I Tutor A Sex God

Alexa play 'Nurse's Office'

After the dust had settled, Jake decided it was time
to head home. With a box of leftovers and a smile on his face, he walked out. Emily closed the door gently and locked it before putting her back against it. She sighed and rubbed her temples.

She wondered if she really knew Jake, maybe she was too quick to judge?
As Emily walked towards her room, she took note to turn some lights off. She opened her door as was about to get ready for bed when she heard a soft knocking at her door. She pulled it open to see her mom, smiling at her with a soft expression.

Emily opened her door wide, room for her mom to come in. "I thought you were asleep?" Emily asked, watching as her mother wordlessly walked towards her bed. Jane sat down in the edge, and Emily followed right behind her. The pair sat in silence before Jane spoke.

"He seemed like a nice guy," Jane said, looking towards Emily. Emily nodded and chose to say nothing. She didn't want to ruin the fantasy that her mother had of Jake. She couldn't bring herself to tell her that he was actually a jackass.

"Have I ever told you the story of how me and your dad met?" Jane asked suddenly, glancing at the framed photo on the wall. Emily looked at it and smiled before turning her head towards Jane.

"You guys met in high school and you knew you both were soulmates the moment you saw each other," Emily said as she waved her hands. "It was true love."

Jane nodded, taking a long strand of Emily's hair and twisting it. The action made Emily feel safe and comfortable, which Emily needed as she laid her head on her mother's bony shoulder. "You're right, it was true love," Jane sighed, "but your father and I did not like each other from the start. In fact, we hated each other."

Emily sat up suddenly, looking at her mom with a questioning face. "You never told me that,"

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to grow up thinking that if someone is mean to you that means that they love you," Jane stated simply, shrugging her shoulders, her brown eyes swirling with an emotion that Emily couldn't name. "That just leads to a spiral of bad relationships."

Emily stared at her mother, reeling from
the fact that her mother and father used to hate each other. "Why are you telling me now?" She asked, running a hand over Patches who was laying behind the pair, near the middle of Emily's bed.

Jane sighed, looking over at her daughter, "I want you to understand that love comes in different forms. Your father and I absolutely hated each other because we didn't know each other." She chuckled quietly, looking over at the picture that was on wall. She stood up and walked towards it, as Emily stayed seated.

"I was a cheerleader and he was a baseball player," Jane said, but Emily knew that already. Jane smiled towards the picture, not really paying attention to anything else. "He used to make fun of cheerleaders and was such an asshole to them," Jane frowned, taking a step back and joining Emily back on the edge of her bed. She grabbed her daughters hands and smiled with tears in her eyes.

Emily spoke up after a moment, "That doesn't excuse it though,"

Jane nodded, "It doesn't, but maybe if you get to know someone you can change them. Maybe you can change people for the better," Jane said, "people are like plants. You have to help them be beautiful sometimes." Jane said, looking at the plants around the room. The pair sat in silence.

"I miss him," Emily said after a beat of silence, leaning closer to her mom.

"I do too." Jane said, "everyday."

--------

Emily woke up the following Monday feeling better than she has in the past two years. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, looking around. She noticed Patches on the floor, drooling and snoring quietly. She giggled.