29. Cian
Chapter 29
Cian
“ M r. Brady!”
I’m on my way to the parking lot after school on Wednesday when I hear Amanda Brown call my name. Well…my name for this week anyway.
I’ve come to hate it. I like the kids in my classes. I like feeling that I’m actually teaching them something. And hearing them thank ‘Mr. Brady’ rubs me wrong.
It makes even more sense to me now why Scarlett wanted me and everyone in Autre calling her by her name.
I turn, the bag on my shoulder swinging and bumping my hip. I’d sent Henry to secondhand stores in Columbus to find something well-used so it wouldn't be obvious I was carrying a brand-new book bag like a kindergartner on the first day of school. The weathered leather messenger bag is perfect. A college professor would definitely carry something like this, and I intend to keep using it.
“Hey, Amanda.”
“Dean,” she says with a smile.
The name also reminds me that we’re lying to all these people, and I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen when it all comes out.
Because it has to.
Unless Scarlett lets me take her away from here.
“What’s up?”
“I wanted to check in. How are things going?”
“Just fine.” It’s true. I could teach this section of history to teenagers even without Bill’s lesson plans.
“I’m so glad to hear that. You’ve really come through to help us out in this pinch.”
“No problem. I’ve enjoyed it.”
I start walking toward the door again. I am hoping to catch Mariah on her walk home and offer her a ride. I have four new casserole recipes on my phone. My buddy Spencer is somewhat of a casserole aficionado and does all of the cooking for him and his fiancé. He was happy to send me some of his favorites. Tonight, I’m making a chicken fajita casserole. I’m hoping Mariah might want to help, or at least keep me company in the kitchen.
“You’ll let me know if there are any issues in class?” Amanda asks.
I turn back. “What kind of issues?”
“I’ve just been touching base with all of the teachers who have Leah Lawton and Mariah Gale in their classes together. There’s been a lot of tension between the girls this week. More than usual, it seems.”
Yes, that has not escaped my attention. “I haven’t noticed any issues in class,” I say carefully. I’ve been watching. Mariah and Leah seem to ignore each other while they’re in class. Their first argument this week had occurred in study hall and the second at lunch. I haven’t heard about anything today. Maybe everything’s blown over.
Then again, maybe the podcast didn’t post anything today. At least not about me. I’m sure they did post. But they have to run out of gossip about me. No one knows I’m in Ohio with Scarlett.
I feel my chest tighten. That’s actually not true. Everyone in Autre knows. It kills me to think that someone there is feeding the podcast family secrets. Then again, none of this should be a secret.
I’m in love and I want the world to know.
“Good to hear. Please keep an eye on them and let me know.”
“What exactly is the problem?” I ask, wondering about Amanda’s interpretation of the issue between Leah and Mariah. How does the town see the rift between Hannah and Scarlett for that matter?
“Leah Lawton is a bit of a bully,” Amanda says honestly. “And there’s tension that goes back to the girls’ mothers. Mariah handles herself for the most part. But I’ve had to sit down with them before. Leah is not contrite, however.”
“What is your policy on bullying?” I ask. I assume, and hope, that there is zero tolerance.
“I’ve made it very clear to Leah that school is not the time for her to talk about church. However, she is defiant. She claims that she is supposed to talk about church whenever she has a chance to teach someone and if that results in negative consequences for her, she is willing to take them.”
I widen my eyes. “That’s conviction.”
Amanda nods and sighs. “It can make things difficult. But we stay firm and consistent. Leah has served a number of detentions. She has also had to miss school activities. Unfortunately, that has made her something of a martyr with her peers and the church.”
Damn. This is a little bigger than I expected.
“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll definitely keep my eye on it.” My hand is on the door when I turn back again. “How does Mariah handle it?”
“She tries to stay quiet and ignore it. When it does get to the point she can’t, she will speak out. She’s also served detentions and such. Again, we have to be fair about our school policies.”
I arch a brow. “What policies keep a kid from standing up for themselves?”
“When it gets physical. That’s only happened once,” Amanda adds. “There was some shoving. And she threw tomato juice on Amanda last week. But Mariah more often uses some…colorful language. We also have rules about that. But she is also willing to accept the consequences for her actions.” Amanda shakes her head with a small smile. “Very headstrong young women. I have no doubt they’re both going to be great leaders in whatever field they choose. I hope they both choose wisely. And for the greater good.”
I think about that. I hate the idea that Mariah has to deal with Leah always being in her face, telling her she’s wrong, trying to publicly shame her. But I like the idea that Mariah is strong and sure of herself. That’s certainly a credit to both Scarlett and Ruby.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to assign them to separate classes and try to keep them apart?” I ask.
