Virtual Meeting - A GhostBird FanFiction

Chapter 4 - Another Job

Chapter 4 – Another Job

Sang's POV:

"Ma'am? You called me."

I stood at my professor's office. I was a whole bundle of nerves not knowing what she wanted. I was never good around females. They reminded me of Mother. That wasn't good, and I knew it. But I also knew that someday, I wouldn't be so afraid of them anymore and would be able to speak to them normally and have fun.

"Sang! Glad you could show up," Mrs. Godisle said in her southern accent, with a big smile on her face. I nervously smiled back. "I called you here because I have news you will probably like. Well, the second part I'm sure."

I didn't like the sound of this. "I'm sure I will. But what is it, ma'am?"

"Oh Sang, no need to be so formal with me! Anyway, Mr. Jeral is taking a break from work. His poor wife got cancer. Oh, bless their hearts! He had to make an emergency leave for a few weeks and you'll be in the place for him." Mr. Jeral was my kindred guidance counselor. Oh goodness, I hoped his wife got better real soon. I'd met her once, and she was really sweet to me. Nothing at all like Mother. I had immediately clicked with her.

"But why? Why me?" I wasn't complaining. I wanted to help as much as I could for Mr. Jeral and his wife, but why me? There were plenty of other students much better than me.

"Hon, you're the best we've got. All the other students are just not into it like you are." Maybe because they weren't abused like me, I thought. "And anyway, Mr. Jeral specially chose you."

I blink and my thoughts run wild. Me? But why? What specialty did I have that other students didn't? Sure, I was abused, but Mr. Jeral didn't know about it, did he? After all, I never told him. But Mr. Jeral had the gift of reading your mind. Not really, but he knew when something was wrong. Was it possible that he had found out himself without my knowing?

I stood up straight and looked her in the eye. I thought back to what Mrs. Godisle told me to say when accepting something. "I am willing, and I will obey."

Mrs. Godisle nodded approvingly. "I'm glad you understand the seriousness of this problem and are willing to help out with Mr. Jeral's job." She handed a lollipop to me. "A bonus point: you even got the saying right!"

I smiled back. "So when do I start?"

Mrs. Godisle blinked. She mumbled a bit under her breath, "She didn't ask about the pay. A true academy girl not far off." I didn't know if I was supposed to hear that so I ignored it.

"Ma'am...uh, Mrs. Godisle?" I remembered that she didn't want me to be so formal. I couldn't help it though. "What do I do? Like, do I work in his office? I don't feel comfortable doing that. It's his personal office. And do I take on the students he was counseling? How do I do that? Not to mention-"

"Oh dear. You really are nervous aren't you? No worries. If you're uncomfortable with using Mr. Jeral's office, you can use his spare office."

I still had a lot of questions. "But what about-"

"You'll know when you get there, hon. You'll know."

North's POV:

"You must, North. You really are unstable."

"Bullshit!" I didn't want to be like those kids who went to counseling. I was perfectly fine! "I don't want to go Doc. I'm fine!" I kicked down a chair. I didn't need counseling!

"That chair isn't helping your predicament."

I kicked down another chair. "Well, what did you expect? The chair deserved it! It was pissing me off! You're pissing me off!"

"Do you hate me?"

I freeze. "No."

"Mr. Taylor, would you go to one session just for us?"

I take in a deep breath and sigh. "Just one session."

"Great job Owen! We did it!" Doc said, looking happy. It raised my temper higher, but I stomped it down.

"Until further notice, you will be going to Mr. Jeral's office in the east wing. If he is not there for any reason, you will go to his spare office further down the hall."

I sighed. "Tell me why I'm doing this again."

"I'm sure you remember the reason, Mr. Taylor." Mr. Blackbourne said. "If not, we could always add in more hours to make you remember."

"No, I remember." I said quickly. I didn't want more hours than I already had.

"I know why you're doing this!" Doc was chirpy as ever.

"And why's that?" I asked bored.

"It's because you love us!"

I rolled my eyes. It was true. I did love them. I loved everyone in the team. In the family.

Sang's POV:

I walk into the Café for the second time that week. I just wanted a coffee to settle the headache I had gotten from my meeting with Mrs. Godisle.

"Hey Karen," I meet her across the counter. "How are you doing?"

"Hey you're back. Just as I predicted." She said as a greeting. "I'm good. How 'bout you?"

"Life is...entertaining." I thought that was the word. I was busy. I was happy. I was entertained. "I'll take a regular coffee please."

"Alrighty, it's coming right up." As she waited for the coffee machine to finish my drink, she turned to me with a pleading face. "Sang, could you do me a huge favor? Please?"

I hesitated. "It depends on the favor. If you're telling me to rob a bank, or sell pot, I'm not doing it," I laughed.

Karen laughed along with me. "No, it's not like that, but it still is a pretty big change in your life." She turned serious. "Where do you live? And I don't mean that in a stalkerish way. I mean it like; do you live in a house, a dorm, an apartment?"

"An apartment. Why?"

"Do you have enough space to house a roommate?"

I got what she was implying now. I was fine with her moving in but if it was someone I didn't know... "Karen..."

"Please? I promise I'll pay half the rent and do all the chores. I just don't have any other place to stay," she pleaded.

"Oh. I thought you were asking me if I could house your friend or something. I'm fine with living with you, just not some stranger." I said in relief. "But could you explain to me why?"

The coffee machine dinged, and Karen started preparing my coffee. "When I applied to this university, my boyfriend had told me he was going here also so we shared an apartment. We soon grew distant, and so we decided to break it off," she explained. "And now I've got nowhere to go. I've been living in my friend's room that had taken a vacation. But she's coming back soon so I have to move out."

"Wow, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We broke it off ourselves." Karen shrugged as if it were no big deal. "So when can I move in?"

I thought about it. I had three bedrooms in my apartment. One was my bedroom, another was my office, and the last one was kind of a storage room with a few boxes in it. "You can move in today. I have a three bedroom apartment and one of them is bare. It just has a few boxes in it but I could always move those."

"Oh thank you, Sang! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" Karen clapped her hands in excitement. I grinned happily. It made me feel good that I could make Karen so happy.