Forced Reconciliation

10.

A/N: you're welcome for this

________________

Andi Rhoades

"Good morning guys, how was everyone's weekend?" I ask my favorite class of seniors as they slowly trickle into my classroom.

I get a few responses telling me about the semi-finals for basketball that happened on Saturday, and one student shows me a video of an Ed Sheeran concert she went to which makes me smile.

"He was so good, Miss Rhoades, and he seemed so nice and genuine compared to most other artists," she tells me.

I laugh, "He is a pretty nice guy."

"Wait, have you met him?"

Fuck.

I try busying myself with some papers on my desk, not to give myself away. "I uh, yeah I met him once at a party a few years ago."

"No way!" I hum and nod, hoping she'll leave the conversation at that, but of course she doesn't. "How'd you get invited to a party like that?"

Shrugging, "Just right place, right time, I guess?" I try to play it off hoping she won't see through my lie and find out that I've actually spent quite a bit of time in Ed Sheeran's company due to the fact that Harry Styles was my boyfriend.

But that's besides the point.

She seems satisfied with my answer and heads to her seat with the rest of her class. I let them all get settled for the next couple of minutes before I start class. Today's Monday, and since I know that Mondays are particularly hard on most everybody, we normally do free reading to start the week.

I've found it's very relaxing for them and helps them to have a more productive week. Especially this class that's first thing in the morning. Most kids aren't even awake by now, so it's become part of our routine to have a more chill beginning of the week to get back into the swing of things.

Some kids actually look forward to it so they can catch up on the book they normally don't have time to read. There are a few that absolutely despise reading though, but I don't mind. If they want, I've offered to help them find something they might actually enjoy, but if not, then I let them catch up on homework or free write in their class journals.

Once they all decide what they're individually going to do and the classroom quiets down, I make my way back to my desk where I catch up on my own work. I've got to start planning the classwork up until spring break so they know what to expect and can prepare for it.

I'm about forty minutes into class time when there are a couple of light knocks on my classroom door before it's being opened.

When I meet the eyes of the person on the other side of the door, my usual smile is dropping and I can feel my face heating in anger and surprise.

What the fuck does he think he's doing here?

Quickly making my way over to the door where he's now let himself in, I see him scan the room and wiggle his fingers in a wave at a couple of students he must recognize, which has my stomach turning. I hurry to grab him by the arm and pull him back out to the hallway.

"Blake! What the hell are you doing here?" I whisper yell as quietly as I can manage in my rage.

He leans against the wall and crosses one ankle over the other as if we're in some 80's rom-com. "You weren't answering any of my calls or texts."

"Yeah, well. There's a reason for that, let's see," I tap my finger on my head as if I'm searching for the answer. "You're a fucking dick."

I try my best to keep my voice down, but the janitor pushing a broom through the hallway definitely just heard me call a grown man a fucking dick. Nice.