Amanda smiles. “It would. We’ve done that when we can. But as confident women with strong beliefs, they are going to run into people in the real world who are going to push back against them. I think they can be good for each other in a way. They can practice confrontation and dealing with not only how to handle conflict but also work through their feelings about it. With adult supervision and guidance of course. That’s part of what we do here. We don’t just give kids homework and keep them busy all day. We’re trying to help prepare future citizens of the world.”
I think about that. All of our experiences shape us. I can admit that my experiences may seem broader than what Scarlett has had. I’ve traveled the world, met people from walks of life she’s never run into. But my world is a bubble. Everyone inside it has some level of power and influence. And most of them like me. I don’t get a lot of pushback.
In fact, no one has really pushed back against me until Scarlett.
On the other hand, Scarlett has had struggles I’ve never experienced. And she’s had a lot of pushback. Judgment. Conflict. Confrontation. It’s shaped her and made her a lot tougher than I am.
It’s also made her confident in what she believes in. I’ve never really had anyone question my choices. I’ve followed Fiona and Torin and trusted that choice was the right one. If something wasn’t easy, we had the money and people around us to fix it.
Scarlett has had to truly consider her beliefs and what she’s willing to work and fight for since she was twelve. In the beginning, she believed in her father. And because of that, she also had to learn to handle hurt and rejection. More things I’ve never actually dealt with.
She knows what she believes and what she’s willing to stand up for.
She’s so fucking amazing.
And Mariah is right there with her.
Yes, I want to whisk them away. I want to protect them, make everything easy, give them everything they could ever want.
But the fact that they haven’t had it easy, and have had to struggle, has made them into the two people I’ve fallen in love with. Two people who inspire me and who I know can teach me a lot.
“Thanks for filling me in, Amanda.”
“Of course. I think you’re doing a great job here.”
I give her a sincere smile. Damn, that does feel good. I’ve only got another week and a half and in the overall scheme of these kids’ academic careers it’s nothing, but it still feels good to be doing well at it. I’m really already addicted to being told “good job”.
I push through the side door and step out into the parking lot. I dig my keys out of my pocket as I stride toward the rental car. But I stop when I hear voices around the side of the building.
I immediately recognize Mariah’s voice. Then Leah’s. It’s almost as if I conjured them.
“Just leave me alone. I’m so fucking sick of this.”
“We’re just trying to help,” Leah says to Mariah. “It’s clear now that you actually believe what you’re telling us. And that’s so sad. Let us help you.”
“I do not want to talk about this with you.”
I hear the sound of feet shuffling on the parking lot surface and frown. I move closer to the wall of the building.
“Just admit you were lying,” a boy’s voice says.
I scowl. So it’s not just Leah and Mariah. My jaw tightens.
“I wasn’t lying. And I’m done repeating myself to you,” Mariah says firmly.
“What’s the big deal?” another girl says.
Three on one? This is not good.
“Are you doing this to get the money from my grandpa?” Mariah asks. “How about I pay you a hundred dollars to leave me alone?”
“Eternal life is priceless,” the girl says in a sweet voice.
I roll my eyes.
I hear the boy mutter, “But a hundred bucks would be nice too.”
“Your mom is dating Mr. Brady now, right?” the girl says. “Just admit that.”
“Yeah, so?” Mariah asks.
The kids know about me and Scarlett? Well…that’s okay, I guess.
“So, your mom and Mr. Brady were both gone this weekend. We know they were together,” Leah says. “We also know from the podcast that Prince Cian was in Louisiana. With the woman he’s seeing. He’s introducing her to the family. This is really serious. Just admit that your mom was never with the prince. That’s all we want.”
“Yeah. Admit it and we’ll forgive you,” the boy says. “But you have to admit it on camera, or come to our youth group meeting and admit it to the whole group in person.”
“What makes you think I care about you forgiving me?” Mariah asks. “This might shock you, Hunter, but I don’t care what you think of me at all.”
“Admit you lied, admit that your mom is sleeping with a guy she’s not married to, then come to church with us and everything will be fine,” Leah says.
“The chances of me doing any of those things is less than zero,” Mariah says.
“I don’t think you’re gonna like what’s going to happen if you don’t,” the boy says.
That is so fucking enough.
I step around the corner. “What is going on?”
The knot in my stomach tightens when I see that Mariah is backed up against the side of the school and there are five kids in a semi-circle around her, Leah at the center.
They all take a step back and I see the relief in Mariah’s eyes when she looks at me.
I have to force myself to stay where I’m standing and not stalk over, shove all those kids back, and pull her into my arms.
“Leah?” I ask. “What’s going on?”
She lifts her chin. “Nothing, Mr. Brady. We’re just talking to Mariah about a personal matter.”
“What would that be?” I ask, taking a few steps closer.
