Page 7 of Last Chance Love

“Not that we’re necessarily looking for punishment,” Mr. Isaiah added quickly with unusual graveness. “If Reno is going to stay in the program, though, he needs to understand the gravity of his actions. And that this is his chance to get his act together.”

“Hislastchance, you understand?” Mona said. “He does anything like this again, and he’s gone. Back into the system, and we wash our hands of him. It might sound cruel, but?—”

“No,” I interrupted softly. “I understand.”

On the one hand, the program was to show that people like Reno could be rehabilitated, that it worked, and that punishment wasn’t strictly necessary. On the other hand, some people were beyond reach, not just in terms of who the program was allowed to accept.

“If Reno doesn’t understand this is his only chance to move on, to do better for himself, then he doesn’t deserve to be here,” I told them, believing it. “If he throws this last chance back in our faces, I won’t say a word when he’s removed. And I won’t protest when I’m punished either.”

Mr. Isaiah chuckled. “Do you seriously believe we’d punish you for that?”

“I mean, I’m responsible for him, aren’t I?” I asked with a shrug.

“Jesus Christ,” Mona muttered, shaking her head.

“Language,” Mr. Isaiah chided her companionably.

“I think he’ll forgive me for that one,” she said, glancing upwards before shaking her head at me again. “I know we emphasize that becoming a mentor is a big deal and a duty, which is true, but come on now, Leon. You really think I would expect you to chain your fate to another person?”

“You just made it seem like that would happen. I have every right to believe it.”

“In the moment, maybe,” she scoffed. “One of the biggest points of the program is to show you that you are responsible foryourself. No one else is, and in turn, you’re not responsible for anyone else.”

I narrowed my eyes, feeling the looming sense of a trap disappearing, replaced by the ugly feeling of being played. “So you tricked me to see if I would stand by what I said, even in the face of danger.”

“Tricked is an ugly word, don’t you think?” Mr. Isaiah asked, looking a little uncomfortable at the thought.

“But not unfair,” Mona said, clearly unbothered by the accusation. “I have my reasons.”

“Oh, I’m sure of that,” I said with a snort, turning away from her.

I didn’t need to know her motivation. And not just because it was obvious she wasn’t going to tell me. I knew Mona could be manipulative. I’d seen her do it multiple times, though as far as I knew, she’d never done it to me. What mattered in the end was whether or not I would tolerate it and accept she had my best interest at heart or let it sit in my heart and make me bitter.

“Alright, so Reno needs to understand the gravity of the situation,” I said, deciding to make up my mind about how I felt another time. Mona had already proven good at reading and anticipating me while I was right in front of her. I didn’t need to give her more to work with if I could help it. “What does that entail?”

“You’re going to have to figure that out, now aren’t you?” Mona asked, looking amused again. I was beginning to think if she was amused, the people around her typically wouldn’t be.

“Okay,” I said slowly, knowing it was pointless to look at Mr. Isaiah for help. “When?”

“Well, I think sooner is better than later,” she said, dropping off the desk. “So why not now?”

Probably because I wasn’t prepared, which she knew full well, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. Even if I hadn’t decided how cranky I was about being tricked, I was still smarting from it…even as I appreciated the smoothness. With that bit of trickery, she had pushed me to reveal that I believed in Reno, and perhaps that alone was the real factor in determining whether or not she would give him another chance.

I needed to figure out how to get him to understand the full extent, not necessarily just his part. I thought I sensed guilt in his face earlier when Elliot confronted him. What mattered was getting him to understand he could still come back from this, which required him to put in the required effort. Of course, that meant he had to start dealing with people beyond just glaring at them.

“Elliot,” I muttered to myself.

“What?” Mona asked. “Oh, yes, I suppose we should deal with him too. Not that he did much other than try to pick a fight. If we punished people for that, we’d have hardly anyone left.”

“No, I…” but I stopped, unsure how to explain it. Mona had a good sense of people, but it came from a place of evaluation and measuring. What feel I had for other people came from a wilder, unformed place that was much harder to explain. She’d have too many questions if I started to explain, and I still wouldn’t make her understand.

But I had seen how Elliot and Reno interacted, with the former driving the latter crazy half the time…and yet, Reno never lost control. Even when Elliot was the sort to try the most patient person’s nerves, Reno did not rank among them. And he had managed to hold onto his calm and almost welcome Elliot’s attempts to fight or perhaps…punish him.

And then there was Elliot.

“I think I know what to do,” I said, sounding more confident than I felt. Perhaps I might even be able to take a little inspiration to handle things if I did it right.

“Alright,” she said, looking curious. “Then let’s go see what you’ve got up your sleeve. I’ll mostly be quiet, sitting there to legitimize your words. It’s all on you.”

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