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Class is Now in Session

Getting Things Back on Track

A week passed and I was still a little confused. I also felt unfaithful, guilty, and a little dirty. I didn't like it. I enjoyed the fact that I was loved, but I didn't like the secrecy and the infidelity. It made me question whether the love was worth all the unhappy side effects.

I had talked to Tim on the phone only once after that night. He just called to say hi and tell me that he was busy with a few clients so it would most likely be a while before we could go out again. I told him that was fine and that I had to start work again so I wouldn't be as free as I had been before.
I felt terrible talking to Tim. I felt like I had betrayed him. I knew that if he ever found out about what had happened, his heart would break and he would loathe me for the rest of his life. I didn't want that to happen. I always had a good time when I went out with him and it would be a shame to loose him in any way.

Tre' continued to slip me secret kisses every time we were alone. He spent as much time with me as possible and I liked that. I didn't know what he felt he was going to get out of all this, but I hoped that he wouldn't lose his mind in the process. I still couldn't tell if I had mine. I'm not going to lie, though. I loved it when Tre' gave me a kiss because they were always tender and loving. It just made him so happy. And as far as I know, Billie and Mike didn't suspect a thing.

My first day back at work was nice. All of the kids were so happy to see me. Some of the girls even gave me a hug on their way in and out. I suspected that they knew what had happened between Kessler and myself, but I wasn't sure. They never mentioned it, but they acted like they knew something bad had happened.
I appreciated every bit of affection and caring that the kids had to offer. It was nice to feel needed, especially in my case, after my life...old demons again, sorry.

