith asked.
                          
Lily ran up to Ms. Smith. "Her address is in the fifth building, apartment 9E, right?"
                          
"Y-Yes, but—"
                          
Lily ran past her and went inside the building. She went up to the ninth floor. When she found Hailie's apartment, she knocked on the door and Hailie's sister, Hazel, answered.
                          
"I'm Lily and I'm here to see Hailie," Lily said.
                          
Hazel looked at Lily. "She doesn't want to see anybody." She closed the door.
                          
Lily knocked on the door. "Please, I just need a moment with her. I promise it won't take long."
                          
"I'm really sorry," Hazel said.
                          
Lily put her hand on the door and clenched it. "Please!" 
                          
After no answer, Lily left. Hazel walked to Hailie's room. She knocked on her door to get her attention.
                          
"Hey, I sent away your teacher, Ms. Smith."
                          
Hailie was in the dark under her covers and typing on her phone. She didn't respond to her sister.
                          
"Lily also came," Hazel said.
                          
Hailie stopped for a second but then continued to type even faster than before.
                          
——
Lily walked out of the building with her head down. I have to take down Sam, no matter what. I can't let Hailie suffer like this.
                          
She walked towards the same stairs that she ran up from. Ms. Smith was at the bottom waiting for her. They started to walk together.
                          
"I want to apologize about before," Ms. Smith said.
                          
"About what?" Lily asked.
                          
"When I asked the class to write down what they thought about bullying, I didn't take your feelings into consideration. I wanted to apologize before, but—"
                          
"Don't worry about it. I don't expect anything more from that school," Lily said in a dull voice.
                          
Ms. Smith didn't know what to say. She looked at the park where children were playing. 
                          
"Before becoming a teacher, I was lost. I didn't know what I wanted to do in life. There were so many times that I took the wrong turn because of bad influences. Then I asked myself, should I become that positive influence and leader? I wanted to help people like me."
                          
They started to walk again while Ms. Smith continued to talk. "I became a speaker for positivity, but that didn't work out."
                          
"Why? You didn't like it?" Lily asked.
                          
"It wasn't that. I love it, actually. But the people whom I was talking to weren't my people. People who lived in our world. I heard there were schools for supernaturals, so I took my shot and applied for the guidance counselor job at Warwick."
                          
The book that Ms. Smith was holding fell and Lily noticed that it had students' profiles in it.
                          
"Are you visiting every student in the class?" Lily asked while Ms. Smith picked up the book.
                          
"Yes. I believe if I did these home visits, some might confide in me," Ms. Smith said as she got up and brushed off the dirt from the book. "You see, I don't think Hailie made people bully you."