TEACHER TEACHER! [re-uploaded due technical issues with first upload]

Chapter 20- Not My Coach (Part 1)

WARNING:
EMOTIONAL CONTENT.
Includes rac*sm, self-esteem struggles, extreme feelings of sadness and emotional distress, bullying, divorce struggles.

NOTE: This is a really long chapter but please try and read it all!

Aahan really snapped there, didn't he?

Poor Rowan's been nothing but helpful and kind so far.
And Irene?
Well, she's got enough on her plate!

But, outbursts like that are very rarely due to one incident.
They're the result of a culmination of little, seemingly insignificant instances.
Annoying, irritating, or heartbreaking instances.
Maybe all three?

My point is, everything happens for a reason.

THE DAY BEFORE.

The sofa now had a permanent Aahan-shaped dent.
Each night, he slipped into his blanket with the goal of staying on the dámn sofa, but every morning he'd wake up face down on the carpet.
The blanket had twisted around the lower half of his body.

Since his siblings came, he had set his alarm for four in the morning.
He wanted to make sure he woke up before them, and had atleast a little bit of peace and quiet before the inevitable loud conversations and nauseating praise showers would take over.

His nieces and nephews were supposed to be coming for the wedding in a couple of weeks.
His sisters and brother in law were coming along too, of course.
Aahan's mother had been mumbling about getting another mattress quite a few times, so Aahan had already started looking at hotels to stay in for when they arrived.

Davkha rushed down the stairs, missing the last two steps entirely—something she did since she was little.
Her hair was loosely curled, half of it cascading down her back.
She had a baby blue bardot dress on, with matching star earrings.
Her winged eyeliner was perfectly symmetrical, which Aahan still found impressive.
She had an incredibly shiny lip gloss on, that had a rose tint.

"Davi, you look great!", smiled Aahan.
"You do know we're only going for coffee though, right?"

"Huh?", questioned a confused Davkha. After a second, her eyes widening, and her mouth fell to an
'o'
shape.

"What's wrong?", asked Aahan.

He knew what was wrong though.
She had forgotten.

"Bhaiya, I'm so sorry!
I completely forgot that was today."

"It's ok.
But where are you going now?"

"Uh, I'm getting coffee with Rishi."

"That can't wait?
I mean, you are marrying the guy."

"I know but we're going to be so busy with all of the planning.
You know how weddings can get, right?"

Yeah.
Aahan had been to his fair share of weddings.
He attended all of his older siblings' weddings, and quite a few more from other family members.
When he was younger, he used to hate sitting around for hours, but he loved getting to see his cousins and peruse the buffet tables.
The older he got, the more he yearned for a wedding of his own.