I needed to focus on the life in front of me and what was in my control. For now, that was Danny and basketball.
Jessica, who was currently helping with half of Danny’s class, including Danny, was struggling to get him to calm down.
These class conditions would be hard under the best of circumstances. That he was supposed to practice math facts while watching other kids play jump rope was pure torture for him. Adding in lots of changes and sounds, and he was not adapting well.
Jessica waved her hands in the air as she talked with Danny. They were obviously going the rounds, and Danny was not backing down.
I jogged toward the commotion and Danny screamed. “You’re not my teacher!”
Jessica raised her voice to match his volume. “Yes, I am now. Faith isn’t coming back, so you better start listening to me.” She slammed her hands to her hips.
I stuttered to a stop, my tennis shoes squeaking on the gym floor. Why would she say that? Did she know something I didn’t?
“I wish you wouldn’t come back!” Danny called back as he crossed his arms and swiveled his body away from her.
Jessica clenched her fists.
Faith later, Danny now.
“Hey there, Champ.” I called before Jessica screamed back in retaliation. They both looked in my direction, with flushed cheeks and tight shoulders. “Let’s give Ms. Jessica a break. She’s doing her best.” I went to the bottom of the bleachers and ruffled Danny’s hair, blocking Jessica from his view.
“She said Ms. Faith isn’t coming back.” Danny’s eyes filled with unshed tears.
Poor guy, I never should have let him get so involved. He would miss his teacher either way. Faith was special. But I should have tried harder to keep him from getting even more attached.
Hopefully, this didn’t end up hurting us both. But especially Danny.
I glanced over my shoulder at Jessica.
“Look, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but…” She grabbed her phone from her pocket and turned its screen on and faced it toward me. The screen showed a news article saying “Astrid Luxe back to stay” and had a picture of what I assumed was Faith’s family, with a very different-looking Faith.
My mouth was dry, my lungs tightened, and my stomach dropped. I cleared my throat.
“I told you she was hiding something.” Jessica raised her brows. “She didn’t even tell us her real name.” Jessica grumbled under her breath and rolled her eyes.
I glared at Jessica. “Her name is Faith. She legally changed it.”
“You knew?” Jessica eyed me suspiciously. “And what, you just didn’t care that she was pretending to be someone else the whole time? You still picked her?”
I glared at Jessica until she fidgeted and then I whispered, so the surrounding kids couldn’t hear, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, not that you care, but Faith is currently sacrificing a lot to save your job. Why do you think she went back when she did?” I shook my head in disgust. “And yes, Jessica. I choose her, and I will choose her every day that she lets me. You have no idea who Faith is.”
Jessica gasped and stepped back. Maybe I took things too far, but I was sick of her. I turned back to Danny, who was clearly upset and likely wouldn’t settle soon. Leaving him with Jessica would only make it worse. “I’ll keep Danny with me for the day. Give both of you a bit of a break.”
The fight had leaked out of Jessica. She stared at the ground as her shoulders slumped. She stared at her phone, which held Faith’s picture.
Danny reached over and put his hand in mine and hopped down the last step of the bleachers.
“All right, Champ, how about you help me coach for a bit?” We walked back toward our half of the gym.
“Is Ms. Faith coming back?” Danny whispered.
I stopped walking and squatted down to face him. “Faith is trying to suck in her screams right now. She is being brave and going through some things.” I wouldn’t add that she was trying to save the school. That was too much pressure for her if it didn’t work. More than anything, I wanted her to come back, regardless of what her parents said. “I still think she will come back.” I chewed on my cheek, trying to not show Danny how desperately I wanted her to come home too. “But we don’t get to know all the answers.” I frowned.
“That’s stupid.” Danny’s eyebrows lowered. “I hate not knowing.”
I laughed. “Me too, Champ.” I stood, and we walked back to the team. “Do you want to see if anyone needs water?”
Danny nodded, excited to have a task to keep him busy, and ran toward the water bottles. While everyone was preoccupied, I pulled up the article I’d seen on Jessica’s phone. My heart squeezed as I read the article posted the day Faith landed in New York.
