keepsmiling7: Kyle wasn’t about to let Jake get away with that!
Natalie36: He’s a trip, right?
mary mary: Tess and Maria would do well going into business together. Isabel is tough, but she’s fair. Now the parents on the other hand, we’ll see…
Maiqu: It’ll be good for both of them. We’re hoping their parents understand and aren’t too hard on them. Tess and Kyle… they’re just this side of crazy!
Alien_Friend: Yup, whether or not Tess is willing to admit it, she’s still in love with him!
Tess and Maria could both use an opportunity like their business idea.
Sam’s a sweetheart. They weren’t expecting to get caught sneaking back into school, lol.
dreambeliever: It’s a good move for Tess and Maria. Explosive… yeah, probably a good word for it.
begonia9508: Getting under Tess’ skin was the whole point, so Kyle achieved his goal.
sarammlover: Thanks! Kyle and Tess are a lot of fun to write here. Yeah, he might’ve gotten extra points with her if Tess had heard that!
killjoy: Well, we certainly can’t fault you for that, lol! We’re glad you’re enjoying Kyle and Tess here.
Tess certainly gives as good as she gets, doesn’t she?
kismet: We’re happy to hear that!
We think so too.
Hopefully Maria and Andy have started to rebuild that foundation for their relationship and it’s strong enough to withstand this minor setback.
quelbebek: Who better to find those two?
Since Sam hasn’t really been in any trouble Alex and Isabel have had no reason to meet… yet. And if they’ve passed each other on the street in their small town, they’ve managed to overlook each other. Nah, the only reason Isabel tends to avoid men with kids is because those kids usually attend her school and she doesn’t want to cross any lines… but even high school principals deserve to find tha
You can count on Kyle and Tess continuing with their amusing streak. The business and dinner with the family… we’ll see how both go. Oh, Max and Tess will talk – it’s just a matter of time. Oh, just like so many of the others, Tess could help Max if he would just let it happen. We’ll see about Max and Liz soon… it’s just gonna depend on where those two take us!
Part 21
Max watched the Kindergartners and Preschoolers as they burst free from the confines of the school building, their voices excited and energetic as they were released for the day. He leaned back against his truck, watching the doors as the children scattered and ran to their parents and he smiled when he saw Kara step out of the building, carrying her little backpack and a piece of poster board that had been folded in half to make it easier to carry.
She paused at the steps and turned sideways to carefully step down, slowly making her way to the sidewalk. She looked up to search for Mrs. Meacham and a big smile graced her young features when she saw Daddy waiting for her. “Daddy!” She rushed past some of the other kids, her grip on her poster slipping as she neared him, and he managed to grab it as he crouched down and caught her in his arms.
“How’s my baby girl doin’, huh?” he asked as he kissed her cheek and stood up again. “You have a good day at school?”
She giggled when his goatee tickled her cheek. “We made a pitcher,” she said as she pointed to the poster board he was holding.
“Ya did, huh?”
“Uh-huh.”
He pulled her backpack off of her shoulders as he opened the back door and leaned inside to settle her in her car seat. “Wanna show me?” He buckled her into her seat and paused when she looked uncertain. “Tell ya what,” he reached across her to place the poster board on the seat and placed her pack on top of it, “you can think about it, okay?”
She nodded. “Tay.”
Max closed the door and hurried around to climb into the driver’s seat, turning the engine over and glancing at his daughter in the mirror. Usually she jumped at the chance to show off whatever she had done at school and it worried him that she was hesitating now.
“Where we’re goin’, Daddy?” she asked as she looked out through the windows.
He reached back between the seats to tug on her foot. “We’re gonna run a few errands and then we’re gonna go watch your brothers at football practice.”
“Mommy too?”
“Not right now, baby girl. Mommy’s at work, but we’re gonna all have dinner together after she gets home.”
“Daddy too?”
Max winced. His kids had never had to wonder if he or Liz were going to be there for dinner until he had started missing meals, coming home late, and being absent from their activities outside of school. “Yeah, Daddy, too.”
*****
Maria stepped into the office and walked up to the counter, smiling slightly at the man pacing at the opposite end of the confined area. A woman flipping through a stack of folders looked up when Maria cleared her throat.
“May I help you?”
“Yes, I’m here to see Principal Russell.”
“Ah, you must be Mrs. Evans.” She smiled sympathetically. “She’ll be with you in just a few minutes.”
“Um, excuse me,” the pacing man inquired. “I couldn’t help but overhear you. May I ask why you’re here?”
“Do I know you?” Maria asked.
