Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 34206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
She didn’t want to be sitting with her mother, so she did no more than grab her bag. “I’ve got some homework I need to do.”
“Okay, honey, you do that. Oh, I’ve got our neighbor coming around for dinner tonight.”
Teal stopped at the stairs. “Dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“Mom, you don’t cook.”
“I know that, which is why I’ve ordered takeout.”
“Can you even invite someone over for dinner if you’re not cooking?”
Her mother snorted. “Enough with all the questions, Teal. I’m going to serve him food that he doesn’t have to pay for. Trust me, that is enough.”
“Why?” Teal asked.
“I’m being polite. Your father isn’t coming home just yet, but I don’t want to put this house on the market. Something is telling me to stay right here. You’ve got your studies to do, which is far more important. Your father may not see what is important, but I do.”
Oh, no.
Her mother was going to make it a parental contest.
“Do you think that is going to make Dad come home?”
“I don’t care about what he does. He needs to learn to forgive, but our daughter is what matters now. I know you’ve had a few trying times, but don’t worry, I’m going to make sure you get through this final year of high school. Your grades will improve and you’ll test well.”
This wasn’t good. Her mother was up to something.
“Go on. Go and do your homework. I want to see it after you’re done, so I can find out where you’re failing.” She wasn’t failing any classes.
Teal made her way upstairs, and as she did, she felt her cell phone beep.
Her dad’s name flashed across the screen with a brand-new text. Before her phone’s screen went dark, she saw that he’d asked how school was.
He hadn’t even bothered to text on Monday, or any other day. That could only mean her mother had used a new tactic when it came to earning back her husband.
She was using Teal, and Teal was pissed. She hated this.
Ignoring her father’s text, she threw her cell phone onto her bed and then quickly stripped out of her clothes.
Jaxson was coming for dinner.
How did one dress for a casual dinner?
Teal looked at her clothes. There were a couple of formal dresses her parents made her own, but wearing them felt so out of place. This wasn’t a formal dinner.
Nibbling on her lip, she glared at her closet, not finding anything suitable other than a summer dress. It had thick straps and flowed all the way to her ankle.
It was still warm outside. She preferred fall and winter. Summer and spring were okay, but fall and winter were her favorite seasons. She changed into the dress and then moved toward her mirror.
Staring at her reflection, she pulled her hair from the tight band that she’d pulled back with. She let it fall free and ran her fingers through the length a few times. This was stupid. Why was she even trying to do this? He was her teacher.
Yes, she had him for math, and he was a good teacher. Half of the population adored him. The other half kind of wanted to be him. It was such a cliché and so lame. Jaxson was a great teacher, though. Out of all of her classes, his was the one she most enjoyed.
Now, he was coming for dinner. Why? Was her mother going to attempt to make her father jealous? Just thinking about it was enough to make her cringe.
All summer, her mother hadn’t entertained Jaxson. She hadn’t had any time for her neighbor, constantly on the phone, talking to Dad.
Teal grabbed her bag, moved to her desk, and started on her homework. Her mother would soon lose interest.
Her homework was never the problem. Working her way through the math questions, she cross-referenced with the textbook anything she didn’t know. Most of her assignments had already been set, and she’d been working her way through them as well. Schoolwork wasn’t hard for her.
“Teal! Dinner is nearly here. Let me see your homework.”
She looked toward the time to see she’d been in her bedroom for nearly two hours.
Sitting up, she groaned as she stretched out her back and neck. Perched over her desk in the same position for a length of time was not what she had planned.
Just as she made it to her bedroom door, the main doorbell rang.
She cringed. Jaxson had arrived.
Crap.
Teal walked downstairs just as her mother opened the door.
“Mr. Rebel, so lovely to see you,” Bethany said.
“Thank you for the invite, Mrs. Larson.”
“Bethany, please.”
“And I insist you call me Jaxson.”
Teal watched him, and his gaze lifted.
“Ah, Jaxson, you remember my daughter, Teal.”
“Yes, I do. I teach her.”
“Yes, of course, that’s right. You are a teacher. Tell me, Jaxson, have you ever considered tutoring?”
“Mom!”
Bethany held up her hand. “You see, my daughter is going through a trying time. What with her father having decided to abandon us for his own personal pursuits, while I try to help my little girl. Teal, the books.”