She smiled at me. “He left the school. I’ve been asked to check the projects even though I don’t unders—”
“What do you mean, left the school?”
She frowned at me. “He quit. He was here on a contract for two years, but he terminated it.”
“Why?” I pressed, my heart pounding in my ears.
“I’m not sure what the exact reason was, but the student board said that he got an offer from one of his clients in New York, so he quit early.” She shrugged, “If I were him, I’d do the same—”
I turned around and left the class.James quit. He wasn’t my teacher anymore. He received an offer, and he was leaving for New York.
I called him, but of course, he didn’t pick up. I called my dad, and he picked up on the fourth ring, “Hi, Pumpkin—”
“Where’s James?” I asked, not caring that other students were staring at me when I started running. Struggling to hold the model and pulling out the car keys from my skirt. “Is he leaving for New York? Is he at his office? His house? Tell me, Dad.”
“Oh.” He seemed sad. “I think he sent me a text last night about some flight, but I didn’t think he was serious.”
My blood ran cold. “What flight, Dad?”
“Wait, I’ll send it to you.” I heard his friends talking in the background. I almost forgot about his big hockey event. “I’ve sent the—”
“Thank you, Dad!” I unlocked my car, throwing my backpack and model in the passenger seat. “I’m sorry for disturbing your big game.”
I took a sharp breath when I noticed his flight leaves in thirty minutes. I checked the map on my phone, and my eyes went blurry. It’d take thirty minutes to drive from the school to the airport.
These past few months had been a wreck without him. If he didn’t want to be with me then it was fine. But I wouldn’t let him act like a coward and run away from me to New York.I’ll make him talk to me and if he doesn’t listen, I’ll ask my friends for help, kidnap him, tie him up and make him talk.I was done being ignored.
I buckled my seatbelt and revved up my car.
I could make it in twenty minutes.
44 CALL ME DADDY
MIA
Spoiler Alert: I didn’t make it in time.
The flight had taken off fifteen minutes before I reached the airport. I demanded the security to let me make sure it hadn’t. I started sobbing when they threatened to call my parents and school—I was still in uniform.
There was tightness in my stomach, a painful numbness in my chest.I couldn’t stop him. I wanted to dig a hole for myself and never get out of it. I hated that I couldn’t stop him. Hated myself for ever leaving him alone in that bedroom after he had confessed everything to me. James must have felt guilty for all these years and instead of helping him, consoling him, I added fuel to that guilt-fire by leaving him.
I was staring numbly at the crowd of people when someone cleared their throat.
I raised my eyes to see a beautiful woman smile at me. “Do you mind if I sit here?”
“Sure. Sit. Sleep.” I shrugged, wiping my face. I didn’t know when I had started crying. “Do whatever you want. Life has no meaning.”
She chuckled, and it was a warm sound. “And why do you think life has no meaning?”
I pursed my lips and looked at her golden-brown eyes. She looked sincere enough, and I didn’t care as I opened my mouth and spilled everything about James and the sad end to our relationship. “So yeah. He ran away. Just like that. I have enough savings to book a first-class ticket to New York, but—”
“It’s okay. Calm down, love.” She patted my hand and offered me a soft smile. She had dimples. “Do you really like this man?”
“I love him,” I said, my cheeks flushing underneath her intense gaze. Embarrassment clogged up my throat as I whispered in a small voice, “I couldn’t even tell him that.”
“And do you think he has the same feelings as you?”
“I would guess so.” I bit my lip from quivering. “But I couldn’t even ask him if he does.”