Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Derek lifted his gaze and looked at me, his brown eyes showing his confusion. “Just because it didn’t work out with us doesn’t mean you should deny Lizzie the best education possible.”
My eyes narrowed, and I couldn’t control the sarcastic chuckle that escaped my lips. “Didn’t work out… Uh-huh… No, Derek, that’s not what happened. You dumped me…in a stairwell. Let’s not rewrite history. And that’s not why we’re declining your offer.”
He didn’t have any reaction to what I said. “Then why are you declining it?”
“Because Lizzie doesn’t want you to tutor her.” I grabbed the papers and put everything in the folder before I turned around.
“Why?”
I turned back around and looked at him. “I’m sure you can figure that out on your own, Derek.”
7
Derek
I sat at the dining table and stared at my phone, debating if I should do this or just leave it alone. But this was something I would always be passionate about, so I hit the button and pressed the phone to my ear and then listened to it ring.
It rang for so long that I didn’t think she would answer.
But she did. “What the fuck do you want, asshole?” She had the voice of a twelve-year-old, but she spoke like a grown woman, an inferno of rage in her tone and not just her words.
I was so stunned that I couldn’t compose a response.
“I asked you a question, bitch.”
Damn. “Lizzie, your mother told me you’ve declined my tutoring offer—”
“Why would I want your help?”
“Because I can help you.”
“And why the fuck would you want to help me?”
I suspected Lizzie had stepped into the hallway or something because Emerson wouldn’t let her speak like that to anyone—even me. “Because I’m your teacher, and I care about your success. It doesn’t matter what happened with your mother. Our relationship doesn’t have to change—”
“It doesn’t matter what happened with my mother…?” Lizzie released a maniacal laugh. “What planet are you on? You fucking killed her. She broke down in the middle of a department store and sobbed her eyes out because she lost it. Her Christmas was ruined. Our Christmas was ruined. I’ve never seen my mom like this. It’s like…it’s like she’s dead or something. You broke her. So why the fuck would I want to see your stupid face ever again?”
My heart ached as I listened to her, realizing the destruction I caused.
“I never wanted a dad until I found you. I never wanted to have two parents until you came along. I never dreamed of being an astronaut or an engineer until you. You were like family to us, and then one day, you just decided you didn’t want to be our family. Who does that?”
I breathed harder as I listened to her, feeling my stomach tighten, feeling the hurt in every part of my body. “Lizzie, I still care about you.”
“Well, I don’t care about you. I will never care about the asshole that broke my mother’s heart. You can take your tutoring sessions and shove them up your ass.” Click.
I lowered the phone back to the surface of the table and swallowed the lump in my throat. I stared at the black screen and felt dead inside, felt a brick fall into my stomach and crush my insides.
It took six weeks for us to get everything organized for the internship program. We would be accepting new graduates. I got fewer than half of my engineers to volunteer themselves in exchange for a pay raise. That meant we couldn’t take as many interns, but it was better to take fewer students than take more who were paired with instructors that didn’t want them.
My students never asked about my absence at the end of the last semester. I assigned grades based on the average of their previous exams and excluded a final. They probably knew something was wrong, but none of them crossed that line.
Emerson didn’t come to my classes. She didn’t accompany me anywhere anymore. She took the bus to work and home and refused to use Ronnie, so I continued to let Ronnie drive me to work alone.
At the end of class, I started our office hours, but instead of waiting for questions about the problems I assigned, I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms over my chest. “My company is accepting new interns starting this summer. It’s a paid internship that will last for one year. You guys will be graduating in just a few months, so I suggest you apply.”
Excitement immediately spread throughout the classroom as the students looked at one another and shared whispers.
“Apply on my company’s website,” I said. “And just so you know, I’m not the only person in charge of selecting interns, so there will be no bias there. Submit your best resume. Good luck.” I waited for questions about the problems to start, but they were all too excited to care about utilizing the office hours. Instead, they talked among themselves.