Teacher's Pet

“Are you kidding?” she replied. “They have to be. Why else would you have been a benchwarmer the last two seasons when you're clearly one of the best players – if not the best player – on the team?”

I blushed, a bit embarrassed by Leena's praise. “C'mon, I'm not the best player on the team.”

“Like hell you're not! Quit being so modest. I mean seriously, you are here on a volleyball scholarship. That makes it even more criminal that you haven't been part of the starting lineup!”

“It does look like that might change now, though,” I replied with a smile.

“Yes, it does! Things seem to be changing for sure.”

I was about to respond when I heard my phone ringing in my gym bag. “Hold that thought, Lee, let me see who this is.”

I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone. When I looked at the screen, I shook my head as a flood of emotions rushed through me, none of them good.

When Leena saw my expression change, she glanced down at the screen and quickly snatched the phone away from me before I could answer it; she rejected the call, sending it straight to voicemail.

“Tim is a grade-A asshat,” she said, shaking her head. “I can't believe that cheating douche is still trying to call you.”

“I wasn't gonna talk him,” I replied.

“Good. He doesn't deserve a single second of your time. He already wasted two semesters of it with his lies and cheating. Why is he trying to call you and message you all the time, anyway? I mean, it only started up around a week ago, right?”

“He broke up with Ma-”

“'The Whore,' Eryn, 'The Whore,'” Leena interrupted me. “I thought we'd agreed on calling her by her correct name, ‘cause that's what she is.”

“Well, whatever you wanna call her, they broke up. She dumped him-”

“Oh, and now he thinks he can just waltz right back into your life, huh? Hell, no. HELL to the no.”

“Don't worry, Lee. Like I said, I'm not gonna talk to him. It's over, and it's been over for a long time.”

“I hope so, Eryn. You know how much of a jerk he is. Even if you did love him, don’t forget how he had you fooled for so long. And, don't let your heart deceive your head – it was lies, not love, even if you really want to believe otherwise.”

“I know, I know.” We walked in silence until we reached the showers.

“All right, let's get cleaned up. Then how about grabbing a bite to eat afterward?” Leena asked.

“Not tonight, Lee,” I replied. “I'm going to stay at my mom's place for the night and make her dinner and then breakfast in the morning. That asshole store manager has her working double shifts this week.”

“Ugh, that's terrible. She really should be taking things a little easier at her age.”

“I know, Lee, believe me, I know – but it's tough for her being on her own. Times are hard, and there are bills to pay. My sister helps out when she can, but she's all the way across the country now and has a family of her own to provide for. Mom made a lot of sacrifices for my sister and me, and I gotta do what I can to help her out.”

“I understand. Well, maybe we can get coffee tomorrow morning if you've got a gap between lectures?”

“I do. We can do that. C'mon now, let's get showered up and then we'll make plans for tomorrow.”

*****

I got out of the taxi and looked up at the front of the familiar building — the one I'd grown up in. It had never been a particularly attractive building, but these days, it was looking shabbier than ever. The plaster was cracked and stained around the corners, but the graffiti on the ground level at least attempted to mask it a bit.

My senses rose to full alert the moment I stepped out of the taxi; this had never been a great neighborhood, and it had gotten worse over the years. My first priority when I graduated college and started making a salary was going to be to get my mother out of this area.

I darted up to the entrance of the building and buzzed myself in, then bounded up the familiar flight of stairs until I reached my mom's door. Beyond it was the small, two-bedroom home where my sister and I had grown up, raised by a single mom after our dad walked out on us. I didn’t remember much about him; I'd been a toddler when he left.

I slid my key in the lock, opened the door, and walked in to the sound of the TV blaring. I saw my mom in front of it on the sofa, still dressed in her work uniform from the supermarket.

“Hi, Ma,” I called out. There was no reply. “Ma, did you hear me?” I moved a little closer and saw that her eyes were closed; her thin chest was rising up and down in a slow, gentle rhythm.