Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 34206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
She stood at the door and watched as her mother ran toward the cab, two large bags in her hands.
The cab driver climbed out and helped put the bags in the back. Her mother waved back, and Teal held her hand up, still with the credit card in her hand.
She waited until she could no longer see the cab and then closed the door.
Alone. In a strange town. In a house that didn’t feel like home.
She leaned against the door and sighed. Her parents would make it work. Of that, she had no doubt. They were constantly fighting and making up, and the fact her dad had now invited her mom to England meant he was ready to move on.
It was always the same old details with them.
Staring at the card in her hand, she reached into her school bag and pulled out her purse. After sliding the card into place, she clicked her tongue and then moved, checking the house for locked doors and windows.
With her mother making a quick escape, she had a tendency to just rush off without a moment’s notice.
Her mother’s bedroom window was open, as was the one in the bathroom, the back door was unlocked, and Teal made sure the house was secure before she made herself a quick cup of instant coffee, and then sat on the couch with her books in hand, and got to studying.
She had been like this for nearly an hour when the doorbell rang.
After climbing to her feet, she made her way to the door and checked through the peephole.
It was Jaxson.
Her heart raced. She hoped she didn’t look like a blushing schoolgirl. Her attraction to him wasn’t subsiding. With every moment she spent with him, the more she liked him.
This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she unlocked the door and opened it. “Jaxson,” she said.
“Is your mom home?” he asked.
“She’s already left.”
“She called me today. Told me that she was staying out of town, and that you’d be alone.”
“Yeah, she said. Er, would you like to come in?” Her hands had started to get clammy.
“Sure,” Jaxson said.
Other than for that one dinner, Jaxson had never come into her home. She was always around his. Her home wasn’t lived in.
Still no artwork on the walls. The laundry room still held a bunch of boxes her mother refused to unpack.
With Jaxson in her hallway, Teal struggled to think. Did it suddenly get hot?
“Would you like a coffee?” That was the polite thing to do, right? Ask if they wanted coffee?
“Love some.”
“It’s only instant,” Teal said. “Mom refused to unpack the coffee pot until Dad arrived.”
“Oh,” Jaxson said.
“Mom’s pretty stubborn like that. She won’t put up pictures or put anything in place. Dad was always the one with a keen eye for décor.” She chuckled. Turning away from him, she closed her eyes and cursed herself inside her head for saying such stupid, boring things. Why couldn’t she say and do the right things? This was so frustrating. He was her teacher. None of this should matter to her.
She grabbed the kettle and poured out his cup, only to find the water had gone cold.
“Crap! Er, I’m sorry. I just need to boil the kettle.” She placed it on top of the stove, turned the heat on, and waited.
“How was school today?” Jaxson asked. He suddenly sounded a lot closer than she imagined him being.
She spun around to find him less than a foot away. “It was … good. Yeah, it was fine.”
“I heard a couple of the kids talking. You tripped?”
“In gym class. Yeah, the whole running thing. My head wasn’t in the game, and I tripped. It’s fine.”
“You want me to take a look?”
Did she want her very hot teacher and neighbor looking where she had gotten a boo-boo?
Yes and no. This was embarrassing.
“It’s fine.”
“Teal, let me look.”
When he spoke like that, how could she argue?
She bent down and pulled up her jean leg as far as she could. Her track pants were a mess. She’d completely wiped out the knee part.
“Ouch,” Jaxson said.
“Yeah, it’s fine.” The bleeding had stopped quite quickly. “It looks worse than it feels.”
“It looks like there is dirt in this. We need to clean it up. Do you have a first-aid kit?”
She thought about it and shook her head. “No.”
“No cleaning kit? You’re a teenager.”
Did he see her wince? “I’ve never been the clumsy kind of kid,” she said.
“Lucky parents.”
Yeah, and she had no idea why she was falling now. It wasn’t like she’d truly been lost in thought. Not that being in her own head had ever been a problem before.
She fell, and the class had laughed. So much fun. She’d cleaned up her leg as best she could and had forgotten about it. Until now.
“I’ll be back,” Jaxson said.