“Mr.Morrison,” I promptly answered, smiling politely. “Thank you so much for—”
“Okay,Tabby,” he began with a breathy chuckle, “can we drop the formal bullshit? Idon’t know how to do this crap, let alone talk like I’m in a faculty meeting orwhatever.”
Stunnedby his abrasiveness, I blinked and sat up straight on the couch. “O-oh, uh,sure. Sorry. This is usually how I handle busin—”
“Thisisn’t business,” he interrupted.
“Iguess you’re right,” I agreed softly, nodding. “So, um, what should we—”
“Whydid you write to me?”
Mylips pressed into a tight line at being interrupted for the second time. “Ialready explained that in my letter.”
“Right,I’m looking at it right now. You’re having a difficult time with the kid. He’shad a rough year, and so have you—I got it. But you didn’texplainit tome.”
Mylips tipped downward into a scowl. “I wrote to you because I needhelp.I have nobody to turn to, and I’m sorry that you were—”
“Don’tapologize for it,” he cut me offagain, and my fist clenched. “I’m justasking, what is he doing? Is he standing on the roof and screaming fuck theworld? Is he setting the place on fire? Or is he just being a pain in the asskid who lost his mom?”
Wipinga hand over my face, I shook my head. What the hell did it matter? Did this guythink he was some kind of teenager whisperer? “O-kay. Um, well, he’shaving a really tough time in school. Kids are bullying him. He’s completelylost interest in everything other than his video games and music, he won’tlisten to a word I say, we fight all the damn time, and he’s … I don’t know. Hecries a lot. He’s never been an emotional kid like this, and—”
“Tabby,the kid lost hismom.”
“Canyoupleasestop interrupting me? It’s incredibly rude,” I finallysnapped.
“Sorry.You’re just saying all this shit to me and I think you think he’s actingfucking weird or something, but the kidlost his mom. He’smourning.I mean, I’ve never dealt with a kid whose lost nearly everybody within a shortspan of time, but he sounds pretty fucking normal to me,” Sebastian prattled onwith a nonchalant tone.
Ihad spoken to the man for all of a few minutes and I already couldn’t stand hiscasual confidence. “I’m not saying it isn’tnormal,” I pushed throughthe phone. “I’m saying that I’ve been having a difficult time trying to helphim and still maintain my position at work. I have …” I wiped a hand over mymouth, unable to believe that I was actually about to confess these things to aman I didn’t even know, but I continued. “I have had my life flipped entirelyupside down in the past year, and I haven’t been given the fuckingchanceto handle shitmyself, let alone for him. I am in over my head and Ijust need some help. I thought that, if you hadanyinterest in beinginvolved years ago, then maybe—”
“Yes,”he replied curtly and kindly, and I froze, my hand pressing against my heavingchest.
“What?”
“Yeah,I’ll help. What do you need?”
“Oh,uh …” The truth was, I hadn’t thought this far into it. I don’t think Iexpected him to be agreeable. “Well, um, maybe you’d like to meet, and we cango from there?”
“Definitely,”Sebastian replied enthusiastically. “You guys are in Hog Hill?”
“Uh,y-yes,” I stammered. “But we could come to you, if that would make thingseasier. I don’t know what your work schedule is like, or—”
“Nah,I have nothing going on right now. How’s tomorrow?”
Startled,I mentally ran through my itinerary. “Uh, tomorrow? Wow, that’s … soon. I needto talk to Greyson about … all this. But, um, I guess tomorrow could work. I’llbe in the office early in the day, but that’d be great, if you don’t mind thedrive. How about you call me when you’re close and we can decide on a place tomeet?”
“Soundsgood, Tabby,” Sebastian replied. “What’s the kid into, by the way?”
Ishrugged. “Um, video games and music. Drums.”
Sebastianchuckled, and I tried to ignore the way it made me feel. Warm. Almost good. “Wellthen. We’ll get along just fine.”
4
sebastian
“Ijust wanted totell you that I’mpregnant. I thought you’d like to know,” she spoke quietly into the phone, asthough she was trying to prevent someone from hearing.
“Howthe fuck are you pregnant?” I nearly shouted, my eyes straining against theirsockets. I had used a fucking condom. Ialwaysused a condom.