The class went smoothly. All the kids seemed happy to continue with the class. I let them listen to some music by The Ramones, The Beatles, and Oasis. They seemed to enjoy it. They asked questions about the songs and the bands. I was happy that they enjoyed the music. I also brought in my acoustic guitar and played "Good Riddance(Time of Your Life)" at the end of the class. I thought that I played it better than I'd ever played it before. My eyes welled up with tears when I played it. I was just so happy to be back.
After class, Mrs. Newton knocked on the classroom door. I was putting my guitar back in its case when they came. I straightened up when they entered.
"Ms. Ericson? This is Mrs. Steinburg, the new principal," Mrs. Newton said, introducing the woman standing next to her.
Mrs. Steinburg intimidated me a little bit. She had rectangular glasses that sat on the bridge of her pointy nose. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun that looked like it was stretching her already gaunt face. She was wearing a tan woman's suit and brown high heels. She had a string of pearls hanging around her neck. She reminded me of a witch a little bit. At least she didn't have any warts.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Steinburg," I said, taking her outstretched hand. She had a crushing handshake, but I tried my best to make mine just as firm.
"Thank you, Ms. Ericson," she said in a stern voice. "Now, what exactly do you teach here?"
"I'm the rock music teacher for the 8th grade students," I told her. I had a bad feeling in my gut.
"Really?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "And do the students enjoy your class?"
"So far, I would have to say yes. I think they enjoy it very much. Plus, they've told me that they have," I explained.
"I see," Mrs. Steinburg said, pursing her lips. "Ms. Ericson, would you mind if I took a look around?"
"No, not at all," I said, holding out my arms, insinuating that she could look all she wanted. And she did.
She walked around the classroom, carefully inspecting every poster. Then she moved on to my stack of cds. I had a burning sensation in my stomach. She ran her finger down the spines, closely reading every title and band name. I shot some glances at Mrs. Newton and she gave me an 'I know what you're feeling' look.
After inspecting every cd I had, Mrs. Steinburg straightened up and let her eyes sweep over the entire classroom. She noticed my guitar case sitting in the corner where I'd placed it. She turned back to me. "You play guitar?" she asked, gesturing toward the case.
"Among other things," I told her.
"Would you mind playing something for us, then?" she asked. "I would like to know just what kind of musician I'm dealing with." This startled me a bit. It was a rather odd reason. But I obliged. I took my guitar out of the case and sat down on my desk. I was racking my brain, trying to pick a song that wasn't offensive. I decided to play 'Good Riddance(Time of Your Life)' again since it was a nice song that many people were familiar with.
As I played, I decided to play the hard version that Billie had taught me. The version that he'd played at Milton Keynes. I stole a few looks at Mrs. Steinburg, to see if she had any kind of reaction. I saw some mild interest, but nothing else really.
When I was finished, I looked up at Mrs. Steinburg and Mrs. Newton. They both clapped for me. I think Mrs. Newton clapped a little harder, though.
"That was quite lovely, Ms. Ericson," Mrs. Steinburg told me. "You're quite a good musician."
"Thank you, Mrs. Steinburg. I appreciate that," I told her, standing up and setting my guitar down on my desk. At least she approved of my playing.
"Well, I think that we'd better be on our way. More classes to see and more people to meet," Mrs. Newton said.
"Yes, I believe that we should move on now," Mrs. Steinburg said, nodding her head a tiny bit. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Ericson."
"The pleasure was all mine," I replied, using my best manners. As the two older women walked out of the room, Mrs. Newton turned back to me and mouthed, "That was excellent." I smiled and mouthed back "Thanks."
While I was putting my guitar away for the second time, I heard someone say, "Hey beautiful." I looked up and I saw Tre' leaning in the doorway, swinging his keys on his finger.
"Hey you cheeky bastard," I said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. He gave me a long kiss. When he broke away, he said, "I missed you today. It was weird not having you at home."
"I missed you, too," I told him. "What did you do all day?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. Watched tv, ate all your food, made some long distance phone calls, masturbated. Nothing out of the ordinary," he said, counting off the things on his fingers.
I laughed, "Oh, thanks. And do you expect ME to pay for all that crap?"
"Maybe," he said, imitating Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movies.
"Haha, yeah, maybe nothin'. You run up a big ass bill at my house, you're payin'," I told him.
"Ooooh, is somebody grumpy today?" Tre' asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, not grumpy. Just...I don't know," I sighed.
"Tell me what's buggin' you," Tre' said, lifting my chin and staring me in the eyes.
"It's just...I met my new boss and she's a prude."
"A prude, huh?"
"Yeah, and she said that she liked my playing but I have a feeling she didn't approve of much else," I told him, taking a deep breath. "I just don't want anything to happen to this class. I love it so much and so do the kids."
"I get what you're saying," Tre' said, putting his arm around me and giving me a gentle squeeze. "But if the ol' prude tries to do something to this class, you know that me and the guys will help you stop her any way we can."
"Thanks," I said, "You're too good to me."
"You always say that. You deserve every bit of praise and help that's offered to you. And you know it, stop doubting yourself."
I didn't say anything. My eyes were welling up with tears so I buried my face in Tre's chest. He wrapped his arms around me and walked me over to my desk. He sat down on top of it and pulled me down into his lap. We sat there for awhile, just rocking back and forth the same way Mike had done the day of the assault. It was an all-too-familiar feeling. But this time, it was actually pretty soothing.
We sat there for a bit. Then Tre' lifted my head and stared me straight in the eyes. "That's enough of that. I think we should get going, I want to spend some time with you," he said, giving me a hug.
"Alright," I responded, wiping my nose on my sleeve. "How are Billie and Mike?"
"Well, I think that Billie's a little homesick, to be honest," he told me as we walked out of the classroom. "I have no idea about Mike. You never can tell with him."
"I know what you mean."
We walked out of the large front doors and headed down through the garden, towards the parking lot. It was still warm enough for some flowers to be in bloom, so there were still patches of color scattered throughout the grounds. The leaves were starting to turn all different colors and a good amount had already fallen off the tree branches and were littering the well-kept grass. I rather like the way it looks in the fall. It's a rather spooky time since it's around Halloween. I like Halloween a lot better now that I don't go out trick or treating. I always liked dressing up and hangin' with my friends, but I hated all the walking around just to get candy when it was easier to just go to my grandma's and get some since she always had at least three different kinds around. I miss her sometimes. She was always so good to me.
"It's so nice out today," I say when Tre' and I reach my car.
"Yeah, it IS pretty nice out," he said, leaning against my car. Then a thought struck me.
"Hey, Tre'. Why do you have car keys?"
"I rented a car," he told me, "It's right over there." He pointed to an old, beat up Buick.
"Oh, okay. Then whose car are we taking?" I asked, already aware of the answer.
"How 'bout we take your car since the rental is a piece of shit," he said, gently laughing. "I can always call a tow truck to come and bring the car to the house."
"Alright then, but you're paying for it."
"Fair enough. Now get in the car, I want to take you somewhere."
I got in through the passenger's side and buckled my seat belt. I dug the keys out of my pocket and tossed them to Tre'.
"So where exactly are we going?" I asked him innocently.
"It's a surprise, but I think you'll like it," he responded.
"Then I know that it'll be good."

