Lessons (Andy Barber)

Chapter 2

"So how was school?" Andy asked Jacob later that evening when they sat in a booth of the local diner. He'd told him to be ready for when he got home from work and he had been. Thankfully. It was unusual for Jacob to ever listen to a word he said these days, so that he'd found.

The rebellious phase of his teenage life had most certainly hit. 

Andy was now met with an unenthusiastic shrug from his son. "Was ok..." 

"What's your teacher like?" 

"She's a teacher?" Jacob looked at him with a frowned and then sighed. "She's ok I guess..." 

Andy nodded. "Did you meet anyone? Any friends?"

"Couple of people,"  Wow Jacob really wasn't giving much away. 

"Good " Andy nodded and then sighed, "C'mon bud, work with me here - I'm trying my best for all of us." He could tell his son was pissed off with having to go through being the new kid, and probably at life altogether, but it had been necessary for them all. 

Jacob sipped at his soda. "Did mom not wanna come?" He asked a little bitterly while toying with the straw. 

"She had a headache. Plus she's got her interview tomorrow." Andy said. He'd been a little annoyed that Laurie hadn't wanted to make the effort to join them for dinner. Especially as it had been Jake's first day. It was a big thing, but instead she'd stated she needed to prepare for her interview and they'd left it at that. There was no point in Andy arguing with her, things were breaking anyway, and there was only so much that they could do to fix it. 

"Hah..." Jacob stifled a sarcastic laugh as the waitress came and put their food down. 

Andy thanked her and then looked back at his son. "I know things haven't been great between you two, but you it's been stressful for her as well as you. We all went through this Jake..." 

"You weren't the one on trial." 

"Not but I was the one who dealt with all the shit that was thrown at us." Andy pointed out, trying to keep his cool. "Everything your mom and I did was for you Jake. Do you honestly think that we wanted this for you?"

"Doesn't really matter what mom wants for me anymore. She barely speaks to me." 

It broke Andy to hear this. "She loves you bud...even you know she does, and I'm sure that once she gets her job, she'll brighten up. That's why we came here right? To make things better." 

Not that Andy could imagine how much worse it could get after everything. His family's name had been slander, dragged through the mud, news crews and people branding his son a murderer. Even his own past had been dug right up when he'd spent years burying it deep down. He hadn't even told Laurie about his father until Jacob's trial. Everything had been laid bare for everyone to see. 

Andy wasn't his father, but at the same time he wondered why he and his family were being punished. He'd always given Jacob everything that he'd never had as a child. Andy had doted on him from the moment that he'd first held him in his arms. Now here Jacob was, sat in front of him and Andy was trying his best to make him understand that this had been the right decision. 

"What if everyone finds out about what happened?" Jacob asked, eyes flickering up from his soda to look his father in the eye. "What then?" 

"They won't." Andy stated firmly. 

"But what if they do?" Jacob pressed.

He'd had enough and calmly put his knife and fork down. "Jake...enough. Eat your food, we're not gonna talk about this anymore." 

Jacob said nothing else and jabbed his fork at his fries. In his mind Andy just hoped that as the week progressed, he'd settle in Finishing school was now the priority, and his son couldn't afford to fall behind. As to the whole people finding out about what happened in Newton? 

What happened in Newton, stayed in Newton. 

**

"Could I have a little look at Jacob Barber's transcripts?" Odette asked and the recptionist went to the filing cabinet, passing the file to her. "Okay if I take these and have a little look over them. I need to see what grades he was making before he came here." 

"Sure." 

"Thanks." 

Heading back to her room, Odette settled at her desk and began to look through, noting down the grades Jacob had been given before they had moved. He was smart, she could tell that. Not everything was straight A's but she hadn't expected it to be. His grades were higher than average though, so that was a good sign. 

Holly appeared in the doorway. "How was the new kid?" 

"Quiet, but it was his first day so I'll let him off." 

"Those his transcripts?" She asked and Odette nodded, Holly walking in more to take a look at what kind of student her friend had gained. "Well he's not stupid, that's for sure. Seems like one to keep his head down and work."

Odette nodded thoughtfully, staring at the desk at the back that was Jacob's. "Anyway I can't make judgement just yet, it's only his first day - for all I know he could be a troublemaker." 

"With good grades, where's he come from?" 

"Archer, in Massachusetts?" Odette leafed through the papers until she found the personal information. "Yep, Newton. It was a good school too..." 

Holly hoisted herself up on the side of the desk and looked at the papers. "Makes you wonder why the hell they chose to move here. Isn't it meant to be like, real nice there?" 

Odette shrugged at this. "Look, all I've known is Cherry Creek, maybe if the kid settles and talks a little more then I can ask him." 

"Wonder what his parents are like. Oooooh the parent/teacher conference is gonna be interesting, you could get the dirt then." 

"They probably moved for work, people do that all the time. He's a nice and quiet kid, so I hardly think that there's anything dramatic."

Holly smirked. "It's always the quiet ones...now are you gonna actually come eat with me or have I got to spend another hour sat here starving while you mark test papers." 

Odette locked her drawer and got her bag. "You can starve." 

"I'm feeling pizza." 

"You're always feeling something, don't think I haven't seen you with and Luke making goo goo eyes at one another whenever he passes by. It's worse than the kids." She made a face. 

Holly and the gym teacher were probably the worst kept secret, even the kids made jibes about how they should just get together. Her friend liked to play hard to get though. Not that Odette blamed her. Luke was a good looking guy, the 'hot teacher' that all the girls tried to flirt with. 

"We're discreet!" Holly insisted as they walked to their cars. "Anyway you've got a few students who have the hots for you - I've heard them talk." 

"I'm not the 'hot teacher' that's Luke's job." 

"Hot female teacher though." Holly pointed out. "I'll see you there!" she called and got into her car, speeding off out of the parking lot. 

Odette sighed and shook her head, getting into her own car and sitting there for a few moments. Sometimes she really did wonder why she was here, and then she remembered - it was because she'd thought that working in another country would be fantastic for her resume, and it was - however there were still times where she'd get homesick. 

She could relate to Jacob Barber and how he probably felt. New school, new home, new state. All she could do was her best to help him settle in, but from what she'd seen today? Part of him seemed unwilling.