Chapter Five
Colton
W e're a few weeks into the school year, and I'm really loving Sparrow Falls High. I've only officially worked at one other school, but I had to do hours for my degree at several schools, and I have to say, Sparrow Falls High School is by far my favorite.
The sense of community is tangible. With the exception of a few teachers, I can tell the staff here really care about their students and want to see them succeed. It's great, and makes my job a hell of a lot easier when the teachers and admins are willing to work with me.
Speaking of admins, Marie Sanchez might be the coolest principal out there. She's in her mid-forties and has a very laid-back approach with the kids, but they also know she won't take any shit from them. She's fair, and uses their mistakes and bad judgment as teaching opportunities, giving the students a chance to better themselves rather than just doling out punishment.
Beyond my coworkers, who are quickly becoming my friends, and having an awesome boss, I love how many activities the school offers the kids. If there is a club or an intramural league the kids want but the school doesn't have, Marie has the students find a faculty member or volunteer parent willing to head it then present their case for why it would be beneficial at the monthly faculty meeting. As long as their presentation is well thought out and any costs for their program are considered and covered, the faculty is usually on board to back the students.
The school gives each student a chance to find their place and thrive, which is something I wish more schools did. I know it's easier since Sparrow Falls average class size is around a hundred students, but that doesn't mean that larger schools couldn't do what they're doing. I credit a lot of it to Marie Sanchez and the environment she's created here.
Football season is in full swing, which means homecoming is creeping up. It's been all the buzz around the school, and I've loved seeing the students get into it. One of the school fundraisers sends out carnations a few weeks before homecoming. Each flower is a dollar, and different colors have different meanings. It's disruptive as hell for the teachers, but the kids get a kick out of it, and it has raised a ton of money for the dance.
I've caught myself leaning against the door frame of my office during class change, just to see the excitement of the students leaving their rooms with flowers and running to show their friends. It's something so simple, but it brings them joy and life to the hallways.
It's the fourth period and the bell is about to ring, signaling the first round of lunch, which is always madness. Needing a break from reading over college essays for some of my seniors, I decide to stand in the hall to greet my kiddos. At first, they were wary of me, but I'm glad to say I've settled in, and they've started to trust me and my intention to help them in any way I can.
"Hey, Mr. H." One of the senior football players gives me a chin lift as he walks past, arm slung over his girlfriend's arm, her hands full of flowers.
All around, the kids are loud as they rush to lunch or the next class. Some show off their flowers while others lament about how they haven't gotten any, but there's still plenty of time in the week. In the midst of all the chaos, one student sticks out.
River Sterling has her head down, eyes avoiding contact with anyone around her. She slides between people, avoiding drawing any attention to herself, but honestly, it's almost as if she's invisible to them. Watching her navigate the crowded hallway without a single person seeing her breaks my fucking heart.
Before I can think about it, I'm calling out to her. "River!"
River startles, bumping into a group of guys she was walking past. I cringe as they turn, looking pissed. Much to my relief, they all seem understanding even though River appears mortified. She hurriedly makes her way over to me, cheeks red and chin tucked to her chest.
"Hi, Mr. Harding. Did you need something?" Her voice is barely over a whisper and hard to hear over the noise in the hall.
"Not really. I just saw you walking through the hall and wanted to say hello, see how you're settling in here. You haven't stopped by the office, so I assume classes are going well."
"Oh, yeah. My classes are fine."
"That's great. And you're able to keep up with the college courses? "
"Yeah. They're pretty basic. I covered most of the material for the gen-ed classes when I was ten. It's pretty boring, to be honest." A faint smile tries to fight through, but River quickly pulls it back.
"Ah, yeah. I do remember how menial they seemed, now that you mention it. Have you joined any of the clubs or activities? I have to admit I'm pretty impressed with what Sparrow Falls has to offer."
"No, I haven't. Nothing has really caught my interest. I work at my aunt's tattoo shop after school, so I don't have a ton of free time for clubs anyway. But, umm, I need to get to lunch, so can I…"
My brows furrow as worry floods me. Does she work there because she wants to, or are things tight at home so she feels like she needs to help out her mom? I wish I could ask, but I don't think she'd answer me honestly.
"Yeah. Enjoy your lunch."
River nods, then turns to leave.
"And River?"
She pauses, glancing over her shoulder at me.
"My door's always open."