“Not that I know of, no. It’s just that I’m here to meet with Principal Russell too, and I just wondered if you’re here because your kid was caught skipping school too.”
Maria frowned. “Um... yeah, I am.”
Alex stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Your son... Andy Evans?”
“That’s right,” Maria said, still confused. “How did you know that?”
“Because he’s the new kid in school and my daughter doesn’t just skip class.”
Suddenly Maria knew what this was all about and she shot an angry glare at the man in front of her. “Are you saying that it’s my son’s fault?”
“I’m sayin’ Sam seems to have taken your son under her wing and now she’s cuttin’ classes.”
“You’re Sam’s father,” Maria mumbled and shook her head to clear it. “It’s not Andy’s fault if she went along with him.”
“No, but it was obviously his idea!”
She placed her hands on her hips. “What makes you think that?” Okay, it probably was, but this man didn’t know anything about Andy.
How could she try to turn this around and make it Sam’s fault? “Uh, how about because my daughter does not ditch her classes? They were caught tryin’ to get back INSIDE the school, so obviously she – “
“Mrs. Evans, Mr. Whitman, Principal Russell will see you now,” the woman behind the counter said, cutting off any further arguing.
Both parents fell silent and glanced at the woman in the room. They had forgotten about her. “Alright,” Maria sighed and turned the back to Alex to go into the principal’s office.
Andy stared at the floor when his mother entered the office so he wouldn’t have to see the look of disappointment on her face. As if talking to the principal and his stupid counselor wasn’t enough, now he had to deal with his mom... and Sam’s dad.
Sam slouched down in an attempt to make herself smaller when her dad walked in, knowing he wasn’t going to be happy with her. She was going to be grounded for the rest of her life!
“Mrs. Evans, Mr. Whitman, please have a seat,” Isabel said and gestured to the chairs in front of her desk.
Andy glanced up at his mom when she and Sam’s dad sat down facing the principal. Her posture was rigid and when she turned her head to look at him he could see that she was angry, but it was the disappointment lurking beneath that made him feel like shit.
“As you already know,” Isabel started, “you were called because Andy and Sam decided to skip their last class of the day. I don’t have to tell you that skipping classes is something we don’t tolerate in this school and that there will be consequences.”
“Yes, there will be,” Alex said sternly as he shot a quick glance at his daughter.
Sam wished she could just disappear in that moment. That was not a look she had ever seen on her dad’s face and it wasn’t one she ever wanted to see again.
Maria turned her attention back to Principal Russell. “Can I assume that detention will be part of the punishment?”
Isabel nodded. “Detention for today, yes. In addition to detention, I’ve already talked to Counselor Guerin as well and we both think it would be a good idea if Andy would help him with coaching the basketball team.”
“I’m not helpin’ that dick with anything,” Andy stated defiantly. This was all that idiot counselor’s fault anyway. Why couldn’t he have just let them get back to class?
“Andy,” Maria glared at him. “Do not talk like that about Mr. Guerin.”
“Whatever.”
“Cut it out, Andy,” Sam mumbled. She knew he was angry and hurt, but he was only making things worse for him and his mom.
Maria turned to the principal again and nodded. “He’ll help, Principal Russell.”
“And for Sam?” Alex asked.
“I’ve already talked to her as well and we’ve both agreed that if she wants to hang out with Andy, then they should do that in school. She’s going to tutor him and some of the other students in math since she’s very good at that subject.”
Alex shifted in his chair. “Look, Principal Russell, I’m sure you know your job, but I don’t think that’s the best answer here.”
Isabel lifted her eyebrows in surprise and turned to the kids. “You two can go to detention now. And, Mrs. Evans, Counselor Guerin is waiting for you in his office to go over the details.”
She waited until everyone but Alex had left the room and she walked around her desk to lean back against it, facing the man directly. “What would you suggest for Sam?”
“Somethin’ that doesn’t put her in constant contact with a bad influence.” He shook his head when she lifted one eyebrow in question. “I know Andy has some issues and I’m not suggestin’ that he’s no good, but my daughter has a very good record and I don’t wanna see all that hard work just go down the drain.”
“No one forced her to go with Andy, Mr. Whitman.”
“I don’t see how putting her in a position where she’s around him all the time is gonna prevent this from happenin’ again.”
“It may not. Look, kids always want what they can’t have. So, trying to separate them would only make things worse, Mr. Whitman.”
Alex pulled his glasses off and raised his right hand to rub his temple. “This was so much easier when she was little and she thought I had all the answers.”
Isabel laughed. “She’s a good student, Mr. Whitman, and she’s very intelligent. I’m sure she’s not gonna end up on the wrong side of the tracks just because of a boy.”
