Page 52 of Love…It's Complicated

“Yeah. It’s sad when it happens.”

“She’ll be okay. My wife has her out almost every weekend. She’s young and beautiful. A good guy will snatch her up quick. I’ll tell her I ran into you.”

My brows furrow with uneasiness. “Um … I didn’t recognize your name on the syllabus.”

“I took Nicole’s. She has all sisters and wants to carry on the family name.”

“You took your wife’s last name?” Tyler bemuses with a laugh, and I punch him in the face with my stare.

“Do you have a student at Newbury Middle School?” Victor asks.

“Yes. Isabella Landish.”

He leans back on his heels and blows out a deep breath, as I’d imagine a surgeon would before giving a bad post-op report. “Yes. Isabella. I was hoping her parents would show up.”

“Is there a problem with Izzy?” Tyler asks.

“Why don’t we take a seat and discuss?” Victor leads us into the classroom and closes the door behind him.

He motions for us to take a seat at the classroom desks. They’re much nicer than the kind we had as kids. Individual tables in the shape of a trapezoid with a seat that’s not attached. Tyler and I choose front row seats in front of Mr. Adams’s desk.

“Isabella has been in my class since the beginning of the year. I’m her homeroom teacher, and I see her first period for History. We spend quite a bit of time with each other in the morning.”

“You don’t sound like she’s doing well,” Tyler implies.

“Academically, she’s doing okay. Eighties on her tests. Nothing exceptional, yet no red flags to worry about. She could benefit from additional time studying for tests. It’s an adjustment for our middle schoolers. The tests are longer and less frequent. It’s more information to study.”

“That’s Lyss’s job. She has the kids during the week.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Thanks, Tyler. I’ll be sure to work harder with Izzy on her studying.”

“Actually, our last exam was on a Monday. I gave the kids the full weekend to review.”

If I could high-five Victor for that comment, I would.

He folds his hands on his desk and looks at Tyler and me with a grimace. “What concerns me actually is her demeanor. She’s very reserved. Not too social with her peers. Eats lunch alone in the cafeteria. She chooses to sit on a bench and draw during free period instead of playing in the gym or even talking with the other students. The adjustment period is over, and most students have formed small cliques. Isabella seems resistant to forming bonds with anyone. Is this typical for her personality?”

Tyler shakes his head. “Not at all. She is our social butterfly. At her last school, she had a ton of friends and played soccer.”

“She opted to take a break from sports while she adjusted to the new course schedule of middle school,” I add. “She also didn’t want to compete against her friends in Greenwood Village. They were a close group.”

“Recently divorced?” Victor surmises.

Tyler and I nod. The confirmation has him sighing knowingly.

“It’s common for kids who have a dramatic life event in the household to go through a personality adjustment. Does she talk to anyone?”

“She has us. She and my girlfriend, Maisie, talk all the time.”

I scrunch my eyes and shake my head. “Izzy talks to Maisie. Since when?”

“They’re always huddled together, talking.” He turns to Victor. “My girlfriend and Izzy are very close.”

Victor gives a closed-mouth smile. “I’m sure they are. What I’m suggesting is a therapist. We have a fantastic social worker on staff—”

“Izzy doesn’t need a social worker,” Tyler bites out.

Turning to Tyler, I offer, “A therapist doesn’t sound so bad.”

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