The Teacher

The Teacher: Part I Unchained, Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Holden went through an amazing ongoing transformation. He got his grades up in every class and finished the third quarter with academic honors. He rejoined the Manistique High hockey team and put them back in contention for a state title, responsible for one spectacular play after another. He started working out with real intensity.

His cut, buff body and reclaimed confidence were attracting the girls like female deer to a 16-point buck during the height of the rutting season. He started dating one hot coed after another, while I sat on the sidelines trying to figure out what went wrong with us and just how to start things up again. Then, one late-spring day after school I was walking home alone when Holden pulled up in a brand new Chevy Camaro, but, you know, the retro style, like the one Sam and Mikaela drove in Transformers.

"Fallon, can I give you a lift home?"

"Sure, but is this new? Where did you get it?" I stammered, while slipping into the sleek street rod on the passenger's side, after throwing my books and coat into the back seat of the impressive Grand Prix-yellow ride accented with racing stripes and air-intake vents protruding from the hood—the muscle car equivalent of bulging biceps. I gave Holden my best Megan-Fox-above-it-all pose before realizing I didn't have a chance to compete with that superstar vixen's stratospheric level of sex appeal.

It was the ultimate stud car—440 horses of custom engineered turbocharged raw V-8 power, complete with an Alpine 150-watt quad speaker stereo and a pair of Jetex performance headers sending powerful low rumbles rolling from the exhaust pipes.

We continued talking as he pulled away from the curb with a smoking squeal, laying a 10-foot patch of rubber after racing the engine, slamming the shifter into first, and popping the clutch. His answer to my question, about where he got the car blew me away.

"Well...I bought it myself."

"What do you mean? How'd you earn the money? Oh, I know, your inheritance...sorry, I shouldn't bring that up...sorry."

"No, it's okay...I'm over all that. Actually, I earned the money. My parents' money is in trust until I'm 21, but I have my own source of income. I'll show you. Come back to my place...would you? We've got a lot to catch up on."

"Ah...well...sure, that sounds great. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while now, but since we last spoke in the library the time never seemed right...know what I mean?"

"I am sorry...I've just had so much going on, but I didn't forget about you."

"Well, I hope not. I haven't had a chance to tell you, but I'm so impressed with how you've turned things around in your life. Is there some secret I should know about?" I asked, half kidding, but seriously wondering how he managed such a transformation when he was in what seemed like such a hopelessly dark place.

HOLDEN KEPT THE CONVERSATION light and soon we were pulling into his driveway. In the garage was some exotic car under a cover sporting a graphic of a stallion rearing up on its back legs.

"Check this out," Holden said as we walked into the garage on our way to the back door. He pulled up the cover to reveal a late-model Ferrari.

"Is this what I think it is?" knowing enough about fancy foreign cars to recognize a rare, expensive roadster when I saw one.

"Yep, I just got it...I've always wanted one, but I only take it out on special occasions...perhaps this weekend. Would you like to go somewhere? Can you drive a stick?" Holden asked, and strangely I didn't get the feeling he was bragging or building himself up just to impress me.