Page 55 of How We Fooled

I pull up to the parking lot of Leighton River High, noticing just how different this school is from the schools I attended. My aunt mentioned how much more money Leighton River has due to TimeLand being there, but I had no clue it would be this extravagant. I feel like I’m walking on to a high school campus in Silicon Valley, not small-town Montana.

I guess tech money doesn’t change much based on the town you’re actually in.

Walking through the halls for the first time does crazy things to my head. On one hand, I remember what it felt like, being a freshman in high school and entering the halls for the first time, but on another hand, knowing these are the same halls that Eli walks through makes it hard to breathe.

How will I survive being here every day, knowing he’s here, too, and I can’t say one word to him? The thought makes me blink back tears.

If I can’t even make it through the halls without him here, how can I survive the first day, let alone the entire school year?

I open the front office door and am greeted by the sweetest old lady who stands, holding her hand out to me. “You must be Liza Hernandez.”

I shake her hand. “That’s me. Are you Mrs. Holding?”

“Yes, but please call me Beth. Here.” She motions for me to walk around the front desk. “Come on back, and I’ll show you around. Earl should be back here, waiting for you too.”

Earl must be Mr. Shaw, who is retiring and said he would walk me through everything for this week to make sure I’m prepared for the year.

She guides me through the offices, pointing out the principal’s, vice principal’s, and counselors’ before bringing me to the teachers’ lounge, where an older gentleman is sitting, reading the newspaper.

“Earl,” Beth says. “I’d like for you to meet Liza Hernandez, our new teacher you’ll be helping this week.”

Earl closes the paper and stands to greet me. “Boy, I sure am glad they found you,” he teases. “I was beginning to think they’d keep me here another year!”

We all laugh at his words.

“I’m officially here to relieve you from your duties so you can enjoy retirement.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.”

He winks, and I laugh at how cute his excitement is. By the looks of it, he should have retired years ago. I’m guessing he’s in his eighties now.

“Don’t let him fool you,” Beth whispers but makes it obvious that she knows he can hear her too. “He’ll still come to hang out here daily. He loves this place more than anyone else.”

He shrugs. “She’s right. It was just time I finally hung up my hat because I was starting to have trouble hearing any questions the kids had. Okay”—he motions for me to follow him—“let’s show you to your classroom.”

I say my goodbyes to Beth and follow Earl through a side door that leads to his classroom, which is the very first one on the right.

“Well, you don’t have much of a walk, do you?”

He pats my arm. “You’re welcome for that. Seniority has its benefits, and now, you’re getting to take advantage of it as well. Some teachers have to hike across the entire campus to get to their classrooms. Not me. I’m right here.”

He opens the door, and I pause at the threshold, finally taking the moment in.

This is my classroom. I’m going to teach right here.

For the first time since Eli ripped my heart out, I feel semi-happy again about taking this job. I’ve worked very hard to get here, and I know I need to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

The day is over before I know it, and my excitement has transformed to fear, dread of the unknown, and anticipation of what’s to come, all wrapped in a huge stack of papers that I’m taking home to go through.

Earl was great, but I realize now just how much work this first year will be. Having his lesson plans will help tremendously, but understanding his 1970s organization of it all was a little much.

He did do some things electronically, but most of it was stashed in filing cabinets, just waiting to be photocopied for this year. I tried not to laugh when he talked about how what worked then is still good today. Though there can be truth to that, he really was just causing more work for himself in the long run.

Now, it’s my job to bring this class to the twenty-first century with technology as well as updating some of the references to things the students can understand and actually connect with.

As I walk to my car, I see action on the football field and am instantly brought back to my high school days, where I was a cheerleader for all four years. Wanting to relive those moments, I put the stack in my car and head to the stands to get a look at the players.

On my way there, I feel like I’m punched in the gut when I see Eli’s truck parked next to one that I can only imagine is his friend Dalton’s by the way he explained it earlier and another black one.

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