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The knock on the lake house door made Nova leave the couch, hurrying over and pulling open the door. Miss Jenn stared from the other side with a smile, "I got here as soon as you called. Almost hit a deer in the process, but made it."
"Miss Jenn, thank you for coming." Nova said, letting her inside. When Nova called over the phone and said they were at a lake house, Miss Jenn thought of a shack on the water that smelt of fish and bug spray. But the Sháo lake house was huge, on a small hill and had beautiful interior, a large backyard that indeed lead right to the lake, "Sorry, it's a bit of a drive out here."
"It's beautiful." the blonde woman said back as she looked around, "Is it a family home?"
"Not really. When my parents got divorced, my dad bought it for when he was home to visit." Nova said honestly, shutting the door and facing her teacher, "I heard you called him."
"I did." Miss Jenn said with a small smile, "I was worried about you. I knew you didn't want the police involved, and you definitely didn't want to move states away. I know, calling your dad wasn't what I should have done. If I was a decent teacher I should have told the school immediately."
"You're emotionally involved." Nova confirmed as she stared at her, "Thank you, so much. Not for just protecting me but for caring enough to help me. I don't feel that often, but thank you."
Miss Jenn smiled slightly as she hugged Nova, the girl hugging her back tightly before Miss Jenn cleared her throat, "You know, you could have sang a high school musical song at the dance."
Nova laughed immediately.
"Whats going to happen with work?" Nova asked, sitting in the dinning room and eating the pasta and bread her father made, "Are they going to fire you?"
"It's just one job." Alaric said with a grin, twisting his fork into the spaghetti, "I'll just take one back here and they'll have someone else take my spot."
"But you're been planning Cuba for almost a year." Nova said back, feeling guilty as she took a sip of the sparkling water.
Alaric stared at her in disbelief, "You're my daughter, Nova. I'd pick you over any job, no matter where it is."
Nova couldn't remember a time her mother had ever said anything to her like that, she wasn't even sure if she had before. Nova smiled sadly as she put the noodles in her mouth before speaking up again, "I'm sorry, for acting like a jerk to you for the past few years."
"You don't have to apologize. The divorce was messy, and you were just a child when it happened." Alaric said back to his daughter, "I didn't want to make you choose between your mother and I. But if I'd had known what she was doing-"
"It's not your fault, or mine, or anyone's but moms." Nova stopped him quickly, seeing the guilt in his eyes, "Will I see her again?"
"If that's what you want. Because you're seventeen, you have the right to move out if you have a place to stay. Which you do, here with me. I'll be working a lot, but you'll be safe here, Nova. I promise." her father spoke. They hadn't had a heart felt conversation like this since before the divorce. He'd always disappear on business trips and when he was home, Nova hated him because he was the one to make the divorce final. Nova always picked her mother, she didn't want to accept that she was the problem in all of this.