“Some things that aren’t about school ,” Leah tells me. “It’s after school and we’re outside so we don’t have to tell you. We’re fine.”
“It doesn’t matter where you are or what time it is,” I tell her. “This looks to me like five people are intimidating one person, and that’s not fine with me. You all need to go home.”
“We can talk to her,” Leah says, her tone snotty. “We weren’t hurting her.” She looks at Mariah. “Were we, Mariah? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“You’re hurting my head with your constant babbling,” Mariah tells her, sounding more tired than angry as she leans against the wall behind her.
“Leah,” I say, proud that I actually sound calm. “I’ve had you in class for three days, and I know you’re extremely intelligent.”
She arches a brow, knowing there’s more to come.
“So I know that you know that you can’t force someone to listen to you. You can’t make someone care about something. You can’t control what someone believes. You can talk to them. You can give them evidence. You can preach sermons. You can talk, cajole, even yell. But all you can do is tell people what you think.” I take a breath. “And, if you have good reasons for what you think, if you’re passionate and if what you’re saying is compelling, then people will want to know more, and they’ll come to you.”
I glance at Mariah. “But nobody knows Mariah better than Mariah. She gets to choose what she thinks. If she says something wrong, that’s on her. That’s not your concern. If she insists that she’s right, that’s also on her.” Mariah is watching me and I can tell she’s okay.
I can’t put my finger exactly on what it is, but there is an air about her. A confidence. Something that goes deep. And I know that comes from her mom, her aunt, Greta, and I hope maybe me and Henry. All the people she’s met, all the people she will meet, who will believe in her.
“You’ve said your piece,” I tell Leah. “Now go home. And,” I add as an afterthought. “Maybe look up the definition, and consequences, of harassment. And slander while you’re at it. Because you might need to know those in the future.”
Amanda is right about Leah. If this girl turns her confidence and sense of righteousness to something good, she could make a huge difference in the world. Wouldn’t hurt for her to know there are boundaries that she can’t cross in her attempt to get her point across in the meantime.
“Fine. But we all know what you really are,” Leah says to Mariah.
I open my mouth, but before I say anything, Mariah laughs. She actually laughs and it doesn’t sound forced or fake.
“Of all of the things you don’t know, and there are many,” Mariah tells Leah. “What I am , is one of the biggest. You don’t really know anything about me.” She pushes off the wall and takes a step forward. “And I think I’d actually really like to keep it that way.”
Leah looks a little taken aback. Obviously she’s very used to people caring what she thinks.
Amanda was correct when she said these two are good for each other. Leah can help strengthen Mariah’s convictions, and Mariah can be that little bit of pushback that Leah doesn’t get anywhere else.
Leah and I might have more in common than I’d like to think. She’s surrounded by people who’ve made her life very easy, kept her in a bubble, where they’ve told her who she is from a young age, where she hasn’t really had a reason to question that or break out.
Yet.
A beautiful woman with the last name Gale inspired me to think that I could do something more. Maybe the same will happen for Leah.
“Whatever, loser,” Leah says to Mariah before turning and stomping off toward her car.
Of course, her self-actualization might take a little longer.
Mariah blows out a breath, her shoulders slumping as the kids disperse. “Thanks.”
“You didn’t need me,” I tell her. “You would’ve handled her.”
“Yeah. I handle her all the time. But it’s kind of exhausting. Sometimes it’s really nice to have someone else come along and do it for me.”
That hits me right in the chest.
“I really like that. I don’t mind being there for you whenever you need it.”
“It’s like what you’re doing for Mom,” she says.
“What do you mean?”
“Mom doesn’t really need you either. She fights her battles and deals with stuff, but I can tell she really likes having you around. She’s a lot happier. She smiles a lot more. She’s more relaxed. And I know it’s because you’re here. One more person on her team, having her back. She deserves that.”
And now she didn’t just hit me in the chest, she reached in and wrapped her hand around my heart and is squeezing.
“I just really…”
Mariah smiles. “I know.”
I’m not sure what Mariah thinks she knows but… She’s probably right. I’m learning she’s right about a lot of things.
“So the podcast talked about us again, huh?”
“Yes, and these people are so stupid,” she says with an eyeroll. “You and Mom were gone for the weekend. The podcast reports that Cian and his mystery women were in Autre for the weekend. But nobody is adding this up? I’m surrounded by idiots.”
I chuckle. “People see what they want to see. Leah does not want you to be right. Plus having a prince just walking around, teaching history at the high school, is a little far-fetched.”
“And yet here you are.” She turns and starts toward the parking lot. “Can you give me a ride to Mom’s shop? I need to tell her about this.”
“Of course. Then will you come help me make dinner for tonight?”
“I’ll sit at the island and watch and supervise. But I have history homework to do.”
I chuckle. She does. They have a test in my class on Friday.