I Won't Give Up

"I can't be here, Doris!" I exclaimed, punching the wall and leaving a fist-sized dent. "You've witnessed my temper when it gets out of hand. I don't know who the fuck has been using Dawson as a punching back, but you can count that if I were to find out, I will most likely try to murder someone!"

"Greg, you've been the best teacher these students have had, I can't let you go so easily," she said, as if the protection of these students meant nothing to her. "They need someone that will drive them to their full potential, and you can."

"God damn it, Doris! Do you hear yourself? I'm one bad temper away from killing a student and you're worried about them not getting the drive they need?" I said, looking at her with anger-filled eyes.

"Then get Dawson back here, and make him finish! Like all the other times you've made him come back!" she said, knowing that Dawson could keep my temper down. I sank down into a nearby chair, laying my head back.

"I've tried! I've tried so much but he can't take the fact that people are hurting him and wants to stay home with Ameila. I would much rather him finish up school than anything, but he wants to stay home."

"Would he come back with the knowledge of me opening a nursery in the school?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I can arrange for one in five minutes and have someone who we all trust to watch over your daughter and any other child that a student is taking care of."

"You can try all you want, but like myself, he's a stubborn son of a bitch. When his mind is set on something, there is little to no chance of changing it. I got lucky the last few times with him when he wanted to quit school because I was with him. With Ameila with us now, you have as much of a chance of getting him back as I have becoming the King of Scotland."

"I'll take whatever chance I got," she said, a challenged gleam in her eyes. She stuck out her hand and with a look of apprehension, I shook it.

"Good luck, Doris. You're going to need it," I said, and at that, I stood up and walked out.

Time Elapse

"Was this your idea of funny?" Dawson screamed, forcing a letter in my hand and glaring at me. Reading through the letter, it would appear as if I was the one who put Doris up to bringing him back.

Crumpling up the letter, I threw it to the ground and looked at Dawson. "I had gone to the school the other day to resign and possibly start working on Broadway, and Doris was more concerned about the students not getting the drive they need from a different teacher. I told her about what happened with you, saying that if I were to find out who did it, then I'd most likely try to kill a student. She seemed to brush it off and said she'd find a way to get you back," I said, walking around him and leaning against the couch as I watched Ameila playing with the table we got her earlier that day. "I didn't think she'd use anything against me like that. I told her she had much a chance of getting you back in school as I did becoming the king of Scotland."

"You're right about that," he said, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "In a way, I see both of your sides. I can see what she means, knowing that you're so damn good at pushing people to do their best in dancing and singing, that you'd be one asset that anyone would be afraid to lose you. Then I see that without me there to keep your anger in check, and help you push the others, you'd have a harder time pushing down the intensity of wanting to punch someone."

It was then I got an idea. "Dawson, I have something very, very serious to talk about with you. Don't feel obligated to oblige, but I think I have a way for everyone to win," I said, pulling him over to the couch. "What if ... we were to bring Ameila to school with us? Keep her in a play pen in the room so we can keep an eye on her, that way you can finish your schooling, Mikels gets off our case, and then figure out what to do from there?" I grasped Dawson's hands and watched him carefully as he thought about this, hoping that maybe -- just maybe -- he'd go through with it.

"What if someone asks about our relationship? Or someone tries to hurt me again?" he asked, looking rather put out.

"Remember what Fifi said? We're one big family. With Jackson, Wil, Fiona, Viki, Kylie, and Tobias on our side, no one will lay a hand on you. Honestly, if people start talk, just know they're jealous that we're happy. Yeah, it might be wrong, but you're birthday is next week, so no worries." I winked at him, and in an instant, his lips were on mine and we were on the floor laughing.