Page 44 of Love and Other Chances

We make eye contact, and the joy in his eyes flips into bright mode. There’s no other way to describe his actions than to say he positivelyboundsover to me, beaming.

He chills out by the time he reaches us, but not before Sofia saw his initial reaction. Her eyes glimmer with mischief as Brooks approaches our group. “Teegan, welcome to The Hangout!” Brooks says.

The group of teenage boys that was standing with him trails behind, merging into one large mob of middle school hormones and body odor. There are several whispered speculations about who I am, and I stifle a laugh at the unsuccessful attempts to be inconspicuous.

“Teegan is my Bible study leader at Townsend, and she came to see everything that we do here at The Hangout,” Sofia claims with authority. “I’m always telling her about what a cool program it is, and how it’s been even better since Mr. Murphy came this year.” She addsthat last bit with a not-at-all-subtle tone of voice and facial expression as she glares meaningfully at the students gathered around.

“Oh, yeah, Mr. Murphy is the GOAT,” one of the boys announces, catching Sofia’s drift. “He cares about us, no cap.”

“Bet. He’s always bussin in the classroom. It’s the first year I’ve been interested in social studies,” another student chimes in.

“We’re all Mr. Murphy stans,” one of the girls gushes.

Stifling my laughter is growing harder and harder as the students lay it on thick with their absurd Gen Alpha slang. Brooks, for his part, rolls his eyes with a smirk. “Besties, you’re delulu. Stop acting so sus.”

I burst into laughter, unable to keep it contained any longer. Brooks grins at me but rallies the guys to head to the rec area for their basketball tournament. I follow Sofia and the girls she’s tutoring to their table, stopping to grab pizza on the way.

Sofia abandons their ELL workbook for the evening, choosing instead to make tonight a conversational lesson. I ask the girls lots of questions, giving them space to mentally translate their answers into English. Sofia is able to fill in the blanks for me when they revert to Spanish to give their full thoughts.

By the end of the night, my emotional tank is filled to the brim. These middle schoolers have so much energy and enthusiasm, a different variety than what I see with college students. Sofia thanks me for coming, adding a sly, “Feel free to come back to visit me—or Mr. Murphy—any time.”

Back at my car, I’m choosing a playlist for the ride home when there’s a tap at my window. My heart rate spikes when I see that it’s Brooks. I roll down the window.

He leans an arm on the car door. “It was nice to see you here, Teegan. I know that meant a lot to Sofia. She talks about you all the time. And not just in an ornery, trying-to-make-me-like-you way. Not that I need any assistance on that front,” he says, his smile contagious.

“You genuinely mean a lot to her,” he adds. His smile takes on a wry twist. “That doesn’t mean they’re not all in there conspiring to get you to like me.”

I laugh. “I’m glad I could come and see The Hangout for myself. For as much as Lana used to talk about it, I never visited when I wasin college. This really is a unique program. I hope you’re able to start something like this in KCMO someday.”

Brooks nods, then taps my car door like he’s about to stand up and leave. “And Brooks?” I add, stopping him. “It was fun to see you here too. Witness your middle school teacher rizz firsthand.”

He laughs, but I can see a blush on his cheeks, even in the dark. “I’ll take whatever rizz points I can get,” he says, face turning serious as his eyes hold mine.

“Goodnight, Brooks.”

“Night, Snea—” Brooks visibly catches himself mid-word. “Teegan. I’m sorry, it just slipped.”

I realize the sting—the panic—that felt so all-consuming the first time he used my old nickname has completely dissipated. It feels . . . almost comforting again. “It’s okay. You can say it now. It . . . it doesn’t bother me so much.”

The look of gratification that spreads across his face makes me feel fuzzy and fulfilled inside, like I’ve curled up on the couch in a sherpa blanket after a Christmas feast. His smile is tender as he whispers, “See you soon, Sneaks.”

Two days later, I receive a midday text from Brooks. It must be his lunch break or planning period. Or he’s texting during class just like high school Brooks.

BROOKS

I thought about surprising you but decided against it. I’m coming to your Arrow meeting tonight because I want to experience what you do on campus for myself. But I didn’t want you to feel awkward trying to explain who I am to anyone, so I recruited other people from small group to come too. You can blanket introduce us as your church friends

I try but fail to fight off a smile. His thoughtfulness has the temperature of my heart increasing by several degrees. Not only does hewant to come see my world, but he also considered how his presence there might affect me. He’s taking that extra step to make sure I feel comfortable, and that’s just plain hot.

Sounds amazing. Excited to see you all there

After spending an extra twenty minutes choosing an outfit and curling my hair, I head to the student union early. The welcome team girls haven’t arrived yet, so I pace the lobby.

This is great, Teegan! It’s so kind of your friends to want to see such a big part of your life. Things won’t be awkward at all. It’s all fun and games, end of story.

Thankfully, girls start to arrive and distract me from my solitary, frenetic thoughts. We discuss the campus-wide disappointment about the men’s soccer team not making the playoffs this year (a fact that devastated Mateo, I’m sure). I’m fully engrossed in conversation with a large circle of girls when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

I spin on my heel to see Joy smiling widely, surrounded by Caleb, Natalie, Catherine, and Will.

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