"Thanks, Mr. H."
I watch her scurry down the hall as worry nags at the back of my mind. I'm still there when Marie startles me.
"Everything okay?"
"Hi, Ms. Sanchez. I think so. I was just talking to River Sterling. I don't think she's acclimating well."
"I've had the same worry." She nods towards my office.I gesture for her to go ahead, then follow her in and sit across from her at the table. "I'm also worried that she might be taking on more burdens than she needs to at home. "
"How so? I've spoken to her mother on several occasions. I can't see her putting pressure on River in any way."
"Well, she mentioned not participating in any of the clubs because of having a job that takes up her free time. I was wondering if she feels a sense of obligation to work and help out her single mother, or if she actually likes helping at her aunt's tattoo shop."
"Ah, if I had to guess, I'd say it's the latter. I've seen River out with her mom and her friends. Those women are thick as thieves and dote on River. If anything, I'd say they're her safe space."
Relief floods me at Marie's assurance, but I'd still like to talk to her mother.
"That honestly makes me feel a hell of a lot better. I'm glad she has a support system at home. I just wish she had one here too."
"I don't blame you."
We sit in comfortable silence, both trying to come up with a solution to get River more engaged with her peers without forcing her into a situation she wouldn't be comfortable with.
"Do you think it would be helpful to meet with River's mother? I just remembered I set up a meeting with her at the end of the week to discuss her teaching a few alternative art classes."
"Really? It wouldn't hurt at this point if you think she would be willing to talk to me."
"I think she'd be more than willing. She seems like River comes first for her, always. I think she'd be glad to know someone else is looking out for her girl."
"Great. I'd love to meet her. I'd also like River here. I don't want her to think she's done anything wrong or that we're going behind her back. She's obviously intelligent enough to understand where we're coming from. I want to give her the power to make this year the best it can be and let her know we'll help her in any way we can."
"I think that's perfectly reasonable, and River should absolutely be included."
"Awesome. Can you email me when she'll be in so that I can make sure I add it to my calendar and pull River from class?"
"I'll do it as soon as I get back to my office."
"Thanks, Marie."
"No, thank you, Colton, for caring about these kids as much as I do."
I go back to my desk and dive back into the essays while waiting for Marie to email me. After re-reading the same sentence several times, I give up and decide to dig out my lunch. I'm just about to shut my computer down when the email finally comes through.
Looks like, come Friday afternoon, I'll finally have a better picture of who River is and where she comes from. Her mother has been a bit of an enigma since I met River, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious to meet the woman who has single-handedly raised such a well-rounded child. Especially one as gifted as River.
Gathering my lunch, I head to the break room to eat with my new friends. It's a good distraction, but no matter how good a conversation we have, my mind can't help but stray to Friday and our meeting. This is going to be a long week.
"Hey, River. Sorry to pull you out of class." I stand from my chair the moment I see River waiting at the door.
"It's fine. I think you're probably saving Mr. Hart a headache."
I gesture towards the comfortable chairs in the corner. River comes in and drops her book bag to the floor. I try to stifle my smile when she curls her legs into the chair and starts playing with the sequins on the pillow my sister convinced me to buy.
"Why would you say that?" I question as I sit in the chair across from her.
River's lips twitch as she tucks a stray hair behind her ear. "I think he gets tired of me simplifying his lessons."
My brow goes up in question, which finally pulls a full smile from River. "It's AP physics, kid. You know it's supposed to be hard, right?"
"For sure. But the way he teaches it makes it impossible for his students. He adds extra steps and explanations to make himself look more knowledgeable when the class struggles and needs a simpler explanation. It's like he's on a power trip. There's a reason he's had to have a bell curve for years, and that's because he's a shit teacher.
"If you don't believe me, pull up our grades versus the previous years. I've been calling him out since the first day of class, and now he refuses to listen to me. So, one of the more outgoing girls in the class asked me to email her my notes, and she's been sending them to the rest of the class. It's been driving him nuts."
"I don't doubt you, River. You would have nothing to gain by upstaging your teacher. I'll definitely look into the grades. If the trends are true, I'll pop into class. I haven't told many of the teachers about my high school days, but you know that I'll be able to tell if he is doing this .
"And if that's the case, I will absolutely be going to Ms. Sanchez about it. We want you all to succeed and are not here to boost our own egos. I've noticed Mr. Hart is a fan of his, but I'm not here to boost it. I'm here to build all of yours."
