Lessons (Andy Barber)

Chapter 1

A Couple Of Months Earlier.

"Here you go Bud..." Andy pulled up outside of the school, glancing across to his son who was scrolling away on his phone. "Hey, what'd I tell you about phones in the car?" 

Without a word Jacob, shoved the device back into his pocket and sank further into the seat. "Do they know?" 

"Who?" 

"The teachers, about me..." Jacob muttered, not wanting to say what it actually was, however Andy knew full well what he was talking about. 

He nodded. "Your principal does, that's as far as it goes. Remember what I said, you say nothing about what happened. The last thing we want is for you to be having trouble again." 

It wasn't so much that his son was a troublemaker, it was more of the fact that Andy couldn't afford to up and move the family to another state. The stress that had been put on this one had been high. Too high for his liking. There were cracks forming in his marriage, more than the ones that had already begun. But he and Laurie agreed to try and make it work for Jacob's sake. 

His wife had changed though. So much that sometimes he barely recognised the woman he came home to. Her relationship with Jacob had changed also. Andy just hoped that the move itself would help with the healing process. All he wanted was a quiet life. 

He'd not decided to take on the position that he'd had in Newton, choosing to just take a job at a local law firm to try and ease his way back into things. He'd been out of work for months and hadn't the heart to return to DA life - at least, not just yet. #

"What I don't understand Andy, is that a guy like you with all these credentials would just choose to step down and go back to simple law work..." His new boss, Charlie, had stated during his interview. "Your references are glowing..." 

Andy sat back on the chair across the desk from Charlie and gave a shrug. "Sometimes you just need to slow down. I'm not exactly getting any younger and sure, my old position was good money, but I realised it's not what I wanted..." 

Of course, Charlie had offered him the position there and then. With Andy's experience and expertise apparently he needed a 'second in command' to help guide the newer and less experienced co workers. Andy didn't mind that. He'd trained Neal up after all - and look where that had got him...

He wasn't going to make the same mistakes again. 

Jacob was now glaring at the dash, dark eyes narrowed slightly and probably wishing that he were elsewhere. "This sucks..." 

"Yeah, well we were dealt a shitty hand when it came to everything back in Newton - just go and be a kid, make new friends." Andy knew that typical old school fatherly advice was lacking nowadays. Sometimes it was just better to be blunt with Jake rather than beating round the bush. "Listen, get through today and we'll go out for pizza tonight, how about that?" Anything to get his son to cheer up a little. He'd inherited Laurie's scowl for sure. 

"Ok..." Jacob looked out of the passenger seat to the school, still not sounding too thrilled at the idea of having to try and start making new friends all over again. He didn't want any if he was perfectly honest. He just wanted to be alone and for everyone else to just leave him be.  

Andy had chosen Cherry Creek because it seemed like a better place for Jacob to finish his education. He'd spent hours doing his research, Laurie had simply just gone along with it - trying to secure a job within the child care sector. She had two interviews lined up already, and Andy just hoped that it would help her to get over the feeling of being let down by her previous job. They'd not handled the trial situation very well nor supported her. She needed a new goal to reach.