ChristopherI woke up feeling refreshed, like I had a second shot at making things right with Olin. In reality, it was more like a tenth or twentieth shot. It didn’t matter. I was going to try again. Fishing had to be the key. When he was younger, he had enjoyed fishing. Maybe there was a chance he still did. I hoped so.I felt desperate. I was starved for his attention and acceptance. I had a good idea of what it felt like to be a child starving for attention from his parents. I was almost willing to buy him a car just to get him to like me a little bit. I knew I couldn’t. He’d only like me for five minutes and he sure as hell wouldn’t respect me. I had to stay strong. I couldn’t let him win in this battle for what I perceived to be his future.Everything I said and did in these crucial developmental years mattered. I wanted him to be a good man one day. He needed guidance from a father, not advice from a pal. I hated having to be the bad guy. I hated having to tell him to get his sh

LeilaI hung the picture I had picked up at the store the day before and took a step back to make sure it was even. I felt like I was constantly changing the house. It was never quite good enough. I’d get it all put together and then I was ready for a change. Truthfully, I felt a little unsettled, like I was still looking for the right fit.I hadn’t found it yet.I heard a knock on the door and assumed it would be Kami. I didn’t have a lot of company just dropping by for a visit on a Sunday afternoon.She took one look at the hammer in my hand and shook her head. “I’m afraid to ask.”“Just a new picture,” I assured her.“Mom’s cooking a big dinner tonight and asked me to invite you,” she said, flopping into one of my chairs.“Hell yeah. I could use some good home cooking.”“She’s always cooking, and her door is always open, you know that,” she said.I sighed. “I know, but I don’t want to appear like a stray dog, scratching on the door for some scraps.”She laughed. “My mom would happi

ChristopherI parked my truck, checked my watch and cringed. I was thirty minutes early. My reprieve with Olin had been extremely brief. Saturday had been great. When the kid emerged downstairs Sunday morning, it was like something out of the exorcist. He’d been possessed by a demon. While the attitude had sucked and the day had been generally unpleasant, it had been more of a typical teen unpleasantness. That I expected.Didn’t make it any easier, but I expected to deal with some rotten days now and again. I had sent him to school, damn near begging him not to start any shit, and headed for my own school. The traffic had been light and now I was sitting in my truck trying to decide what to do.Coffee sounded like a good option. There was a small café on campus that served about a million different kinds of caffeine. That’s where I could kill some time before I went to class. I didn’t want the teacher to think I was trying to suck up by showing up so damn early. I was already feeling

LeilaI flipped the page on my notes and saw I had covered all I needed to for the day. I was on a roll. Class was going to be over right on time. That was always the sign of a good day. I tended to get a little long-winded at times and ended up speed talking through the final minutes of my lecture.“All right, that’s all I have today, but I do have one more tidbit of information to share,” I teased. “Wednesday will be your first test.”There were groans. As expected. “You’ll all do fine. This is an easy one—assuming you’ve been paying attention.”I watched as the smiles slipped away and the students filed out. Did they actually think they were going to sail through the entire class without a test? It was a class with credits. I looked up and saw Christopher waiting.“Hey,” I greeted him. “What’s up?”“I wanted to personally apologize for not being able to take you up on your offer to help me out, especially after I had asked for it.”“It’s no problem, really.”“I hope you didn’t clea

ChristopherI was a little embarrassed to admit I had to ask directions to the library. Twice. I wasn’t the library type. Never had been. Even when I was in school, I hadn’t used the library. It was so quiet. It creeped me out a little. I kind of liked chaos.I walked into the library, finding it nearly empty. I reminded myself that most students were at home enjoying their winter break. I scanned the many empty tables and wondered if there was somewhere specific I was supposed to be meeting Leila. I was a few minutes early, I reminded myself.“Christopher,” I heard my name and spun around.“Hi,” I whispered.She laughed softly. “I don’t think you have to whisper.”There was a whispered shushing noise. I turned to see a couple of what could only be called geeks, sitting at a table with a stack of thick books. I was going to make the assumption they were some kind of science majors.“Sorry,” I whispered, earning more scowls.“Over here,” Leila said gesturing with her head.I followed h