CAUGHT OFF GAURD

CAUGHT OFF GUARD: CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

MAIN CHARACTER 👆🏾

KHALIL💕

After my last class, I-- for the first time-- dreaded going to see Coach.

"Hi, Khalil, pull up a chair." He said somewhat cheerfully, then paused as if he didn't know where to go from there. "Um... Khalil, I... I'm curious, and don't want to get, personal, but..." He paused, and decided to forge ahead,

"Cole seemed very agitated when he asked to be assigned a different tutor. I just don't understand what could have happened, after the way things started with you guys. Friday, he told me how much he was enjoying working with you, then he didn't come to school Monday; and, like you, he never misses school."

I glanced up at this information, trying to picture Cole home alone and what he was doing. Was he upset? Miserable? Was he missing me? Fat chance.

"But on Tuesday, he came to me and seemed so, upset, so, well, disoriented. I asked him what the problem was, but he wouldn't talk at all." He paused and I glanced into his eyes, then up at the Martin Luther King poster and those damn quotes

"So, can you tell me what happened? I know you liked him a lot... A whole lot. My eyes darted to his and my mouth hung open. Was he insinuating what I thought he was insinuating? I couldn't speak. I'm sure the look on my face was idiotic, mixed with pain.

"And I know he liked you a lot." He looked into my eyes and I was just frozen.

"I, want you to know..." He was trying to be delicate, "Um, Khalil, I think I understand how you felt about Cole, and want you to know that I think he felt the same about you, from everything he said to me on Friday." He held my gaze and seemed to be trying to say much more with his eyes than he could say with his mouth.

I grinned with embarrassment and just about fell out of my chair. I held the edge of the desk for support. I couldn't believe my favorite teacher in the world was telling me he was aware of what Cole and I were beginning to feel for each other last week-- and in a very positive tone of voice!

"But, obviously something happened over the weekend, and he misses one day and you miss four; not to mention you looking like death-warmed-over when you come back."

I just hung my head down as far as I could let it fall. Tears were starting to build and I focused all my mental abilities on not crying-- I couldn't very well slug myself in the stomach in front of Coach.

"I just... Khalil, I want you to know that I care about you. You're one of my very favorite students, and you can talk to me. I, think I understand what you're feeling."

My head shot up and my eyes were laced with tears. I was dumbfounded and totally in a state of shock. He kept his eyes trained on mine. I got such a sense of caring and empathy from him, but was so blown away by this conversation that I couldn't process it all. I really don't know what my facial expression was at the time.

"I'm, skating on very thin ice here, Khalil, but I see a lot of confusion and pain in you right now, and I suspect you have no one to talk to about everything."