Unexpected Second Chance

Chapter 18 - New student

"Listen El, whatever his reasons are for taking your class it has more to do with getting at me than you. I'm not his favorite person."

"What'd you do?" She scolded.

He thought for a moment. "If this is your line of questioning for the day, I'd prefer to table it until we're out of here. Preferably with a beer in my hand and you on my lap, but I'd settle for just the beer. I'd ..."

"When are we going to get the hell outta here!" Caleb interrupted and froze mid-step when he saw Ella in the room. The two of them had been standing with Joe's desk separating them. "Oh if it isn't Ms. Burke."

"Hi Caleb." Joe stiffened the minute his brother appeared.

Joe added, "I was just learning you changed your schedule. Anymore switches you care to share with me?"

Caleb said, "Yeah, pretty much everything. I kept English with your Ms. Faiman, because she's funny in a Hitler kinda way. It could be interesting, but the rest I switched for digital art, illustration, and creative writing."

"Art and chorus! I didn't even know you could draw," Joe replied.

"Maybe if you hadn't spent the past year in a half with your head up your ass and bawling your eyes out, you might have noticed."

Ella felt like she was intruding on a family moment, but at the same time, she was accumulating more questions. Joe looked defeated, as if he had been battling for a long time without success.

He handed Caleb his keys. "Go sit in the car and wait for me. We'll talk about this later."

On the way out Caleb moaned, "You're not my father..."

Joe replied to himself, "Thank God, I'm not that bastard." Then he turned to Ella. "You still have questions?" She nodded. "Like I was saying I'd invite you over, but the subject of your questions will be there, too. Now I have to find out what's going on in his head and deal with it. Can I call you later?"

"I have a date tonight."

She was having dinner with Tony, but Joe didn't need to know.

"Later... after if it doesn't go too late?"

She wanted to cancel and try to help Joe, but it was his problem, not hers. She said, "I'll call when I get home." She turned and left his room.

For two days, she had been relieved to know that Joe wasn't a father, but after the scene she witnessed today, he might as well be. She never thought about him being a guardian for his brother, but he would have taken on that role. The Joe, she knew would fight for his brother. Just like, he would fight for her. She admired him, because she should have fought for him, but instead, she laid down and cried. She could be angry with him, but eventually, she would need to decide to either forgive him or be the one to walk away from him.

She met Tony on the way home from work. The only thing she wasn't looking forward to was him grilling her about Dylan. She wasn't sure, if she wanted to go out with him again. She was fine kissing him, but he would want more. As much as she tried to imagine Dylan touching her, she knew she couldn't do it. Technically, she was free to sleep with anyone she wanted to, but she didn't want to sleep with Dylan.

"How's the new school?" Tony asked right away.

"It's alright."

Before she could elaborate, he asked, "How was your dinner with Dylan?"

"It was alright."

"Just alright? El, he really likes you." Tony sounded disappointed.

"Tone, this is how I see it playing out. I go to dinner with him a few times, we kiss, but then he wants to get serious and well you know, but I'm not interested. I kissed him and it was nice, but there was no spark... less than with you."

"El, I lied to you. I felt a spark, but don't freak, because it was nothing compared to the one I have with my girl."

"Why so mysterious?"

"You may say you don't like Dylan, but you're different. It's like the dark cloud following you is gone. Your eyes are brighter. Maybe it's Dylan, maybe it's the new job, but I like it."

Maybe it's seeing my old boyfriend and finding out he isn't married. Instead, she changed the subject. "Hey, why did you tell Ava about my date?"

"Because I thought she'd be happy you were putting yourself out there." Tony defended himself.

"Did she tell you, she'll be home for the weekend?"

"Yeah, she told me about her interview."

"Interview? What interview? She didn't mention an interview to me."

"She just heard about it, you were at school all day. I texted her. You know to let her know about our dinner and she told me she had an interview on Tuesday."

"So she just ask you to tell me? My own sister and I hear it second hand from my friend."

"El, it's not a big deal. You realize I'm friends with Ava, too. "

"I know, but I just like how we're closer."

Tony ignored her comment. "Do you have any gigs this weekend?"

"Just Saturday and please don't bring Dylan unless you think he might like Ava. That would be alright with me."

"I'm not bringing Dylan, but if you don't want to see him, you'll need to tell him. I'm not doing your dirty work."

Their dinner became more enjoyable, when Tony stopped talking about Dylan. She only agreed to go out with him to make Joe jealous and it didn't even work. After the check was paid, they hugged in the parking lot. Ella drove home wondering how long she could wait to call Joe. In the end, she called him right after she had changed her clothes.

"How was your hot date?"

"Like you really want to know. Besides, it's a school night, so as you can tell it was an early night."

"Did he make you sigh?"

"I'm not answering you."

"Did he give you goosebumps when he touched you?"

"The Joe Walch, I used to know was not this cocky. I think I liked him a lot better, than the divorced man who showed up last week."

"Ouch!"

"I'm really only calling to check on the welfare of my student. I wanted to make sure his guardian didn't kill him for taking my class."

"I couldn't kill him if I wanted to. He is the same place he's been since I dragged him to Maine... hiding in his room refusing to speak to me, except an occasional profane tirade. I just want to know why he changed his schedule?"

"Maybe, because he likes the arts. Why are you so bothered? You teach literature. It's not like you're Owen who gets off on calculus and physics."

"I'm worried about his future." Joe admitted.

"Have you even asked him what he wants to do? I took a walk to guidance to check his records. Caleb has taken other art and music classes at his old school. Do you even know your brother?"

"He was barely twelve when I moved out of the house. He was just a kid."

"Well, you might want to talk to him."

"You're right. The kid took everything so hard. He got in with the wrong kids and got into trouble. I don't want him to hook up with art kids and start drinking again."

"Jeez, to think I thought you weren't a father."

"I'm not, I'm a brother."

"Just talk to him and remember you love him."

"Thanks, El. This is one of the reasons I love you. You're so good at telling me what to do."

"Yeah, well too bad you didn't ask me before you made the biggest decision of your life."

The conversation was going in a direction she didn't want and hung up.