Previous Chapters
Extracurriculars | Part 1: Prerequisites
Extracurriculars | Part 2: Office Hours
Extracurriculars | Part 3: Study Hall

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The morning started as abruptly as Janice had anticipated. Even though she had managed to get to bed a little earlier than usual, the hustle of the day before had left her energy meter sitting well below full. Struggling to pull herself from the tangle of sheets, she made her way to the shower to wash away the tired.

Janice was mid-shampoo when Sonny made his abrupt appearance, quickly pulling back the shower curtain with an overzealous, but wordless, smile. Loving annoyance radiated from her sigh as she gave a low, “Mornin’,” in return. One thing the two of them did not agree on was mornings. Somehow, Sonny was always a bundle of happiness when all Janice wanted was silence and coffee—lots of coffee.

“So, you going to reply today?” He wasted no time picking right back up on the conversation she had tried so hard to leave alone the night before. “You should. What have you got to lose?”

Turning around to let the water cover her face, Janice didn’t reply, simply continuing her shower. It was too early for this, and she honestly hadn’t decided what she was going to do. He was very easy to look at, obviously held something quite developed between his ears, and was only a short train ride east. It could work.

Sonny knew the routine—he interrupts her morning shower, and then he waits patiently in the cold until she’s done. Janice had no problem making him wait. Her routine was precise; one misstep and she’d forget deodorant.

Turning to allow them to switch places, she squeezed between him and the wet plastic to move toward the back of the tub. Wringing out her hair, she finally decided to answer his question before stepping out into the chill of the bathroom air.

“I might.”

Reaching for her towel, his voice carried over the sound of the running water. “You should.”

He said no more, which Janice was perfectly okay with. She had to get ready for work. Sonny would finish up as she got dressed, allowing her to have the bathroom back afterward to finish up with her hair and makeup.

As she gave herself a final look-over in the mirror before heading downstairs, her daily mantra running through her head, she took a deep breath and made the decision. She was going to reply. It had been a while since she’d had a new connection, and there had been some recent weekends where she really missed having someone to escape with. Maybe this was one of those opportunities she really needed to try, instead of just letting it slip away.

If she had time, she would respond before the school day began. Otherwise, she’d use her lunch period to take a few moments and finally connect. It was about to become a very interesting Thursday.

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Watching the class walk down the hall to the cafeteria, Janice was glad for the lunch break. The morning had been a whirlwind of catching up after addressing some unacceptable behaviors which were left in the notes by the substitute. Closing the door behind her, Janice made her way to the back of the room where her desk sat.

Allowing her weight to fall into the chair, she pushed a pile of math answer keys to the side and reached for her laptop. The morning had not allowed her the time to take care of the important business of replying to Brett. Scrolling past a handful of morning emails, none of which needed attention—let alone immediate—she found his message from yesterday. Pausing before clicking it open, she reminded herself that he had welcomed the reply, so the level of risk was actually quite low.

Hitting Reply and triple-checking she didn’t hit Reply All, just in case the entire attendee list was BCC’d on the email, she began typing the simple response she had been mentally drafting in every spare moment of the morning.

Afternoon,

This is Janice, row 2, and as much as I appreciate your offer to help with our district’s technology integration, that is way above my pay-grade! If you are open to some additional discussions about my lack of creative writing, I would be most interested in additional workshops or tutoring sessions you might have available. Please do not hesitate to contact me after-hours at the following email or phone.

Warmly,

Janice

She closed the message with her personal cell and email address, knowing anything that might come of this would need to be coordinated on technology clearly not monitored by the school district. Rereading it twice before officially sending it through the cyber clouds, she then pulled her lunch from the bag tucked by her feet and enjoyed a few moments of quiet dining on a sandwich of almond butter and apple slices.

The vibration of her watch pulled her back to the present. Assuming the notification was her daily alarm to retrieve the class from lunch, Janice was caught totally off guard to see a message preview from a number she didn’t recognize. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, not even bothering to read the rest of the text on her wrist.

I’m so glad you replied! There are so many workshops on my schedule, I’d love to invite you to one.

It was Brett. Was he serious? Did he actually just hope to get more attendees at his sessions?

Janice felt the confusion brewing. How was she supposed to respond to that? Knowing her time was severely limited, a reply would either have to occur right now or wait until after school. Hating to be the one leaving a message on read, she typed the first thing that came to mind.

Tell me when and where and I’ll see what I can do.

If attending another literal workshop was what it took to see him again, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Continue to Part 5