Tre' pulled up in front of a park. I remembered hanging out here when I was little. My friends and I would come here to play all the time. There was quite a bit of playground equipment and lots of trees and a creek. I remember we built a small, crappy dam in the creek when we were about eleven or twelve. We were bored that summer, what can I say?
"Ah, so this is the surprise, is it?"
"Uh-huh. You ever been here before?"
"Used to play here when I was a kid. I forgot how much time I spent here."
"Well, then what do you say to bringing back some good memories?"
"I say let's go for it."
Tre' smiled at me. He leaned in and gave me a kiss.
When Tre' and I had both gotten out of the car, we started to walk the winding path that cut through the park. I'd walked this path many times before, just not lately.
Tre' and I talked for a long time. After a while, Tre' slipped his hand into mine while we walked. I laced my fingers into his. I just wanted to be with him right now, I didn't have a care in the world.<?p>
We sat down on a bench to rest. I crossed my legs and stared up at the sky. There was a hawk circling right above us. I see hawks around a lot, so it was nothin' new, but I still liked watching them.
Tre' put his arm around me and squeezed me tight. I gave him a kiss. It was warm and loving.
"You want any ice cream?" he asked suddenly.
"That was random. But, sure, why not?" I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"'Kay, be right back," he said and ran off. I stared after him. That was...I don't know what that was. Unusual? A tad. Random? Very.
A cold wind began to blow and I wrapped my coat tighter around me. It was a bit cool for ice cream, but oh well. Nothing I could do about it now.
I watched a pair of squirrels chase each other up a tree. They weren't really that interesting, but I enjoyed watching animals. Must be why I like the zoo so much.
Tre' returned a minute or so later, holding two cones. It wasn't warm enough for them to melt, but he still wrapped a napkin around each one.
"I'm back and I come bearing frozen dairy treats," he announced, handing me my ice cream.
"Good, I was beginning to think that you got mobbed by a horde of groupies."
"No such luck, I'm afraid."
I stared at my cone for a second. "You didn't, like, spike this with anything, did you?"
"No, why would I do that?" he asked, licking the edges of his cone.
"Because you like pulling tricks and right now seems like a perfect opportunity for one."
"You're right, I won't deny it. But I refrained from tainting your food today."

"Today? Have you tainted it before?" I asked.
"Will you just eat the damn ice cream already?" he laughed.
"Fine, but just to make sure, you taste it first," I said, shoving the ice cream in his face. He turned his head at the last minute and it smeared on his cheek a little. I laughed and pointed at his ice cream-coated face. He laughed with me. He then dipped his finger in his own ice cream and put some on my nose. I wasn't quick enough to move in time and my nose was sticky and creamy now. Not to mention cold.<?p>
"You still didn't taste it," I told him through a laugh.
"Fine." He leaned forward and licked my ice cream. "There, I'm still alive. Do you trust me now?"
"Yes, you've proved yourself," I said, licking the cone myself. I looked up at Tre'. He was staring at me with a smile on his face.
"What?"
"You still have ice cream on your nose," he said, pointing at the middle of my face.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," I laughed.
"Hold on, let me get it." Tre' took the napkin off of his cone and wiped my nose clean. I felt it afterwards. It was a little sticky. I licked my finger and rubbed my nose, then wiped it with the back of my hand.
"What was that?"
"My nose was sticky, so I made it not sticky," I told him.
"Oh, okay, I thought you were trying to be sexy and seduce me or something."
"Ha, you wish."
We sat on the bench, watching some small animals flit by and listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind. It was actually rather peaceful.
After we'd finished off our ice cream, I wiped my hands on the napkin and stood up. Tre' followed suit.
"What now?" I asked, turning back to him. He smiled at me. "What?" I asked.
"You have ice cream on the side of your mouth," he told me. "I'll get it." He licked his thumb and gently wiped the corner of my mouth.
"Oh great, now I have your spit on my face, too," I teased.
"Can I fix it?"
"How?"
"Like this," Tre' leaned in and gave me a kiss, a deep, long, loving kiss. I kissed him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he held me by my waist. A cold wind began to blow. I shivered. Tre' must have felt it because he pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me, using his body heat to keep me warm. I appreciated this. I just hoped that nobody I knew walked by and happened upon us.

