Page 8 of Gifts

“I don’t hate Saturdays,” I lie. “That came out all wrong during a frustrating moment after a few exasperating hours. No one hates Saturdays.”

He raises a brow. “You mean no one but you?”

“Mr. Hollingsworth—”

“It’s Asa,” he corrects me. “Should I call you Miss, Mrs, or Ms?”

I shake my head. “Mr. Hollingsworth. I’m your children’s counselor and we’re here to discuss Emerson—”

But he corrects me again, “Emma.”

I sit back in my chair, surprised. “I didn’t know she preferred Emma. She hasn’t been very open with me, but I’ll remember that.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, also leaning back in his chair. He relaxes like he’s settling in, resting an ankle on his knee. “She hasn’t opened up with anyone lately.”

A perfect time to focus on the subject at hand. “Emma’s mother emailed a few months back and I understand your children are adjusting to a new living arrangement. That can be difficult for anyone, especially a fifteen-year-old girl. I’ve pulled all of Emma’s grades, and while they aren’t the lowest I’ve seen, after studying her history and middle school records, I can see she’s struggling.”

“I know,” he agrees. “She’s struggling with more than just her grades.”

“If you want to tell me more, I’d like to help.” I know better than most how changes at home can affect kids.

“She’s not hanging with her friends anymore. I know she’s only lived with me for four months, but she wasn’t this quiet in the beginning. She’s withdrawn, she looks like she’s losing weight, and even though she does nothing but lay around, she’s always tired.”

“Has she been to the doctor?” I ask, thinking Emma’s issue could stem from a million different things.

“The one time I mentioned taking her to the doctor, Emma flat out refused to go. I’ll drag her in if I have to, but as you can imagine, I need to gain her trust.”

I nod, thinking it’s odd Emma was so adamant, but we are talking about a fifteen-year-old girl here. Their behavior can be odd in general without looming issues. I change the subject to something I can help with. “Who did she used to spend time with?”

“Maggie Stockton and Beth Thorton. She also used to hang in bigger groups, but that’s who she was with the most.”

Neither of those students are mine. I have the middle of the alphabet. Maggie and Beth are assigned to my coworker. It still makes me curious, so I go to my computer to pull up their records for a glance.

Hmm. Without delving into their history, I have no idea if their grades have changed, but they each have quite a few absences, and unexcused, at that.

“That good, huh?” When I look up, Asa has his head tipped, studying me.

I give him a small smile. “I can’t discuss other students with you, Mr. Hollingsworth.”

He frowns and demands, “Call me Asa.”

Even though I would very much like to call him Asa, I straighten in my chair to keep to the topic of his daughter. “Let me look into things. I’ll speak with each of Emma’s teachers and see if they can shed any light as to why her grades have suffered. I’ll also check with another counselor since her friends aren’t under my watch. It’s a first step, then we can come up with a plan for Emma. She isn’t herself—we need to remedy that.”

“You’ll call me?” he asks, concerned for his daughter.

“Of course. Today’s Thursday, so I’ll reach out before the weekend and at least give you an update from her teachers. I’ll let you know if we need to set up conferences. Would you like me to call her in and talk to her?”

He brings his hand up, rubbing the back of his neck as he shakes his head. “I have no idea. See what her teachers say and we’ll go from there.”

I give him a smile. “I’ll do everything I can. Is Levi doing okay? He’s been with me since he was a Freshman, I know him better.”

Asa sort of nods and tips his head. “He’s busy—gone a lot with lacrosse starting up. He’s also almost eighteen, so being a new full-time parent to an adult is a balancing act. I think he’s good, though.”

“Good.” I push away from my desk to stand. “If that changes, you know where to find me.”

A smirk appears and he raises a brow, but doesn’t move from his seat. “I do now.”

I fold my arms across my chest and finally address the elephant in the room. “It is a weird coincidence, isn’t it?”

---