Back to You(11)

Later that afternoon, when Lauren opened her locker to put her books away, two pieces of paper sailed out and fluttered to the ground. She recognized her own handwriting and realized they were the Health notes she had given Michael, but when she bent to pick them up, she saw something scrawled on the back in a jagged print that was unfamiliar to her.
She turned the paper over.
Hey Red—thanks for the notes. Del
And though">October 2011

August 2011
Lauren left that day before he came back to pick up his daughter, so she didn’t have to see him again.
But she was still reeling.
She hid it well, falling right back into the children, putting all of her energy into them. It was easy to get lost in a room full of eleven preschoolers.
But now that she was in the car on her way back home, all she had were her thoughts and the silence, and she didn’t know what to do with either.
Lauren leaned over and grabbed her cell phone, holding down the speed dial for Jenn. Although Jenn was still back in Scranton, they made it a point to meet for dinner once a month ever since Lauren had moved to Bellefonte, and their record was nearly flawless. And while she’d be seeing Jenn that weekend for their monthly dinner, she knew there was no way she’d be able to wait that long.
“You better not be cancelling on me,” Jenn said as her greeting.
Lauren smiled weakly. “I’m not. I just need to talk.”
“You okay?” Jenn asked.
“I don’t know yet.”
“You’re freaking me out here, Laur. What’s going on?”
Lauren took a breath before she said, “I saw Michael today.”
“Michael?”
“Del,” she clarified.
“What!” Jenn shrieked. “Is this a joke?”
“No.”
“Holy shit,” she said. “Hold on.” Lauren could hear the sounds of shuffling before the sound of a door closing, which meant she had just shut the door to her office. When she did that, she meant business. “What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything. I froze.”
“Are you kidding me?” Jenn said, her voice equal parts disbelief and disappointment. “You didn’t let him have it? We rehearsed what you would say! You used to dream about it!”
“Yes, we rehearsed what I would say—when we were eighteen. You realize that was eight years ago, right?”
“Eight years, eight days, it doesn’t matter. He still deserves a piece of your mind.”
“I was at work, Jenn!”
“So you didn’t speak to him at all?”
“No, I did. But it was just really awkward.”
“I still can’t even wrap my head around this. Michael Delaney,” Jenn said, her voice incredulous. “What exactly did you say?”
“Just stupid formalities. ‘It’s good to see you.’ ‘How’ve you been?’ And then he registered his daughter and he left.”
“What a jerk,” Jenn said, her voice now full of disgust. “I can’t believe you even talked to him. I can’t believe you didn’t spit in his face.”
“Yeah, it would have been a great move on my part to spit in the face of a parent on my first day,” Lauren said. “Besides, all that stuff">October 2011
With a child, no less.”
“Lauren,” Jenn said in a warning tone.
“What?”
“Are you really going to sit there and make excuses for him?”
Lauren sat up a little straighter as she felt herself growing defensive. “I’m not making excuses for him. What happened was years ago. That’s not an excuse, that’s a fact. He came in to register his daughter, and I registered her. I don’t see what the big deal is. Can you stop preaching at me, please?”
“I’m not preaching,” Jenn said, her voice softening. “It’s just that…you’ve always had selective amnesia when it comes to Del.”
“Trust me, I remember everything that happened with Michael Delaney.” And that time, when she said his name, she felt a twinge in her chest, the faintest echo of the pain that had nearly crippled her all those years ago. The corners of her mouth turned down slightly.
“Good. Keep it that way,” Jenn said. “So, what’s his daughter like?”
“Very sweet,” Lauren said, regaining her composure. “Her name is Erin. She didn’t say more than a few words today. Mostly kept to herself. Really polite.”
“Well she must take after her mother then,” Jenn said, the disdain back in her voice, and Lauren shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Know anything about her?”