Judy

Chapter III

"Don't Go Breakin My Heart"

To Be Continued...

Elton John, Kiki Dee

"You know, I've never seen dad so quiet. Maybe he's mad?" Rosalie pondered

Charlotte went to clear out the confusion. "Your father and I had a little... discussion." Charlotte slowly nudged Rosie out the door and toward the bus.

After it drove off, I headed downstairs. I knew our little argument might have frightened Rosie, but it's never been this hard. I never wanted her to seem like I was the bad guy; the bad parent. But, yesterday night, it felt like that. Something inside me wished I could go back in time and stop past me, but that wasn't possible. Not anymore.

I went to the coffee maker and turned it on. If there was one thing that could cheer me up in the slightest in a mood like this- it was the smell of freshly brewed coffee. But then, of course, that mood is ruined by the fact I have to go to work.

I reached into my wardrobe, taking out a normal work outfit- and then completed it with a pair of knee-high, bright yellow socks. Satisfied, I quickly got myself dressed in light blue jeans and a button-down, and a brown overcoat. I ran my fingers through my hair one last time and headed for work.

I stepped out of my house, locked the door, and looked at a tree. It had a torn tire laced with rope on one of its thick branches. That was the tire swing I made for Rosie. Again, I prevented myself from tearing up, but one snuck through my eye and rolled down my cheek, gently falling, gracefully on the walkway.

I got into the car and revved the engine. After I shifted gears, I pulled the car into reverse and noticed a little purple notebook entitled: "DREAM COLLEGES". It all came to me. Rosie was preparing for college, and dream schools. I took a deep sigh, grabbed the notebook, stuffed it in my glove compartment, and drove off.

The crisp winds of North Garden High rustled some trees and my hair as I entered Doonesbury High.

I grabbed the notebook, stuffed it into the suitcase, and walked toward the doorway. It was around the 3rd period when I arrived and I knew Rosie was gonna head to Chemistry. She usually takes the stairs, but when I caught a glimpse of her, she took a left instead of her usual right.

I headed toward the band room and prayed that there were less than five kids in there. To my relief, there were four. Andrew, Julian, Some curly-haired kid named Tim and this girl named Susanne.

Andrew yelled, "Mornin' Mr. Booker! How's it goin'?"

I looked up at him and smiled slightly. "Good, nice to see you asking."

Andrew smirked and rolled his eyes slightly. Not in a rude way, but more of a playful way.

I let everyone settle for a bit and then began our lesson. The lesson was mostly Julian and Andrew making snarky comments and insight, Tim just hanging out trying to learn, and Susanne being as flavorful as flour.

During the last few minutes of class, I noticed Susanne struggling a little bit with holding her instrument. She had this overall nervous look on her face, but I just dismissed it and thought nothing much of it.

After the bell rang, I was off to the water fountain to clear my throat. After the last few sips, I heard Rosie's voice say, "Hey...uh, dad? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

I quickly turned around and saw her holding her books, and her hair was in a cute ponytail.

"Hey....uh, sweetie. How was chemistry?"

"It was alright, our teacher was absent, so we got this sub, Mrs. Foley. She kept yelling at me for tapping the tune to the "Periodic Table" song with my pencil. She said it was a "disruption of the class," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean."

"I see, and watch your language."

"But you and mom throw it around like ShopRite coupons."

"That's the thing I wanna talk about." I reached into my pocket and handed her the notebook, and within minutes, her grin turned to a smile.

Rosie asked, "Where'd you find this?"

"It was on the backseat, under your backpack."

"Thank you."

"Look, I'm sorry for frightening you. It's just that, everything's been on and off lately. I looked through it and saw some pretty decent schools".

She gave a small smirk and walked off. I knew something was bound to change due to that smile that had grown upon her face.