"Thanks, Mr. H. So, why did you pull me out of class?"
I'm about to answer when there's a commotion in the hallway. I'm instantly stunned when the woman who has been plaguing my every thought steps through the door.
Meadow looks like fucking heaven, her riotous blonde curls hanging loosely down her back. A form-fitting t-shirt hugs her luscious breasts, leading down to another brightly colored flowing skirt. My breath stalls in my chest as my cock twitches in my pants.
The moment she steps into the room, every one of my nerves misfires as if there's an electric pulse pulling us together. I don't even realize I stood up until I'm a foot away from Meadow, my hand reaching up to caress her cheek. She's the most stunning sight, and for a moment, I forget where we're at. "Meadow."
"I think I'm going to be sick." Meadow's face goes pale as her hand flies up to cover her mouth, which snaps me out of my daze. Racing around my desk, I grab my trash can and rush back to Meadow's side, just in time for her to grab it from my hands and puke. I hold her hair and rub soothing circles across her back as I guide her towards the sturdy chair by the table.
I stay by her side, muttering comforting words, wishing there's more I could do to help her. It isn't until I see River reaching out, a water bottle in her hand, that everything comes crashing down around me.
Meadow is River's mom .
Holy. Fuck.
I rock back on my knees, my butt resting on my feet as I look back and forth between the two. Now that they're side by side, the similarities are hard to miss. I'm almost pissed that I didn't put two and two together until now, but Meadow barely gave me any information about herself, so how was I supposed to know?
"Mom, are you okay? What's going on?" River's starting to panic, which is the last thing we need right now.
"I'm fine, Riv. Well, not fine. I've felt like shit all day, but I think I just have a bug. I promise I'm okay."
"Okay, then why are you here?"
"Oh, Ms. Sanchez wants me to come teach some weaving and maybe pottery classes, and suggested I meet Mr. Harding while I was here. We didn't want you to think we were going behind your back, so she had him pull you from class to join us."
"So, this isn't some weird intervention where you're dying and thought my school counselor was the closest to a therapist, so you'd tell me here?"
"Not at all," I jump in, my need to reassure her overwhelming.
"Good. Do you think we could maybe reschedule since Mom is ill? And could you get me out of class for the rest of the day?"
"Of course. Do you need me to call someone to get you home? Actually, let me check with Ms. Sanchez to see if I can run you guys home real quick."
"No, Colt. I'm fine. Really." Meadow reaches out, grabbing my forearm, and it's as if her touch scorches me. "I honestly feel a lot better after that..." Meadow gestures towards the garbage can with a grimace .
"Will you at least let me know you've made it home alright?" I know I'm crossing so many lines, but I'm too fucking worried about Meadow to care.
Grabbing a pen and post-it off the table, I write my number down and shove it in Meadow's hand. River stands off to the side, her eyes narrowed as she glances back and forth between her mom and me, as if we're a puzzle for her to figure out.
"You really don't need to worry. I'll be fine, and we can reschedule this meeting for next week."
"I'm sure you will be, but I'll feel better knowing you both made it home safely. And then you have my number and can let me know what time works for you to come back in."
"Alright. What would you like me to do with this?" She holds the garbage can out to her side as she starts to look a little pale again.
"Here. I'll take care of it." I set it behind my desk, as far away from Meadow as I can in hopes it won't make her sick again. "Drive safely, okay?"
Meadow waves over her shoulder as she heads out the door while River grabs her bag from the comfy chair in the corner.
"I'm not sure how you and my mom know each other, or if I even want to know, but I'll make sure she texts you. She can be stubborn, but I'll let my aunts know she got sick and that she needs to take it easy."
"Thanks, River. She's lucky to have you. Don't hesitate to call if you ladies need anything, okay?" I reach for the pad of paper on the desk and scribble my number down again, then hold it out to River. "Just in case.”
"Thanks, Mr. Harding. "
"Anytime. Have a good weekend, River." I watch the young girl, wise beyond her years, leave my office, and then sink onto my desk chair only to be startled a few minutes later when Meadow texts me that they've made it home safely.
River's mom has been on my mind all week, but I never could've imagined she and Meadow were one and the same. All I can think about, as the rest of the day eases by, is that although Meadow was ill, I hope this second meeting will be enough for her to give us a fighting chance.