Page 67 of The Teacher

Might as well tell her.

It’s been dominating my thoughts for weeks. It’ll be good for me to get it off my chest.

“I’m kind of seeing Skipper Deep again.”

Ripley’s jaw falls open at the mention of his name. I’ve told her ages ago about him and what had happened between us.

“Skipper Deep? What, as in that guy who cheated on you, like, a decade ago? That Skipper Deep?”

“Yeah. Him,” I reply. “He was at your wedding, that’s where we met again.”

“To be honest, there were a lot of people at my wedding that even I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, Dad likes to invite his friends. He treats everything like a business meeting, including his son’s wedding it seems.”

“So, you’re saying that you re-met Skipper Deep at the wedding and have rekindled some kind of fling with him?”

“Well, that’s the problem,” I whisper.

Ripley shakes her head in disbelief. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me you’re falling for him again.”

I wince. “Kind of.”

“Sandy.”

“I know, I know,” I reply. “I’m an idiot, I get it. But he’s really the only man for me. It’s like my heart’s been waiting for him all these years and hasn’t let go. It’s like he completes me. God, that sounds so stupid saying out loud. You know what I mean.”

“So, you basically love him. What’s the problem, then?”

“He lives in America.”

“Oh.”

“And he’s only here for a short time, for business reasons. He’s thinking of investing in Poseidon’s Academy.”

“Wait, your school?”

“Yeah, but I just can’t get the future out of my head and what this all means. What happens when he goes back to America? Has all this between us just been a fling for him? Is he going to leave me, or worse, cheat on me again?”

Great. All my words have just come out in one big rush.

“Damn, girl. I thought I had problems with Cove.”

I sigh. “I wouldn’t be able to cope if he cheated on me again. He promises he’ll never do it, that the first time he was drunk and a stupid teenage boy, but I just can’t fully trust his words. I’m afraid to commit and then have my heart broken another time, just like it did eight years ago. I can’t go through that pain again, Ripley. I just can’t.”

She slowly nods. “I understand completely, Sandy. It’s a hard place to be in. Cove was like that for me, I couldn’t trust him at first.”

“So, what made you?”

“It was his actions, not his words. Cove proved his love for me through what he did and how he acted, not with empty promises or nice talking points.”

Exactly what I want to do with Skipper.

Actions, not words.

“So, I should judge him on what he does and not what he says?” This is already obvious to me but hearing it from the mouth of my best friend makes everything make sense. I need to hear this from somebody else for it to seem right.

“If he really loves you, Sandy, he’ll fight for you. He won’t even need to say anything, he’ll prove it with what he does for you. Trust me, you’ll know. I knew with Cove. Boys can say anything, men do things to prove their love.”