Little Things

Chapter 7

Frowning, Lucy lifts Lauren's head and looks into her eyes. "Don't think like that."

"It's the truth." Lauren responded. "Camila was in the room with me."

"Well, why don't you take her to our room and do it now?" Lucy asks softly.

"She's got her bottle now."  Lauren mumbled, pouring the coffee.

Sighing, Lucy kisses the side of Lauren's head. "But she'll be crying all day until you do."

"I don't have the energy." Lauren mumbled, holding Lucy's mug up to her.

"Then take her to our room, feed her and go to sleep, I can tell she's exhausted." Lucy responds softly, taking her mug.

"I have papers to mark." Lauren mumbled, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window.

Shaking her head, Lucy kisses Lauren gently. "I'll take care of it."

"I need to do these ones." Lauren said, turning her head. "It's complicated papers."

"I can do them Laur," Lucy responds, trying not to feel hurt from Lauren turning away.

"It's a test that the kids did. I have to mark them." Lauren mumbled.

"Oh," Lucy says softly.

Lauren sipped her coffee.

Grace began whining once more in her highchair.

Lauren closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair, taking another sip of her coffee.

Moving to the highchair, Lucy picks Grace up only for her to start crying again.

"Grace, shh." Lucy bounced the little girl softly.

"Grace, shhh." Lucy bounced the little girl softly.

Lauren was still staring out of the window, sipping her coffee.

"Laur, she really wants you. You know how she gets when she's sick." Lucy says softly.

"Huh?" Lauren turned. "What?" She yawned.

Sighing, Lucy holds Grace out to Lauren, the little girl whining softly.

Lauren sighed heavily and took Grace from Lucy.

The little girl quickly curls into Lauren, burying her face in her neck.

Lauren left the room with her coffee in one hand and her other arm wrapped around the little girl.

Curling into her more, Grace fights back tears.

Lauren sat down on the couch in the living room with a heavy sigh. She put her cup of coffee down on the coffee table and picked up her first pile of papers she had to mark.

Grace buries her face in Lauren's neck, tears streaming down her cheek.

Lauren picked up her pen and looked at the first test. She'd been putting it off for days - marking the tests - dreading the results. These results would determine if she stayed on as a teacher or would be told she had to find a job elsewhere.

The first test made her take a deep breath, the student had gotten twelve questions wrong.

She moved onto the next tests until she reached the last one: Noah. This was the moment where her career as a teacher either continued or fell apart in front of her eyes.

Her heart began sinking in her chest as she looked at the pile of other tests she had grade. She had a pile of 100's with only seven tests and then the others until the 0's which had over half her students. If Noah failed, her career as a teacher would end completely.