Page 20 of An Unexpected Turn
PEYTON
“This was a nice little turnout,” Deirdre, one of the sophomore counselors, noted as we packed up the leftover cupcakes and snacks. I’d skipped lunch to see a student and had barely had enough time to help get everything ready for today’s workshop. I wanted to shove one of the chocolate cupcakes into my mouth to silence my growling stomach, but I was so happy with the number of students who showed up, even if they had been bribed to come here.
“It was. I was glad to see some familiar faces today too.”
“Me too! It’s like maybe we’re getting through to some of them.” Deirdre had the same happy satisfaction in her features that was blooming in my chest. After months of my hands being tied to truly help kids in my old school, I’d forgotten how much I’d missed this.
“Ms. Miller?”
“Oh hey, Selena!” Selena was one of my freshman students. Tall and pretty, but always made her way down the halls with hunched shoulders. I remembered being the awkward tall girl until sophomore year when most either caught up to or passed me, but before then, I had the same shy stance as I headed to and from class.
That, unfortunately, was something that stayed all too constant. Teenagers, especially girls, were conditioned to hide the best parts of themselves, all for the sake of not wanting to be different.
“Thank you for ... this.” Her voice was timid as a smile crept across her lips. “It all made a lot of sense.”
Her mother was a recovering addict but, from what I’d heard from Selena when she’d come to see me, had done a solid job of turning her life around. The stigma of the past was something they both suffered from, and high school kids could be vicious and unforgiving.
“I am so glad you felt that way. Everyone gets anxious, and the little things we went over today can help a lot.”
“And thank you for today.” Her smile faded. “I’m sorry I interrupted your lunch.”
“Please don’t apologize, Selena. That’s what I’m here for. If you’d like, maybe we can schedule one lunch per week to check in, but my door is always open to you.”
“That sounds good, actually. I shouldn’t let them bother me, I know.”
I shook my head, giving her a smile when she lifted her gaze.
“You feel how you feel, and high school can be rough for anyone. That’s why we’re all here.” I nodded to Deirdre as she packed up the last of the food.
Selena smiled before ambling out of the classroom, her head a little higher than when I’d seen her earlier today. It was hard not to worry about students in crisis, but getting them to trust you enough to seek you out ... To me, that was half the battle. In those moments, it always felt as if I were right where I was supposed to be.
Lately, those moments helped me find a little peace as well. The more I got to know my students, the more Kelly Lakes began to feel like home.
“I knew you’d be popular,” Deirdre noted from behind me as she hoisted her purse onto her shoulder.
“Why would you say that?”
“The freshman counselor before you was a little ... rigid. Even I tensed up talking to her.” She chuckled. “You actually enjoy these events, don’t you?”
“I do. They can be a pain to put together, but even if only one or two students show up, at least we helped someone, right?”
Deirdre nodded. “Absolutely. Here.” She handed me the plastic container of cupcakes. “You said you skipped lunch, and you look a little queasy.”
I shrugged. “I’m fine. And thanks. I won’t eat all of them, but my cousins will be excited when I bring these home.”
I found Mike heading down the hallway. I had been happy to spot him in the back of the room before we’d divided into groups, but I didn’t want to embarrass him by making a big deal of it.
“Hi, Mike,” I said when I caught up to him. “I was glad to see you here today.”
“It was good, actually. There were some kids I hadn’t met yet who seemed cool.”
“See, that’s a win-win, right?”
A real laugh fell from his lips, not something I had to work to cajole out of him like when we first met in my office.
“School still going okay?” I was curious about what brought him to the workshop. We were already over a month into school, and he seemed to be acclimating all right from what I could tell, but I worried that maybe there were more issues between his parents.
“Yeah, I think so. It’s school, I guess.”
