The Parent Plan » Harry Styles

Chapter 3

– Athena & Jake –

   There are certain moments you have when you just think about one certain thing, where your mind can't focus on anything else – like it was tattooed in your brain and it can't be removed. It just keeps repeating, making you zone out and think about that certain thing. And no matter how hard you tried to push it to the back of your mind, you'd come up unsuccessful. Athena was feeling that way right now.

   She paid no attention to anything Mrs. Roberts was saying, instead she dwelled on the image of how her father would always stare at couples and the way he looked when he talked to Jake's mum. There was something there that she hadn't really seen before – she just didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. She hoped it was good.

   Subconsciously, she fiddled with the crayon she had received – cyan was the colour – a few minutes before she had zoned out. They haven't had use of the object just yet because really, Mrs. Roberts was just speaking on and on about class rules and that they are to have fun and learn – it was one of the rules. She, the teacher, hadn't even realized that she had already caused the hyperactive kids to simmer down.

   Beside her, Jake watched her zone out and wondered what she could possibly be thinking about. This was the first time he's actually seen her not pay attention to the teacher – and it was strange to say the least.

   But eventually, he got caught up in his thoughts as well. He wondered what it felt like to have a father like Athena had. When the two were saying goodbyes, he had watched their interaction. Sure, his mother was affectionate towards him but he wanted to be hugged, kissed and just have a father figure there for him. Earlier in the car when he'd asked about his father to Monica, he didn't know it was a soft spot until he asked it. He was simply curious, because he'd watch a bunch of other kids with two parents, looking as if they had the whole world. He wanted a full family like the other kids.

   In that moment, Jake wished that he had a dad.

   Blinking out of his thoughts, he looked back to Athena to notice she has yet to shake her thoughts. Fiddling with his turquoise blue crayon, he tapped her shoulder making her snap out of her thoughts.

   "Are you okay?" He wondered in a whisper, making sure that Mrs. Roberts didn't hear him. And though Jake Highland was one for being a trouble maker he had promised to be good for his mother and he wasn't about to break it. This was one of the many characteristics Monica loves about her son, how loyal he was.

   "Yeah," Athena murmured still in a daze. Her eyes drifted back to the teacher watching as she wrote on the chalk board – the noise greatly annoyed Athena – something about learning how to correctly write and count the first few numbers. Athena had already been taught this by Miss. Kayla, she didn't really have to listen to understand this.

   "You aren't paying attention," Jake murmured, his small eyebrows rising in the slightest – he remembered the movement as something his mother would do when stating the obvious. Although he hadn't paid attention himself for a while, he didn't say anything because Athena could easily tell his mother and he'd be in trouble.

   Athena placed the crayon down before looking over to Jake. She then remembered his interaction with his mum, it made her wonder if that's how her mum used to be. She could basically feel the love Monica gave Jake and she had that same feeling with her dad, but it's different, isn't it?

   In that moment, Athena wished that she had a mum.

.

   A few minutes later it was snack time, and of course Athena and Jake had secluded themselves from the other kids and sat together in the corner of the room where they had the bean bags. Athena sat in the red one as Jake sat on the yellow one, both having apple juice and animal crackers in their small hands.