Lesson Learned

Chapter Seven

"I'm really sorry for being such a klutz," Kendall apologized once again after she finished drying her shirt the best she could.  "I'm not usually that clumsy."

I smiled at her, feeling a twinge of jealousy, knowing that another man could cause her to have a reaction like that. And I knew how crazy that sounded. It wasn't like she was mine to feel defensive or protective of, but I couldn't help it. Anyone that hurt her had to be a fucking idiot.

"It's really okay, Kendall," I reassured her. "It happens to everyone."

"The cheating or spilling a drink?" She sighed loudly and waved a hand in the air. "I'm sorry. This isn't your problem to hear at all. It's completely unprofessional of me."

"Kendall, it's fine. I promise you. We're not at school right now, and even if we were, I'd like for you to know that you are safe to talk to me or any of us about anything. Because I've learned that hiding things can only spill into other things that can affect your job."

Her eyes widened and I thought again about what I'd just said. I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't want this to spill over into the classroom. I was about to clarify what I'd meant when she spoke up first.

"I'm so sorry, Kyle. I promise that I won't let this affect my performance in the classroom."

"I—"

Mom came in the kitchen carrying a couple of empty plates. "Everything okay in here?"

    Kendall smiled at my mother, but still looked embarrassed.

"I'm very sorry for making such a mess. I'm heading back in there to clean up the tablecloth for you. I'll take it home and wash it."

Mom laughed and squeezed Kendall's forearm as she placed the two plates in the sink beside her.

"You will do no such thing, darling. I couldn't tell you how many spills that tablecloth has seen. And I'm sure there will be many more. It'll survive, I promise, but I do want to make sure that you're okay. You seemed upset before walking in here, and it wasn't from the spill."

Mom was never one to mince her words. She always let everyone know what was on her mind and encouraged others to do the same. No matter what problems I had growing up, Mom and Dad were always willing to listen with an open mind. And I was glad that Mom was offering the same to Kendall. As much as it was probably frowned upon from the high school for Kendall even being here, it seemed like Kendall could use the support. The motherly kind...

    "Now, I know I'm basically a stranger, but I'm a stranger with two ears that are great at listening, if you'd like."

    Kendall smiled at Mom and I couldn't help but do the same.

    "It's silly, really. It's not like I still care about my ex, but just hearing about him and knowing that his name is going to be everywhere in town for a long time is just difficult. It makes it hard to put him in my past, you know?"

    Mom smiled. "I can understand that. Creating a clean plate is hard to do with you keep getting leftovers put on it."

    Kendall laughed, "Exactly. I just wanna forget about him and move on without seeing his name all over the university when I step foot there."

"I'm guessing that the young man that Mike brought up is someone that used to be close with you?"

Kendall nodded. "Yeah, he's my ex-boyfriend. I caught him cheating on me this past spring. I was going to surprise him on our anniversary, but he's the one that surprised me."