Never Really Meant It When We Said 'Goodbye'

Coming To Terms

Amber had just finished up her day at work and was waiting for Jade to get out of school. While waiting, the ravenette decided to catch up on any emails she didn't have the chance to respond to or read while at work. Everything at work was going smoothly, and the pay was more than she imagined it would be. The people at work started talking to her more and her boss was incredibly impressed with her every day. Her colleagues were slowly becoming friends, which was nice, as it made her feel less lonely. Though, it was also a little weird since she was kind of their boss, at least for some of them. Overall, though, all was going well on that front. As far as her personal life, that's where things were a little weird. She had been cooped up at either work or home, focusing on taking care of her job and kid, so there really wasn't much going on outside of those two things. Chad had tried to plan something for the group, but without Sam and Kirby, and without Tara, it just didn't seem right. Sure, Sam and Kirby weren't really a part of the group as they were older, but ever since the group became of age, they somehow just became part of it. And Tara? Well, she was the OG and one of the people who became the reason why the friend group formed in the first place.

Eventually, somehow, the twins, Liv and Anika were able to come up with a plan for them to go out to a bar or a club on a Friday night, though Amber was hesitant to go, mostly because she didn't know how to feel. It had only been three weeks since Tara went undercover and since she told her that she couldn't be around her, and the ravenette worried about the dinner being brought up in conversation. She wasn't sure if she was ready to speak on the matter. Luckily, Sam was going too, so the chances of the topic being brought up were low, but they weren't zero. Then again, it was difficult for everyone, and it hurt them all equally. Tara wasn't one to keep secrets or to put her family and friends and the relationships she's got with them in jeopardy, but she kind of did when she kept the fact that she was going undercover away from them and had zero intentions of telling them.

The final school bell rang, pulling Amber away from her phone. The doors to the school were opened by the teachers, and the crowd of kids began running towards their parents cars, excited for the school day to finally be over. Amber smiled, wishing she could experience that feeling one more time, and looked for her daughter, who was slowly walking down the path, a teacher by her side. Teachers usually were by the kids' sides even after school, mostly to make sure their parents were there to pick them up, and also to make sure they were safe and didn't hurt themselves or got kidnapped. Though, there were times where they were by the kids' sides because they needed to have a chat with the parents about something their child did or didn't do. It was hard for Amber to know which one it would be, but she certainly did know it would be unlikely if a teacher came up to her to talk about something bad done by Jade. The young girl was a saint inside and out, rarely, if ever, getting into trouble, which was a total blessing. However, today seemed to be different, as Jade seemed much sadder than she usually did after a school day.

"Ms Freeman, hi." Mrs Johnson said as she helped Jade get in her mom's car. "Do you have a moment to chat?" Amber nodded, turning the car engine off and stepping out of the car. She wondered what her daughter's teacher wanted to discuss. "Is everything okay at home? Jade hasn't been focusing in class."
"What do you mean she has not been focusing?" The ravenette asked, not expecting her daughter to not pay attention. "Everything is good at home. It's just the two of us and her grandparents from my side on the weekends. She's been acting the same as always, and her homework is always done. I'm confused?"
The older woman nodded, "Let me rephrase: has a change happened that could've affected Jade's mood in any way? This change could've been caused by a family member passing or a friend ending their friendship. Anything like that. She's getting her work done, but when it's time to participate, she's off in her own world."

Amber looked at her daughter through the window, who was working on one of her assignments, off in her own world. It seemed like everything was okay with the young girl, as she still had the same energy and enthusiasm as always, never showing any signs of there being something wrong. It could've been a possibility that she and one of her friends stopped being friends, but Amber would've heard about it. And nobody in their family died or came back when no one wanted them back. Amber was just as lost and concerned as the teacher was.
"I'm really not sure, Mrs Johnson." She said, shaking her head. "She usually tells me everything, and all in our family is fine, so I really don't know what's going on with her. She couldn't be that affected...." Then it all clicked together for Amber, and she face palmed herself for not seeing it sooner. "Never mind, I have an idea of what's going on. I didn't think it would be such a big impact on her, but I guess it is."
"What is it?" The teacher asked, and Amber let out a sigh, surprised that it really did impact her daughter as much as it did.