Lesson Learned {Student Teacher Romance}

Chapter 27

The weekend is a blur of working, schoolwork, and hanging out with my mom. Will and I send each other the occasional friendly text, but nothing too flirty. 

Each day feels like a countdown to my mom's drug test.

Unfortunately, her temporary babysitter's patience was wearing painfully thin and I didn't have a plan for when Agnes and Otis threw in the towel. 

On Tuesday there's an inexplicable lunch rush at Mike's that keeps both of us running around for hours. By the time my break rolls around, I feel as if I've run a marathon and my feet are so swollen I have to prop them up in Mike's office. 

When I check my phone I find four new voice messages from Agnes and one from my mom.

The icy fingers of fear are clawing their way around my esophagus when my mom's unstable voice begins babbling.

"Moira?" She sounds as if she's been crying but she's talking really fast and mixing up her words, which means she's probably high. "I wasn't gonna pass. I'm sorry baby girl, my baby. Moira, if it came down to you and me, I wasn't never gonna pass that test. Tell Tom sorry too."

Her voice fades out but cars are rushing by her in the background. A single horn blares so loud it could be right next to the phone. 

"Shit!" My mom exclaimed before the line went dead. 

A sweat breaks on my forehead as my heart hammers in my chest. 

My mom sounded like she was on the side of a road and she could be hurt. 

With shaking hands, I play my grandma's first message.

"Moira, I don't want you to worry, honey," she sounds so small and so scared it pinches my insides, "but your mom and I went to the grocery store and I lost her. Could you please try and call her phone?"

Suddenly my lungs don't work. 

Gasping for air, I call my mom's phone. It doesn't even ring but goes straight to voice mail. 

My stomach rolls and I desperately call my grandmother's house.

"Moira? Is that you?" Agnes sniffles. "Did you get my messages?"

"Just the last one," I answer.

"I don't even know what happened," Agnes explains tearfully. "One minute she was next to me in the produce aisle, and the next, I couldn't find her."

"Alright, stay home in case she calls," I tell her. "I'm going to look for her." 

I hang up on my grandma and continue quietly panicking. 

My mom is somewhere trying to score, and I have to find her before the police do. She definitely will not pass her drug test, but I shove that thought aside.

Next, I call Keri.

"Hey, Moira!" My best friend answers on the first ring.

"Hi, I need your help, are you free?" I ask in the steadiest voice I can manage.

"Oh, no!" Keri exclaims. "I'm at the zoo with Joey and my parents today."

"Oh," I croak. "Have fun!"

"Moira, is everything alright?" Keri's voice drops into worry.

Keri's best-friend-ESP is kicking and I've got to get off the phone before I worry her or ruin her family's day at the zoo.

"No, no!" I say. "Everything's fine. I was just hoping for a ride. Can't wait to see pictures of the zoo!"

I hang up and let my head droop into my chest.