Page 6 of Extracurricular with Mr. Abbot

I crumble to the floor as sobs burst from me.

What am I going to do? I fell for him. I really fell for him, and now he’s gone.

THREE

JARED

Two weeks later

It’s been over two weeks since I had the best night of my life, and I knew within minutes of meeting her that I wanted to be with her. I’ve never felt that way about anyone, but Erin captured me from the get-go. Walking away was hard, but there was no other choice, I had to walk away, I couldn’t stay. I can’t lose my job.

But fuck, every night, all I think about is Erin and how fucking amazing she felt beneath me. To know that I’m the one she wanted, that I’m the only man that she’s been with. Fuck. My cock tightens at the memories. It’s taken everything in me not to track her down and be with her again. I’m fighting against every instinct I have as much as I want her, and I want to build something with her. I can’t.

When she’s in my class, she sits at the back and doesn’t make eye contact. I’m glad that she’s there and present, I’d hate for her to lose everything that she’s worked hard for. I’m not going to make it hard for her, I’m going to teach the class and pray that we can get through the next four years without a hiccup. I don’t know how it’s going to happen. I fucking pray that it does.

“Daddy, can we go to the park?” Megan asks as she pulls on my leg.

I glance outside and see that darkness has settled. “Honey, it’s dark.”

My little monster shrugs. “I want to play.” She also has me wrapped around her finger, there’s no way that I can say no to her. Especially after the week that she’s had.

“Okay, Meg, go get your shoes, and we can go.”

She runs through the house laughing and screaming. She’s happy, and that’s all that matters to me.

Megan is a diabetic. Her medicine is expensive, and my job as a professor is what manages to pay for it. My insurance through the college is one of the main reasons that I came home to Brightmore. That and my parents were here, and they’re a huge help with Megan. Whenever I have work, they watch her for me.

“Daddy, I’m ready,” she tells me as she looks up at me. A bright toothy smile on her face, her pale blue eyes just like mine. They reflect so much happiness that it makes my heart clench. She’s been through hell in her short years. Between having her mom walk out on her to discovering that she’s a diabetic and the struggles that come along with that. It’s been awful, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. Megan is the happiest girl in the world, and I hope that she stays like that.

I help her put her jacket on, all the while she continues to smile, she’s not going to stop, she bounces back from her low sugar levels like it’s just another day. This week has been fucking shit, the levels have been jumping all over, too high, to too low. It’s a fucker to get it stable, but once you do, it should stay. Mom took her to a soft play area as my sister brought her kids. While they were there, Megan drank some juice, something that she shouldn’t have—but she knows that now—and since then, it’s been painstaking to get her sugar levels to where we need them. But thankfully, we’re there right now, and I’m praying it stays level.

“What do you want for dinner?” I ask her as she skips beside me.

The park is only a fifteen-minute walk from our house, and it’s usually a daily occurrence that we’ll come here, especially when the weather is cool. I try to take her outside at least once a day, whether it’s to the park or let her ride her bike.

“Ooh, daddy, there’s no one here,” she cries as she rushes toward the swing. “I get to be alone.”

She doesn’t like it if there’s too many people around, she gets overwhelmed a lot and wants to leave. Thankfully, an empty park means a happy Megan.

I sit on the bench and keep an eye on her as she plays. There’s enough streetlights around that it lights up the playground, making it easier to see. My mind once again goes back to Erin. I grit my teeth. I have to remove her from my memories. I can’t lose my job, I can’t put my child’s health at risk, no matter who it’s for. It’s not something I’ll ever do.

“Oh, daddy, I found a ball,” she cries as she runs over to me. “Can you play with me?”

I get to my feet and clap my hands for her to throw the ball to me. She’s not yet quite mastered accuracy. She throws the ball to me, and it ends up flying back behind her. “I’ll get it,” she says, her little feet running after it. I watch as she picks it up and gets ready to throw it, but as she releases the ball, it flies in the air and hits someone who was minding their own business running.

I hear the husky laughter of Erin, and my cock tightens as she picks up the ball and hands it to my daughter. “Here you go, hunny, that was a great aim.”

Megan preens at her praise. “Thank you for the ball. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you. I was throwing it to my dad.”

Erin laughs again. She’s so fucking sweet with Megan that I’m rooted to the spot. She’s not seen me yet, and I’m not sure if I should make it known that I’m here or not. “That’s okay, it didn’t hurt. I think the ball’s okay, did I hurt it?”

Megan falls to the ground laughing, her tiny legs in the air as she howls with laughter. “You’re silly, the ball’s not hurt.”

Erin puts her hands on her hips. “No?” she questions. “Are you sure?” she asks as she helps Megan off the ground.

“I’m sure.”

Erin nods. “Okay then, sweetie, are you hurt?”

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