Teenage Fever

A Lifted Weight

"Good morning, sunshine," the receptionist Triana sang to me.
I just knew I looked miserable to her.
I had a partial hang over but I was about to sit at my desk and give in to some Tylenol. "Long night?"
I leaned on her counter and smoothed out my hair and beard.
"Not really but I'm a lightweight. Any messages?"
"Check your voicemail, a bunch of parents are calling asking all kinds of questions about the Disney Trip."

I rolled my eyes. What more was there to inform? We're taking your teenager to Disneyland for a week and a day. The end.

"Aiight," I groan and walk on.

Soon after I plop down in my chair Jackson takes a seat on my desk.
"How did it go?" He asks.
I take some Tylenol and chase it with water before answering.
"My night?"
"Yeah but more specifically your talk with mystery man."
"I haven't talked to him."
Jackson gives me a look.
"What kind of relationship are you even in? What? Y'all talk every other day?"
"Seems like it," I chuckle.
Jackson rolls his eyes. I show him my phone.
"I'm talking to him today."
"Good, I want the tea," he says then goes to his desk.
I shake my head.

Brie was the first.
"Hey, Mr. Les," she says when she walks in.

I look down at my phone, I was in the middle of my text to Tahj. I originally wanted to text him hours ago, now it's the afternoon and the kids were coming in.

"Hey, Brie, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."
She pulls up a chair.
"What was the argument about? I'm going to question each of them individually."
"When they came in everything seemed fine, I took attendance and had them get ready for homework time. I was in the middle of helping Ashley out with a question when their voices got louder and louder. I can't remember exact words but from the gist of it it sounded like they were talking about someone or arguing over someone."

Out of nowhere I was suddenly hit with a thought. My eyes immediately moved to the filing cabinet by the door. The filing cabinet that had student records.

"Les?"
I spun my head back to Brie, she was looking at me questioningly.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, we're all set, Brie."
She stands up.
"I would send the boys in today but they didn't show up."
I watch her silently for a minute too long.
"Okay."

As soon as she leaves I make a run for the filing cabinet. Tahj must be in here, possibly from previous years? I open the drawer with last names that start with M. I search and move folders out of the way to get to Mo.

Then I find it and yank it out with a quickness.

So at some point he did go to this after school program. I take the folder back to my desk. I stare at his name written on the tab.

It's perfect timing when Jackson walks in from his break with a cup of coffee in his hands. I hold up the folder.

"Guess what I found."
Jackson stared at it.
"Damn, I didn't think of that. Did you look at it?"
"Not yet."
"Why do I also think that's your answer to the question, 'have you texted him yet?'"
"Fuck you," I say.

He leans over my shoulder to get a look into the folder too. I open it and we stare at it, in silence. The silence seems to stretch forever.
Fuck!
It was empty.

"Hey, Tahj it's me, text or call me back when you get this," I say before hanging up my phone.

Afterwards I stare out at Group A playing on the playground from the office windows.
Jackson hopped around in his desk chair.

"It's like a murder mystery," he laughs.
"This shit gets creepier and creepier," I say and head back to my own desk.
"What if Tahj Morris isn't his real name."
"Shut up Jackson," I rubbed my eyes.
"Well, well."