I spent that night reading and talking with the guys. Billie said he was getting bored around the house so I showed him my collection of books. I had everything from J.K. Rowling to Sarra Manning to Anne Rice. Billie chose The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
"Are you sure you want to read that?" I asked him, "It's kind of hard."
"When did you read it?" he asked, flipping the book over and reading the back.
"8th grade."
"Did you like it?"
"Me and one other person."
"Then I think I'll like it," he told me, still reading the back.
"Fine, but read the notes at the bottom and in the back if you don't get it. And the character whose name is spelled J-U-R-G-I-S, is pronounced Yoorghis. I can't stress that enough. Don't pronounce it like it's spelled."
"Got'cha. I'll try and remember that," he said, pointing at me.
"And there's some Polish, Russian, and another foreign language used in it from time to time. I'll give you pronunciation if you can't get it."
"And you understand it?"
"Uh-huh. I'm half Polish and my grandfather gave me a book on how to speak it, so I'm well-endowed." This was true, I really did study the book intently until I could have full-on conversations with my grandparents in Polish. It felt good to be able to speak something besides English.
"Oh, and it's pretty graphic, so be prepared," I called after him as he walked out the door.
"'Kay!" he called from down the hall.
Later that night, the phone rang.
"I'll get it!" Tre' yelled, jumping up from the couch and running to get the phone. "Hello, you've reached the International House of Sex, how may I help you?" I heard Tre' say from the hall.
"Tre', give me the damn phone!" I yelled running down the hall and snatching the phone away from him. "I'm so sorry about that, hello?" I said into the receiver.
"I see you have visitors," said the voice of my best friend and fellow band mate, Lucy.
"Hey, Luce, haven't heard from ya in awhile," I said, taking the phone and walking back to the living room.
"Just been busy, but that's enough about me, who are your guests who want to jump me?"
"The guys have been staying with me."
"Do you mean the guys I think you mean?"
"Who do you think I mean?"
"I think you mean Green Day."
"I think you're right."
"Why didn't you tell me?! I haven't seen them is SO long! I'm gonna stop by soon, you've just convinced me!"
"Ew, why would I want YOU over here?"
"Shut up, you know you love me."
"You're right, I do." I replied, taking a seat next to Mike who was going through the songs on my iPod. "Who is it?" he mouthed to me. "Lucy," I mouthed back. "No, Lucy, that's fine. Hey, you wanna say hi to the guys?"
"Hell yeah I wanna say hi!" she said, almost yelling. I set the phone down on the stand next to me and pushed the Speaker button. "Alright, Luce, you're on speaker," I said into the machine.
"Hey guys! It's Lucy Sterling! You remember me, don't you?" came Lucy's voice over the speaker.
"How could we forget you? You're the one who was always hanging around Carrie when you were teenagers," said Mike.
"Yeah, I think you got drunk at a party once and we had to drive you home because Carrie's car had a flat tire," Billie told her.
"I think you puked on my shoes while we were in the car, too," Tre' said, remembering the nauseating scene.
"Okay, you know what, Tre'? That was ONE time. ONE TIME! I never went near alcohol after that," Lucy replied, sounding a little annoyed. "And YOU must've answered the phone, too!"
"What makes you say that?" Tre' asked, trying to sound innocent.
"Who else would answer the phone with "Hello, you've reached the International House of Sex?" she said. I could just imagine her with her hands on her hips, her lips pursed together. Billie and Mike started cracking up. I pumped the volume on the speaker up another notch so I could here my friend. "You said you wanted to come over soon, didn't you, Lucy?"
"Yeah, I said that."
"When you wanna haul your ass over here?"
"I don't give, anytime is good for me."
"Then how about this weekend? I think we're all gonna be here...wait, are we all gonna be here?" I asked the guys.
"Uhh...I don't see why we wouldn't be. We're gonna be out here a bit longer," Mike said, scrunching up his eyebrows. "At least until after Halloween."
"Sweet, ya here that, Luce? You can come over this Saturday."
"Cool, I'll be there," she said happily. "Talk to ya later, Carrie! Bye, guys!"
"See ya, Luce!" I called. "Bye, Lucy!" all three of the guys said in unison. I pressed the Off button on the speaker and the little red light went out. "Well, you guys can torture HER on Saturday, instead of me," I said, turning to look at my friends.
"Sweet!" Tre' yelled, jumping up on my couch and falling off. We all started laughing as he held up his arm. "I'm...okay!" he said from the floor. "Can I have some help? I can't get up." I held out my hand. Tre' grabbed it and pulled me off the couch so that I was lying on top of him.
"Dog pile!" Mike yelled jumping into the heap. As we all lay there, tangled together and laughing our asses off, Billie stood up and started inching away, like we were crazy.
"I don't think so, dude!" I screamed, grabbing his leg and sending him crashing to the ground. I climbed on his back and pinned him to the ground. He laughed and flipped me off. "Fine, fine, I'll play along," he said, kneeling. "But shouldn't we move the table?"
"Good idea!" Tre' exclaimed, picking up the coffee table and placing it outside of the living room, in front of the door. "Now bring it on, bitches!" he screamed.
"There's only one bitch here, and it's not Carrie," Mike said, laughing at his green-eyed friend.
"Now it's on!" Billie yelled, lunging at Mike and tackling him. Tre' and I looked at each other, smiled, then continued our wrestling. Who says you can't play as you get older?