“I just always thought if I was gonna have to worry about her cuttin’ classes it’d be with the twins.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe they weren’t involved.”
“Oh, they were. Tried to come up with a cover story for them.”
“Let me guess... Nick tripped himself up somewhere in the lie.” He chuckled slightly. “That boy couldn’t lie if his life depended on it.”
Isabel nodded. “Their story wasn’t the best.” She glanced at her watch. “Alright, Mr. Whitman, there’s a class waiting for me.”
“You spend time in the classes?” he asked, surprised.
“If one of the other teachers is out for some reason, yes.”
“Oh, well, that’s good... the kids respond better when they know that you’re involved in things.”
“They do,” she agreed and started to head for the door.
He stood up and followed her, clearing his throat as he slid his glasses back on. “So, I noticed you’re not wearin’ a wedding ring... would it be improper for me to ask if there’s a Mr. Russell at home?”
Isabel glanced at the floor and almost blushed at the sudden turn of events. “No, there’s not,” she said and managed to look at him again.
He smiled at the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks. “And if I were to ask you to dinner?”
She straightened up a little. “Then I would tell you that you’re not asking me out during an official talk in school.”
“Very well, then.” He lowered his voice as he moved past her to step out of the office. “I’ll be lookin’ for you outside of school when there’s no official business bein’ conducted.” He winked at her before turning to leave. “I’ll see ya ‘round, Ms. Russell.”
*****
It seemed like the hallway to Michael’s office was endlessly long as Maria walked towards her destination. She wasn’t really looking forward to talking to him – bad memories came to mind as she thought of other experiences of meetings with teachers, principals or counselors from the school in Miami. She could still see the people as clearly as if they were standing in front of her now, how they had looked at her – as if she was the worst mother in the world, how they had told her that she needed to change Andy’s situation and get control of things and she hadn’t had any idea how to do that.
Nearly a month had passed since they had arrived in Roswell and Andy had started to attend West Roswell High. So far she had only been there the one time, on that first day. Maria had hoped that things would get better and it had seemed like they really were going that way, but now that she was here… what if was all just starting again?
She knocked on the counselor’s door weakly, wondering if he could have even heard it.
“C’mon in,” a male voice called from inside.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Guerin…” she said when she opened the door. They had agreed to use their first names when Andy wasn’t around, but right now it just didn’t seem right.
He studied her for several seconds when she walked into past his desk, her movements slow and unsure. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she had addressed him by using his last name, so he decided to go with that as well for now.
He greeted her with a nod, “Mrs. Evans,” and gestured to the seat in front of him, “have a seat.” Michael waited until she had found a comfortable sitting position before he started to talk. “I guess you’ve already talked to Principal Russell and you know why you’ve been called?”
“Yeah,” she croaked and coughed slightly. “Yes, I know that Andy skipped his last class.”
He nodded. “Do you know why?”
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t really had a chance to talk to my son and Principal Russell sent me down here immediately… Listen,” she hurried to say, “I know that you’re gonna tell me that I need to make sure this doesn’t happen again and…”
“It’s not your fault,” Michael interrupted her.
She frowned at him. “What?”
“It’s not your fault that Andy skipped a class, Mrs. Evans… Maria. A lot of students do that week after week and you have no idea how often parents are called to come out here.” He tried to smile a little because he had a feeling that the woman was under so much pressure. “Kids do that now and then… even the good and busy students. I was actually a little surprised that Andy made it three weeks without a skipped class. To be honest, I was expecting it a lot sooner.”
Maria felt some of the worry in her ease at his words and the realization that he wasn’t blaming her.
“I don’t know the whole story yet myself. I just talked to Sam and Andy for a brief moment after I found them, while they were trying to sneak back into school. But I don’t think he did it because of provocation or to attract attention like he used to do back in his former school.”
“No?” she asked, surprised. “But why would he cut a class then?” She lifted one eyebrow. “Please tell me it’s not because he wanted to impress this girl.”
Michael chuckled a little at the mother’s way of thinking. Sure, that was always a possibility as well, but he wasn’t sure that fit Andy’s character. Besides that, Sam Whitman wasn’t the type of girl who was impressed by little wanna-be bad boys who cut classes. “No, one of his teachers told me that Andy and another student had a fight during their break before the last class of the day.”
Maria winced. This wasn’t the first time Andy had gotten himself into a fight at school. “How bad was it?”
“They got interrupted before anything serious could happen. I know the other kid and he’s a little troublemaker. Provokes and picks up fights whenever the opportunity arises.” He looked at her intensely. “I’m pretty sure the boy dropped a comment about his father or something else related to his past.”
