Eva pinned her with a glare—an attitude wasn’t something she tolerated, which Carly knew all too well.
“Sorry. Still got my back up, I guess.”
“What did you do?” The e-mail asking Eva to have a quiet word hadn’t given her any specifics, but for a weeks’ worth of detentions, it must have been bad.
“Told Mr. Mayhew to shut the eff up.”
Eva pressed her fingers to her temples. “I know you have an issue with him.” And most men, in truth. After spending ten years of her life living under the thumb of a physically and emotionally abusive father, Eva didn’t blame Carly. But Greenfield High had rules—rules that meant disrespecting members of staff had severe consequences. “But you can’t go around saying things like that.”
“He wasn’t supposed to hear me. Got goddamn bat ears, doesn’t he?”
“Carly, you’re a sophomore now. They won’t be tolerant of your behavior for much longer.” The only reason she hadn’t been expelled already was because Eva kept going to bat for her. As something of an expert on shitty fathers—though nowhere near to the same extent as the things Eva had read in Carly’s file—Eva had something of a soft spot for Carly, a desire to protect her and see her succeed. If Eva could offer Carly a safe space, a comforting presence in a world that had been so cruel, make a difference in someone’s life, then this job was worth it.
“I know. I’ll try and be better.”
“Good.”
Carly turned to leave, but Eva stopped her after a quick glance at the clock. They still had two minutes before the first class of the day officially started.
“Ah, ah, not so fast. Why’d you do it?”
“Because he was annoying me. Asked me a question and I didn’t know the answer. Apparently, that was unacceptable, so…” Carly shrugged, staring at her shoe as she scuffed it along the floor, and Eva suspected there was more to the story.
“How was your summer?”
“Fine.” A pause, Carly shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She bit at her bottom lip, something weighing on her mind, and Eva waited, hoping Carly trusted her enough to know she could speak freely. “My mom moved her new boyfriend in.”
Ah, there it was. The reason for the sullenness and attitude problem. Not that Eva could blame her. Carly clung to routine and consistency and having a new man inside the home couldn’t be easy for her.
“What’s he like?”
Another shrug. “He’s okay, I guess.” Well, it wasn’t exactly a glowing review. “Better than my sperm donor.” Her face creased into a scowl. “But I wish he wasn’t always around.”
Eva’s protective streak sparked to life. “Is he making your life difficult?”
Carly shook her head.
“Are you still seeing the school counselor?”
“Twice a week.”
“And they know what’s going on at home?”
Carly rolled her eyes skyward. “I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t keep something like that from them.”
“Good.” Eva made a mental note to follow up with the counselor anyway—if she didn’t report her concerns and something bad happened later down the line, she’d never be able to forgive herself. “And you know you can come to me about anything, yes?”
Carly offered Eva a rare smile. “I know.”
“Let me write you a note to let your next teacher know why you’re running late.” Eva scrawled one quickly, handing it over as the bell rang. “Take care, Carly.”
Carly hurried out of the room, and Eva watched her go.
She’d been Eva’s brightest student the previous year, persevering despite the bad hand she’d been dealt, and Eva wasn’t going to let her slip because she no longer taught her. She’d just have to make more effort to keep up with her progress.
* * *
Lily’s first week flew by.
