Page 56 of Regaining Integrity

For four goddamn days, Angie hasn’t spoken to me. I haven’t seen her. Nothing from her since Saturday night when she slammed the door in my face. I accepted her needing the space to think shit through and calm down, but now it’s Thursday, so I’m not buying that shit anymore.

After I gave Cera a verbal lashing, Valerie saw her out and followed her down the driveway to the county road on one of the four-wheelers to make sure she did indeed leave. There was no way I could calm down after that. Going up to my room to sleep wasn’t going to work. I was far too riled up and itching for a fight. So I did the one thing I could think of. Actually, it was two things, but I had to do one first.

Hopping in my truck, I headed into town and watched Angie’s apartment. She only had a single window facing her parking lot, and even then, it didn’t give me much of what I was hoping for. The lighting was low, almost a night-light level, and there was no movement in front of it for a long time.

I was too chickenshit to knock on the door. In hindsight, I should have done that because now I can’t even find her. Either she’s not at her apartment or I’m too much of a coward to go up there. She isn’t on parking lot duty, something Ridge explained to me that the teachers rotate through, and her time is finished.

No texts.

No calls.

Nothing—it’s as if she’s simply vanished.

But that isn’t true.

Ridge has been my informant, telling me she’s still around working. He can see past her sad smiles and knows she’s upset, just not why.

“Miss Reece is always in a good mood. She loves her job, Uncle Chase. Does she not like us anymore?”

After explaining to him it was all my fault, Ridge quit talking to me. I always loved being an uncle, being the fun one who would let Ridge do anything he wants—within the law—and now that is gone. It guts me nearly as much as Angie not talking to me.

Life fucking sucks right now.

Finding out from Patience, who found out from Angie’s mom why she isn’t talking to me nearly made me lose my shit. I fucked it up by trying to fix it.

Stupid fucking moron.

The drive to fix this as well is overpowering while at the same time leaving me at a complete loss on what exactly Ineedto do. It seems every time I try to do something I believe will finally win her over, it backfires.

Today is the first day I haven’t rushed off to go pick up Ridge. I let Valerie handle it, or maybe he’ll just take the bus home. I’m not sure. But I just didn’t feel like having my heart stomped on by sitting in my truck waiting and staring up at the building, knowing she’s possibly watching from her room.

Standing in the kitchen, I elect to tidy up and get dinner started while Mom is out in the garden, Valerie is out after Ridge, and Will helps Dad push cows. I don’t completely register the front screen door slam or the angry footsteps coming my way.

But the backpack slamming down on the table causes me to jump. “You need to fix this, Uncle Chase.”

“What?” When I turn around, the water in the pot I was about to put on the stove sloshes around, slipping to the floor.

Fuck.

“Miss Reece.” He crosses his arms, and at that moment, he looks a little more like me. “You said it was your fault, so now you need to fix it.”

“I’m trying to, buddy.”

“No, you’re not. You just say you are, but you haven’t tried calling or texting her or going to her classroom to talk like the first time you upset her,” he pleads.

“What do you want me to do, Ridge?” It takes everything not to snap at him. He’s a kid, so he doesn’t know any better.

“Go talk to her. Make some big gesture like in the movies Mom and Grandma always cry over,” he states plainly.

“Easier said than done, little man.” I huff.

“Figure it out.” He marches up and pokes me in the chest. “I want my favorite teacher back.” As he’s walking away, an idea hits me.

“Hey, Ridge, want to help?”

~~

This is not a stupid idea.

---