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“Sorry, I don’t mean to surprise you with last minute changes, but I asked one of your parents to switch places with me so that we could meet first to chat before the rest of our conferences.”Damn, she is so bold.
“Um, okay,” I say as politely as possible.
“Is it, though?” she asks. “Is it okay?”
I allow myself a slow breath in through my nostrils, internally debating if I am okay with it.Guess it’d feel nice to get it over with. “Actually, the more I think of it, that makes sense. It’s no trouble at all. Come on in and have a seat.”
Sam comes over to the table and we both take a seat across from each other. “Thanks so much. You really are the best. I won’t take much of your time, really all I wanted to do is see how Riley is doing, but also to tell you how much she’s already blossomed this school year. She absolutely loves having you as a teacher.”
“Thank you. It’s been a pleasure having her in class. An absolute joy. She’s helpful, inquisitive, and a quick learner,” I say, speaking truthfully.
Sam smiles at my words. “Autumn, I can’t thank you enough for making my Riley girl so happy. And her dad, too. Haven’t seen him this happy since Tori.”
I’m sorry, what now? Who the hell is Tori? I freeze, unsure how to feel about that comment.
“I’m glad to hear that Riley is enjoying class. And I’m grateful you and Zayn are such supportive parents. As you know, it makes a world of a difference,” I say. To fill the silence, I hand over Riley’s report card and review it with Sam. My hand trembles a bit as I start to review Riley’s grades, but I’m hoping she doesn’t notice.
After hearing about her current quarterly grades, Sam says, “Okay, well everything seems just as I thought with Ri. Thanks, Autumn.”
“Sure thing,” I say, standing up and pushing in my chair. Relief floods my body knowing I’ve made it through my first conference of the evening—the one I dreaded most.
Sam gets up and gathers the paperwork for Riley. Just when I think she’s about to leave with a simple goodbye, she says, “Also, maybe it’s not my place, but are you actually into Zayn or . . . what’s going on there?”
I should’ve known better. I’m not in the clear just yet.
Without showing she’s caught me off guard, I say, “Zayn and I are history. You know that.” I squint at her.
“Well, I know how history can repeat itself. No hard feelings between us, right? Zayn and I were literally just a one-time thing. And I’m so happy I have Riley now, but that was definitely more long term than he and I had planned,” she jokes.
I smile and nod. “I understand. And you and I are good.”
“What a huge relief!” She flashes me a big smile before giving me a wink. “I do see the way he looks at you though.”
I hold up a hand to cut off the conversation there. “I promise we’re just really good friends now. That’s all.”
“Okay. Oh, and careful around Riley, too, please. She’s noticed you two have spent quite a bit of time together, so I wanted to be in the know of what’s been going on so I can be honest with her,” she explains. She picks up her bag and turns to leave. “I guess it does make sense you two would be close again. Zayn was always helping Summer in her final days. I should’ve known he’d be the same with you.”
I’m sorry, what? This woman is dropping bombs on me left and right. He took care of Summer, and no one told me?
“Alright, off to my conferences I go. Tootles, Autumn.” She blows me a kiss before walking out into the hall, the door shutting behind her.
My feet don’t move. I stand there shocked, trying to process all the new information I received. I’m sure Tori is no one, or else Zayn would’ve mentioned her. But he was with Summer in her final days, and no one bothered to tell me? I chew my tongue a bit, reflecting on how it makes sense now that he had the letters from her. He was there for Summer. That’s huge. Massive. Someone other than Mom and Dad was there for her when I couldn’t be. And of all people, it was Zayn. Maybe he has changed.
The last kid of the day leaves so the other teachers and I make our way back into the building.
Sam matches her pace with mine. “How’d the rest of your conferences go last night?” she asks.
I smile and say, “All went smoothly. I’m just exhausted today.”
She nods in agreement. “Yeah, I feel ya there.”
“What about you? How’d they go?”
“All went well except one parent blamed me for her daughter’s reading score dropping. So, that was fun. I think I’m reaching burn out from these past few years. Plus, my class size is now at thirty. I’m losing my mind.”
My jaw drops at her words. I don’t think I’ve ever related so much to her before now. I’ll admit it’s nice seeing this more vulnerable side of her.
I slow my walking and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Sam, first of all, it is not your fault. Just remember, we’re always the first to blame. Also, I’ve been feeling that exact way now too for so long. Burnout is real. And we’re all expected to just keep going through the motions.”
