Tessa’s point of view.
We went to Miami last week during spring break. My mother was obviously pissed off me and Collin could go anywhere without them but it was needed to just go out and have fun. Iris had her first time in the water and threw her first fit when she got out before she was even a toddler she’s definitely my daughter.
Collin wouldn’t stop making comments about my bathing suits which were two pieced, and the weight I put on when I was pregnant with Iris is pretty much gone which made drool come out of his mouth.
Coming back home though, made me come back to reality. Just a few days we resume our battle of Iris and it’s making me feel sick. But for now I need to focus on school, and when I get home I need to worry about my daughter.
I walked into Mrs. James class prepared to see a frown, but she was super cheerful. I was kind of shocked.
“Top of the morning to you!” I looked to see if anyone else was in the class; but it was empty.
“Can I have some of that happy potion you’re drinking?” I said with a fake smile.
“It’s a natural happy! My son finally talked to me! And it was all good news! I’m a grandmother!”
I looked down and mumbled “I wish my parents were that enthusiastic about being a grand parents.”
She stopped smiling for a moment and looked at my stomach, “Oh my, are you? –”
“No. I was. But I’m not, healthy baby girl—” I heard students walking around the corner I glanced at the board she wrote ”No lesson today; Just want a heart to heart conversation.” I was actually disappointed I didn’t take a vacation off school just to come back and not learn anything.
As students came inside the classroom I sat down at any desk and it just happened to be in the back, away from other students so I can keep track of my daughter while she’s at home with her dad. The bell rang and the last person to enter the class was Ashton. His hair messy and his clothes shaggy.
I think he just did the dirty.
“As it says on the board, I want to have a heart to heart with you; my students.”
She walked to her computer, turned the projector on, and opened a PowerPoint presentation. It was titled “Family”.
“Now for the past year most of you have heard me complain about how my son hasn’t contacted me. He told me about a week ago that he had a reason and now it might have been selfish reason but I understood it. I was just happy he came to visit me instead of calling me on the phone.” She clicked her mouse and it went to the next slide.
It was a picture of a little blonde-haired kid smiling, she skipped all of the slides for some reason and went to the last slide.
I almost threw up when I saw it.
A picture of her son appeared on the screen; It was Collin.
I grabbed my backpack and ran out of the room, holding my mouth.
I ran to the bathroom, threw my backpack down on the ground throwing up in the toilet.
I heard heels walking into the bathroom, as I was emptying my stomach out, when the heels stop clicking, as I was finished spilling my guts out flushing the toilet when I was done.
“Are you sure you aren’t preg-”
“I’m not pregnant Mrs. James. I just need to be left alone.” I sniffled.
“I figured it was you, you know?” She said.
“I didn’t want this to happen. I came here to get away from people knowing my actual life.”
She leaned up against the locked stall. “I didn’t know until this morning. I was going to do a class lesson today. I actually wasn’t planning on showing the class a picture of my son. I just wanted to know if it was you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t think it was going to be you. But Collin mentioned about his girlfriend having family issues, and you’ve had a lot of absences all saying you had custody court I just assumed.”
The hairs stood up on my arms. Collin lied to me? Collin was right, I do act like a little kid. I’m not sure why I’m always so emotional. I’m a mom now. And I take everything in a bad way. I used to be a very strong person. I’m just not sure exactly what I am.
“He didn’t tell you, did he?”
“No ma’am, he didn’t.” I stood up from the ground and opened the stall door, walking to the sink.
“I didn’t raise Collin to be a liar, nor a secret keeper. He didn’t want to introduce you to me, I think he’s scared for someone reason.”
I continued to wash my hands when I stopped and gripped the sink. “Not to be rude Mrs. James but I don’t want to discuss what you and Collin talked about while I’m, right now, trying to push through the 26 hours of no sleep. I was up all night because my daughter was sick and screaming. While -YOUR SON- was sleeping. Now, if you want to talk about what you and your son discussed -about me- than we can do that out of school. But right now, I need to go back to class and focus on school.” I turned the water off, grabbed my bag, and walked out of the bathroom and went to my car not wanting to be in that remainder of the classroom.
I leaned my seat back and fell asleep, not meaning too.
***
I woke up to tapping on the window. When I looked up it was fairly dark outside.
How long was I asleep?
When I looked out my window it was Security, I turned my car on and rolled my window down. His flashlight shining into my eyes.
“Good evening, Sir.”
“You know this is a high school parking lot?”
“Yes, Sir. I go here, I didn’t know I fell asleep. I’m sorry.”
He shined his light in the back seat of my car, probably looking at the car seat that’s in the back.
“Do you have a child ma’am?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He stood there for a second or two before saying something. “Can you step out of the car ma’am?”
I rolled up the window, turned the car off and exited my car.
What could I have done wrong?
“Turn around, hands behind your back.”
“What did I do? I wasn’t breaking the law.”
He didn’t say anything. I didn’t refuse because I don’t want to be charged with an actual crime.
After he put me in the car, he got in himself and drove me to the police station in Pueblo.
Collin is going to actually murder me.
***
They put me in a small cell, with other girls, much younger than me. I still don’t know what I’m doing here. Is it seriously illegal to accidental fall asleep in a school parking lot? There Are too many laws to remember.
These young teenagers look hurt, they’ve got tattoos and piercings and quite pissed off. I don’t want to get on their bad side so I’ll just stand in the corner here. A police woman walked up to the cell and shouted “Tessa Reynolds!” I stood up and walked toward the gate. (A/N: I actually have no idea what it’s like in a juvenile detention center)
“You’ve got 5 minutes to make your phone call. Make it snappy.”
She unlocked the cage, walking me to the phone, she walked away, and I dialed the number using the phone on the wall.
“Hello?”
“Hey, I, erm, got myself into a situation and I would appreciate if you would not call Collin once I tell you what I got myself into.”
***