“Oh.” Maria opened her mouth and closed it again because she didn’t really know what to say.
“This’s a small town, so Andy’s past is probably no secret for the students. From what I’ve already seen from your son, I can tell that Andy isn’t someone who goes out of his way to pick up fights on his own. He’s pretty calm and he’s on his way to makin’ some friends here. You don’t have to worry about this girl, Sam Whitman. She’s a good student and she’s also a good friend of the Evans twins. My guess is that the girl went after Andy when he got upset about whatever caused the fight with the other boy.”
Maria nodded. “That would make sense… I mean, Andy reacts pretty intensely as soon as someone mentions his father.”
“He’s still trying to avoid that topic as much as he can,” Michael said. “We can’t expect too much from him after such a short time.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Can I ask you something? Have you noticed any changes in him since you moved here? I mean, small things, maybe even something that no one but those closest to him would notice?”
Maria nodded, remembering that morning. “Yeah, actually I did notice something recently. The other day was the first time that he’s said good morning to me in so long, and we also had a little conversation this morning during breakfast that didn’t end up in a fight. And he’s a little bit more present, ya know? Not always locked in his room with loud music.” She shook her head. “That sounds really stupid, doesn’t it? I mean, those things should be normal.”
Michael shook his head. “That’s not stupid. It’s exactly what I meant. And sure, things like this should be normal… but your current family situation is anything but normal for everyone involved. Those things will be normal again, though,” he promised.
“I hope you’re right.” She glanced out through the window for a few moments, considering whether or not she should bring up something she had been thinking about for the last few days. “Do you think it’s too early for me and Andy to move out into our own place again?” she blurted out before she could stop the words. “Don’t get me wrong, my family is great and all, but the house is so… crowded, you know? I feel like I can’t do anything with my son without my mother or Kyle watching to see what’ll happen. I know they mean well and I’m thankful for their support and everything they’ve done, but… I just feel like we need our own space.”
“You’ve already got an idea where you wanna live?”
“There’s a small house not far from my mother’s; it has a little garden and a yard big enough for Theo. Nothing really special, but it looks nice… I haven’t brought it up at home yet. I’m not sure how they’re gonna react, especially Andy. He’s not handling any changes very well right now.”
Michael thought about his answer for a moment as he walked over to the small table at the other end of his office. “Want a cup?” He gestured to the full coffeepot.
She nodded. “Sure.”
He filled their cups with the dark liquid. “Sugar? Milk?”
“No, black is fine.”
“We’ve got somethin’ in common then.” He walked over to her, placing the cups on the desk and sitting down again.
“Thanks,” Maria took her drink in her hands and leaned back in the chair again.
“So, about your question… I think it’s probably a good idea.”
Maria lifted her eyebrows. “Really?” She had expected that he would tell her it was too soon.
“Andy has to learn that changes are necessary and he already knows that living at your Mom’s house is a temporary situation. And moving out before he gets too used to it is probably better than waiting until he’s settled in. You have to make sure that he knows that he won’t lose anything with moving to a new house. It’s still Roswell; his family is still around…”
She bit her lip. “His room at my mother’s house is really tiny and most of his stuff is still packed in boxes because there’s just no room for it.”
He smiled a little. “That’s one more good reason to move into your own place.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Just prepare him, make him a part of the decision. You could have a look at the house together and then ask him what he wants. But make sure he knows what you want too.”
“I’ll do that,” she mumbled and stared out through the window again, watching some students leaving the building.
“Did Principal Russell already tell you that Andy’s gonna help me with the school basketball team for the next few weeks?” He chuckled. “She makes sure that every student who skips a class has something to do for the school.”
“Yeah, she had told me earlier. Guess Andy isn’t too pleased about that.”
Michael laughed. “No, especially since he’ll have to spend even more time with me now. But I think it’s probably a good idea. Maybe I can get to know him a little better then. I know he likes basketball and there’s always the chance that he’ll forget about me being his counselor during the hours there… and speaking of that,” he glanced at his watch, realizing that it was getting late, “I’m sorry, Maria, but I’ve gotta go for now.”
“Oh, sure. No problem.” She placed the empty cup on the desk and stood up when he did. She couldn’t believe how much time had passed since she had come to his office and it had actually turned out to be one of the best talks she had ever had in a school building.
“I hope you don’t have to come here again too soon,” he told her with a wink and walked around the desk to shake her hand. Honestly, he wanted to see her again soon, but he knew he couldn’t see her the way he wanted to yet.
“Yeah, I hope so, too,” she said, smiling and grabbing his hand in response. “Goodbye, Michael.”
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