Life's Unexpected Turn

Chapter 15: Confirmation

*Parker's POV*

The swift sound of the restroom door shutting was unmistakable, and I began walking directly toward my class. During the short time that it took me to reach my destination, my mind replayed the encounter with Bailey; my thoughts went rampant as a result. Watching the moment of realization was honestly heartwarming; seeing her piece everything together and call me by my name was particularly pleasing.

Additionally, the way she eyed my tattoos was nice; I could tell she liked them. I hope after showing her who I really am, Bailey will continue letting her guard down and allow me to help her to the best of my ability. I'll wait for however long she needs to gain that type of trust with me. In the end, I need to figure out the most useful way to help her, and I'm glad she knows it has been me all along.

As soon as I walked into my classroom and the door handle clicked, Victoria was immediately glaring my way. I bet she has been eyeing everyone entering, just waiting for Bailey. I reached my desk in no time and set my bag down, sliding it off my shoulder. I quickly glanced around the classroom, noticing that half the students were sitting at their desks. Even though I was loading and preparing everything for the lesson, I couldn't stop myself from discreetly observing Victoria every chance I could.

Bailey's girlfriend gripped her cell phone so tight that I could see the whites of her knuckles. If she holds it any tighter, her phone might crack. Her intense scowl alone was absolutely terrifying as it gave me chills, reminding me of my own haunted past. I could hear the heel of Victoria's red pump constantly clicking against the linoleum floor as she put the phone up to her ear for the third time.

As always, I waited five minutes after our scheduled start time to ensure everyone was in their seats before I took attendance. Once that task was completed, I walked to each student and collected everyone's homework. There's no need to make them get up and walk it to me when I can easily do it myself. By the time I returned to my desk, I could hear my students taking out their notebooks and writing utensils; the sound itself was ordinary and expected.

"Alrighty, so... now that everyone's settled and you've turned in your homework assignments, I have a pop quiz for you," I stated, and received a few cheers as well as boos, all of which was expected. Students will be students.

Following that, under her breath, Victoria mumbled, "Of course, you would do that... Ugh, fucking pop quizzes." Then she added, "Where the fuck is she?"

I heard everything she said clear as day, and hearing it made me more curious. She's talking about Bailey. However, I knew her first comment was meant for my ears, but I wasn't going to react to it. I pulled out my manilla folder that contained the quizzes and placed them in my hand. I then began handing out the short tests to each of my students. I know we talked about her coming late to my class, but I'm so glad and relieved that Bailey is actually doing it. I hope, in the end, everything works out. She took a chance to start trusting me, and I won't let her down; I can't... I feel like I am all she has...

Thirty minutes had passed, and it was time for me to collect their exams. I'm eager to see how much my students remember from our lessons up to this point. I quickly observed some of their answers as each paper was handed to me. Soon enough, I returned to my desk and returned the quizzes to the folder they came from. I'll thoroughly grade these a bit later.

It's time for the next lesson.

~

I was in the middle of my lecture when my classroom door opened, causing a slight disturbance. Every student stopped taking notes and instead turned their heads to the door, wondering who had come inside. Bailey had entered, and Victoria glared at her like a malicious predator. I don't understand how no other teacher could see these signs of abuse... I have to help her.