Page 72 of The Other Side
He took a beat, then asked softly, “You don’t have to answer, but why was your mom always so sad?”
“Because of my dad.”
Chance squeezed my hand again. I don’t even think he was aware of it; it had somehow become second nature for him to try to comfort me, even though I had continually pushed him away.
“My mom was pregnant with me when he died while deployed overseas. He never got to meet me, but he named me. He found out I was a girl right before he left and begged my mom to name me Violet after his grandmother. She loved the name, so she agreed. So even though I didn’t know him, I’ve always felt like he was a part of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
I cocked my head. “It’s not your fault.” I didn’t understand why he was apologizing.
“I’ve been complaining so much about my dad, but at least I had one.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Chance glanced over to me, unsure of my amusement. “Don’t be sorry. Your dad sounds awful. I don’t think I would have survived a parent like your father. I have enough insecurities as it is—I don’t need someone I am hardwired to love and want to make proud constantly pointing them out to me.”
“What could you possibly be insecure about?” Chance’s tone was so genuine, I had to do a double take to make sure that his facial expression was just as sincere, and it was.
“Are you kidding me?” I snorted a laugh. “First off, I’m a woman, so there are a million things, thanks to society: my looks, my clothes, my height. Then there’s the reality of having grown up in poverty, which makes me feel inferior to every single person at Montgomery, every second of every day. I worry about my teaching, about my student debt, about my education, my emotional unavailability, would you like me to keep going?”
Chance’s lips were parted in shock. “How can you say all of that?”
I mirrored his confusion.
“I wish you could see yourself from my point of view. I think it would completely change your perspective. Because I don’t see any of those things when I look at you. I see a strong,stunning, incredibly intelligent, kind”—he paused—“very sexy, and accomplished woman.” He chuckled, likely due to the shade of red my face was turning upon hearing his complimentary words.
“In fact, the only thing I would change about you is that I wish you would be able to acknowledge all the wonderful things about yourself, like how deeply you care for those you let in, how you’ve dropped everything to help me chase some kind of vigilante justice for Daniel, whom you barely knew, but simply identified with, or how dedicated you are to making a difference for students who rarely give you the time of day, because all it takes is for a single one of them to need you, for all of it to be worth it.
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that almost everyone I’ve talked to at Montgomery thinks very highly of you.”
“Almost everyone? Was it Serena that was talking shit?” I couldn’t help but interrupt, despite the tightness in my throat from his appraising words.
Chance gave a small laugh. “After myself, Lenny, and Jolene, she might be your next biggest fan.”
My brow furrowed. “But she hates me.” We couldn’t be talking about the same Serena Lawrence.
“No, she doesn’t.” Chance gave a withering chuckle.
“You must have misunderstood her then,” I replied firmly.
“Imisunderstood?” His brows shot up. “I did not misunderstand her approaching me out of nowhere on my third day here, saying she had seen me making eyes at you and if I hurt you, she’d eviscerate me with her own bare hands.”
I felt my jaw drop at his confession.
“She really said that?” I asked meekly, in disbelief.
“Yeah, and she wasn’t the only one.”
Again my throat constricted. I’d always felt like an outsider at Montgomery. How could he be talking about the same peoplethat I’d felt so deeply shunned by? But like Chance suggested, it was all about perspective.
Maybe it wasn’t that they had iced me out, but rather that I had positioned myself on the outside, assuming they wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. I couldn’t remember having given them a chance, because I hadn’t. I had just kept my guard up to protect myself from being hurt.
“You are wanted and needed at Montgomery, and you have more allies here than you realize, but you need to open your eyes to find them.”
I nodded, still in a daze at this ridiculous revelation, but I couldn’t help but ask, “But you did say ‘almost’— who was the holdout?”
“Bernie.” Chance shrugged.
“Bernie!?” The mild-mannered, sweet, bearded chemistry teacher whom everyone loved. “Not Bernie!? Why does Bernie hate me?”
