Page 92 of For Your Own Good

Joe nods, straightening up a bit, trying to recover. “Teddy,” he says. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Working. I heard something as I passed by and came in to check it out. With everything that’s happened recently, I almost called the police.”

“They would’ve been disappointed to find me.”

“Yes,” Teddy says, looking at the plate of food again. “Nothing to see here, is there?” He turns and walks away, leaving Joe to his stolen breakfast.

Teddy also notes the cameras in the kitchen. After this weekend, the food will be watched.

FALLON’S MORNING BEGINSin chaos. She wakes up freezing, because the heat stopped working. Unable to get back to sleep, she spendshours on the internet, researching anything and everything to do with Teddy: His students. His ex-wife.

His family.

Teddy doesn’t have one. At least not that Fallon can find. Both parents are dead and have been for a while, one from cancer, the other from a car accident. No brothers, no sisters, no children.

She knows all of this because she has googled him many times. Too many. She keeps hoping something new will pop up, but today it doesn’t. With nothing left to google, she gets ready for work and goes in early. At least the school is warm.

The only car in the parking lot, other than Joe’s, is Teddy’s.

Odd. It’s unlike him to be so early. He usually keeps to a tight schedule.

The hallways are empty, as expected, and her shoes click as she walks to her classroom. After putting her things down and warming up a bit, she gets an idea. Maybe a good one, maybe not. Hard to make a judgment with so little sleep.

She decides to go ahead with it anyway and heads straight to Teddy’s classroom. He looks up when she appears in the doorway.

The look of surprise on his face is already worth it.

“Fallon,” he says. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” she says. The temperature feels like it drops a good ten degrees when she walks into his room. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here yet.”

They stare at each other.

All she feels is anger. Not surprising—the anger is always with her. Sometimes, it’s buried deep, simmering away at a low temperature; other times it feels like red-hot rage. Right now, it’s somewhere in the middle.

“So,” Teddy says, standing up. He walks closer to her, then leans back on his desk. “How are you settling in at Belmont?”

“Oh, it’s been fine so far,” she says.

“Good to hear it. Sonia was always quite organized. I expect her lesson plans are in order.”

“Yes, they are. That’s been helpful.” Fallon’s voice sounds normal, though she feels anything but. She clears her throat. “I wanted to apologize to you,” she says.

He doesn’t look shocked. Not one bit. “Oh?”

“Some of those emails I sent were... out of line. Stupid, really. I’m sorry about that.”

He shrugs. It’s such a casual gesture, as if he’d barely read them. “Ah, those emails.” He smiles a little. “Your apology is unnecessary. Sometimes, students get angry. You’ll learn that soon enough.”

Fallon shouldn’t be surprised, but she is. He sounds so normal. “Still, they were uncalled for, and I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Thank you.”

Again, they stare at each other. She looks for something in his eyes, something that reveals his true feelings, but nothing’s there. “I better get to work now,” she says.

“Have a good day, Fallon.”