BOLD

T-Touch

The weather was cold and always having to bring a jacket was a pain in the butt. I haven't talked to Carson in the past few days. I was furious because he should've been home already.

When we Skype again I told him that Thanksgiving went well.

"Mom told me that you haven't been wearing your ring," he says looking at me with a stone cold face. That's all he had been giving me the last few weeks when we Skype. I thought we were passed that stage, but I guess we weren't anymore.

Shrugging my shoulders I just look at him, "What do you want me to do?" Shaking my head, "I don't want to do this with you." I put my hands up and then slam them down on my thighs.

"Tell me, Quinn. Just go ahead and say what you are thinking," Carson says harshly. I flinch back and give him a disgusted look.

"What are we?" I whisper.

"Are you serious? That's what you want to know! For goodness sake, Quinn," Carson says. I ended the call and turn away from the computer to see Sebastian standing there.

"Sebastian," I say my face draining blood.

"I was wondering if you would send this to Mr. Maximum," he says shaking his head at me.

"What is it?" I ask taking the USB from him.

"A present," he says shrugging. He was blushing obviously he had heard the mini feud. 

"I'll do that now. I don't assume that I can look at it," I say smiling. He smiles partially and laughs.

"You can't watch it," he says. Nodding my head I laugh.

"Well I hope whatever is on this thing it would make him very happy," I say plugging it in. I send it and then hand Sebastian his USB back.

"Why did you hang up on him?" Sebastian asks. I pat the chair next to me and make him sit.

"He was angry. I'm a little angry because he was supposed to be home by now, but tomorrow is the first of December. So at this point I don't know if he will even be home for Christmas. So I hung up. I don't want to be mad anymore, but I panicked," I say with a shrug. He nods and the bell rings.

"Go to class," I say shooing him away. I wait for my class to fill up with students and thought. When will this ever get better before he gets back?

CARSON POV

I get an email from Quinn and I try not to smile. Maybe its her saying sorry. It's been a few days since she hung up on me. Maybe she had cooled off.

What it really had said was:

My students wanted to send you this video. I don't know what it is, so if it has some weird things or mean things. I'm sorry. Sebastian wouldn't let me watch.

I click the video and watch as it starts playing.

"Why do you like Mrs. Maximum?" the voice asks.

"She's really funny," one of the students reply with a slight giggle. What the heck was I watching?

"She isn't afraid to run around the class room acting like some animal or when she's trying to explain something in science class. She's always trying to make science fun and enjoyable for us," the kid says.

Many other kids tell stories about Quinn and how funny she can be. There was a multiple of time lapses. I was halfway through and they already showed one of her drawing, teaching, painting, and grading papers. Now it was just a video and I saw how sad she was. My heart yearned to know why. Holding my breath I watch as she takes off the rings and puts them in a drawer in her desk. There was another video where it looked like she had been crying. The kids had confronted her about it, but she waved them away and wiped the tears. She made a light joke on how sad she looked and then continued to teach. There was another time lapse as her and the kids were walking. She was leading the way and pointing out things for them to take pictures of. Then all the sudden we were at the wedding and we were dancing. She had pointed at something and started to laugh. A smile breaks across my face in the video as I watch her laugh. Then we were shoving cake into each others faces. She was laughing hysterically while I was scowling which only had made her laugh more.

Now she was playing volleyball. Her and Mackey were trying to smash the ball down into the kids. Then she was back to painting.

I didn't know she was painting anything. She hadn't told me anything. Only showing the kids art to me when we Skype.

"What's wrong Eliza?" Quinn asks in the video.

"Nobody has asked me to homecoming," she says sounding bummed. Quinn marches to the white board and grabs a marker.

"When I was your age. I hated homecoming. I went once my junior year. I thought it was stupid that I had to dress up and pay money to go dance with my friends," she says. She wrote 'boys suck' on the board.

"What about your husband? He's a boy," Eliza says. Quinn smiles and laughs, nodding her head.

"Well, I guess I kind of got lucky. But he's not a boy. He's a macho, serious, strong man." Quinn stands on her tiptoes, puffing out her chest then flexes her arms. The kids laugh.

"I'll be your date if nobody asks you. I'm an awesome dancer," Quinn says.

"No you aren't," Sebastian says. Quinn looks at him with her mouth open in surprised.

"Sebastian, you are looking a little pale. Let me help you with that," she says picking up some paint and a brush. He stands up and runs to the other side of the table. She tries to catch him and then gives up after a little while. The video ends with wiping cake off of our faces and she wipes off a spot that I had missed on my face.

"Hey, are you ready?" Eric, my intern, asks. I nod and close my laptop.
---

When I landed in Seattle, it was raining. Of course it was. I ordered some daisies and had them sent to Quinn's work.

QUINN POV

When I walked back into my room I saw a bouquet of daisies. I look at the card and saw that it said, "I love you." But it didn't have a name.

"Whoa," Sebastian says walking into the classroom.

"That's what I was thinking," I tell him. I call Mackey and he said he didn't know either. When I had tried to Skype Carson during lunch today he hadn't answered. Probably still mad at me then.

"Where are your rings?" Sebastian asks.

"Home. Safe," I tell him staring at the daisies.

"Still mad?" he asks. I shake my head, "Not really. I was going to Skype him during lunch, but he wasn't on. I guess he's still mad."

"Any word on when he is going to be home?" Sebastian asks. I shake my head and give him a shrug.

"I wish I knew kid. I don't even think he knows to be honest," I tell him. I finish the school day feeling a little weird. I was bummed that I couldn't Skype my husband, but I adored the flowers. I unlock the door to the house. I sit down the flowers on the small table beside the door and take off my coat. I shiver feeling a little cold.

I hear someone in the kitchen.

"Evelyn? Is that you? I don't think you are supposed to be here today. Especially at this time! Don't you think you should go home!" I yell. I take off my shoes and then put them away.

"I am home," a deeper voice says.