Lessons (Andy Barber)

Chapter 12

Jacob shuffled into class one morning, head down and hood up. Not talking to anyone as he passed and silently took his seat.

"Jacob..." Odette said to try and catch his attention. When he didn't answer, Troy gave him a nudge and he looked up, taking his air pods out. "You alright?"

"Fine..." He mumbled.

She gestured for him to put the air pods away and nodded to him. "See me after class."

It was apparent that Andy's absence in the week or so was already affecting him as well as the news that had been given.
Jacob waited behind after class and Odette closed the door and looked at him. "I know why you're upset..."

"Do you?" He asked bitterly.

"Finding out that your dad is not your dad...I know..."

Jacob looked up at her. "How?"

"Because he told me...Jake he's staying with me currently until he gets back on his feet. I wanted you to know that, but I can't make that information available to anyone else other than you - I could lose my job..."

"I wanted to go with him...but he wouldn't let me..."

Odette sat down next to him. "Your dad needs time, and so do you..."

"I don't even care if he's my dad or not. I love him."

Her heart broke. "And he loves you too."

"So why did he leave?!" Jacob now became angry.

Odette put on her firm tone. "Jacob. Look at me..." he did. "He needs time. It's nothing to do with not wanting you. He's still in shock and trying to think of a way that will be as smooth as possible to go forward, not just for you but for your mother too..."

"I don't wanna stay with mom! Why is no one listening?" Jacob snapped. "Why does no one care about what I want?"

She was silent for a moment. "I do...and I know how you feel about a parent not actually being a parent." Glancing over to him before pulling out her phone and showing him a picture of her adoptive parents. "These are the people I call mum and dad - but they're not. I was adopted, and they only told me when I was eighteen. I didn't understand at first, I was angry that I'd been lied to, but when I heard why and who my parents really were? I was lucky to have even been chosen by them."

"Who were your parents?" Jacob asked, looking at the picture of the man and woman sitting in a nicely kept English garden.

"My real parents were addicts, so you can imagine how I would have turned out." She paused and then took the phone, scrolling down and finding Andy's number. "Give me a moment."

She waited and then heard him pick up. "Etta?"

"I have Jacob with me. You need to speak with him Andy, it's breaking him."

Andy sighed. "Put him on."

Passing the phone to Jacob, he took it. "Dad?" his voice was a little shaky.

"Jake...I told you that you could call." Andy reminded him.

"I know I...I didn't think you'd pick up..." he fell silent before speaking. "Dad...please let me live with you. I'll do anything, I promise to do better at school, at anything you want me to but...I just don't wanna live with mom."

Andy massaged his forehead and sighed. "Has Odette told you?"

"Yeah..."

"I see..."

"Please dad, I don't care about anything else. I just wanna be with you..." and then he looked across to his teacher. "And Odette..."

She smiled lightly and stepped outside to let them speak more in private. Andy could hear the hurt and desperation in his voice. Odette had voiced her concerns and he'd been regretting leaving him behind. "Alright Bud..." he finally said. "If that's what you want?"