Chapter 1
School was annoying, even when she was the one standing at the front.
Emma was rethinking a lot of life choices, and not for the first time. In fact, she thought of it often and wondered why she'd thought it would be a good idea to become a teacher, and a high school teacher at that.
"Now, if you would all just pay attention..."
She threw the words out there, not expecting much, and sighed because nothing changed anyway. It was a particularly trying class, one of the hardest in a long time. Usually, she could get at least one or two, or they would hide better, but that wasn’t even the case.
...
So, care to tell me what that was all about?" Chase asked, voice gentle.
Emma knew he meant her almost breakdown. She didn’t want to talk about it, but if there was someone she trusted to tell about her problems, it was him. He'd helped her out more times than she could count, all to be a good friend, acting offended when she even mentioned paying him back for all of it. Besides, maybe it would help lessen her burden a little, if she could vent about it.
"I wasn’t in the best place today," she sighed, rolling her head on the headrest to look outside. "I haven’t been for a long time, really."
"What does that mean?"
She sighed again, feeling heavier. "I don’t know, just... I guess my expectations for the job crashed and burned. A while back, I just didn’t want to think about it, and now it's all that I can think about."
...
She had plenty enough qualifications to attempt it, and she was sure she would find a job, eventually. But with the current economy, it was hard to say when, and where would she get money before that? Besides, of all positions she could take, teaching had some permanence, and even if she lost her job, she could get into another school with little fuss. But that wouldn’t exactly help the problem.
Even if she couldn’t stand her job, she knew she had to, and it was what had carried her forward all this time. Her family needed her. She didn’t mind occasionally going without a meal, but when she had the means to, she wouldn’t let them suffer more than they had to. She was all they had and vice versa, after they lost her parents a while back.
"Hey," Chase murmured, catching her attention and making her turn to him. His voice was low, serious, and so different from his usually happy personality. "I know it’s hard. I can't say I fully understand your situation, you are dealing with things I can't even begin to imagine. But you don’t have to keep it all in. I’m here for you if you ever need anything. And you have to know how I admire you for your hard work. In your position, I would have broken down a lot sooner, believe me. I just can't handle pressure like that."
...
"Thank you, Chase. For... well, everything."
He just smiled and leaned closer to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Don’t worry about it. It was my pleasure, believe me."
