My Professor's Secret

15|

fifteen

I slept until noon the next day. Christian and I hadn't even looked each others way after that conversation last night. What were we supposed to say to each other? I pushed the thought of Chris out of my mind and grabbed my phone. If Taylor were here right now, she'd be relishing in the fact that I had somehow grown fond of her unruly talent of waking me up in the morning. I type good morning, contemplating if I should mention what Christian said last night about Trevor. He should know if there were rumors circling school defaming his character; but I don't.

Before I could send my messages, a knock echos in my room.

"Come in," I holler through the closed door. Dad peeks his head through the door before walking in. He smiles widely, approaching me with a tray of homemade French toast and eggs. "Dad," I sigh before allowing him a chance to defend his actions. "I was on my way down. You didn't have to make me breakfast."

He places the tray at the foot of my bed, making himself comfortable on the edge.

"I wanted to. I didn't expect you to sleep in so late. Figured you'd be the first one up like always," he shrugs. "I knocked earlier but you weren't awake yet so Chris and I ate while you were sleeping. He headed out an hour ago after a couple of his friends came to pick him up." Dad was dressed in a pair of beige pants and an orange shirt with his works emblem stitched on it.

"You have work today? I thought you said you called off?"

"I did. They need me in just for a few hours today. Lorelei will pick me up so you and your brother can have the car for the day." Before we could talk much more, a horn sounds outside and dad springs to his feet. "I heard Avery's back in town. It'll be nice for the two of you to catch up."

It wouldn't. Despite the years we spent planning our dorm room decor or creating bucket lists of every wild thing we swore to do together, our friendship started plummeting senior year. Preparing for the future was my only escape. After losing my mom, nothing made sense anymore. College, a degree, life.

Avery didn't understand the urgency of my needing to be as far from Minnesota as I could get. It destroyed the dream of us experiencing college together. She held onto that grunge long after I told her I'd be moving to Wyoming. My last words to her were read five months ago but left without a response.

"I doubt it, but maybe. Thanks for leaving the car."

Dad doesn't linger any longer after Lorelei sounds the horn once more. He plants a peck on my cheek, encourages me to enjoy my time home before heading out.

After breakfast and endless contemplation, I sent A message to her about meeting to talk. She wasn't the only one that needed closure. It took an hour for a response, but it was better than five months.

Adulthood took an entirely different route with her. She walked into the coffee shop with her hair split down the middle with two separate colors on each side. One blonde, one copper. It complimented her tan skin and accentuated the splatter of freckles on her face much better than her natural black hair. She even traded in her perfect coils for looser waves. I could practically hear her parents disapproval the moment she stepped in.

I watched her gracefully scan the crowed until our eyes locked with one another. She gives me a smile before proceeding to the booth I'd been in. Even her walk was different. Confidence found her in college a lot more than our late conversations ever could. She looked genuinely happy.